Isle of Grain

It’s strange how you can live in an area all your life and yet never visit places just an hour from home. It was like that with the Isle of Sheppey until I began visiting Elmley nature reserve a few years ago. Now, the little bridge across the Swale river has become as familiar as some of our local lanes.

I had been aware of the Isle of Grain, situated to the north-west of Sheppey, for some time, but had never been interested until I was researching locations for some more full moon rising photographs. I found an offshore tower, standing in the mouth of the river Medway. Built in the mid-19th-century, it was meant to protect nearby dockyards from a perceived French invasion during a period of tension. It looked perfect for my needs, with a coastal footpath allowing me to stand in different spots according to the position of the rising moon.

In the end, I created a plan that involved the least amount of walking and with perhaps, the best view of the derelict tower.

So, a little over a week ago, I set out from home on what was turning out to be a lovely clear evening. By the time I reached Grain however, there was a very low, dark cloud hanging over Sheppey. It curved round to my left and I feared it would block out the rising moon. I still had a way to drive though and as my route was even further to the west, I missed it by a whisker.

I parked up at the far end of Grain and carried my rucksack and tripod down a narrow track to the river, passing of all things, an alpaca farm! It seemed a strange place to keep camelids, but having spotted some in a paddock next to the sea wall, they seemed perfectly content. I don’t know what our two llamas would have made of the place!

I set up my gear and waited, but there was a very strong wind blowing directly off the water, making the end of my 600mm lens bounce up and down. The tripod was working well, it was simply a very long and heavy lens being buffeted in the gale. I tried pulling down on the camera strap, while pushing the end of the lens upward, but the failing light meant ever increasing shutter speeds and it seemed as though all the images were blurred. I resigned myself to a missed opportunity, but carried on shooting, just in case. It wasn’t until I checked the files on the computer the following afternoon, that I found two that were sharp.