Camber Sands: A Seaside Story of Shifting Sands

While the summer months bring the majority of visitors to British seaside destinations, a beach possesses a unique charm during the off-season.

I decided to visit Camber Sands, and carry on some more new film photography in 2025, tim really enjoying this new vein of enthusiasm.

I decided on taking my Leica M6, loaded with my trusted Kodak 5222 / Double X and my large format 4x5 camera, The Chamonix 45n2 with some Fomapan 400. Both of these films are my trusted film choices. I buy the former in 400 ft bulk reels that I pre-load onto 30 exposure rolls. The latter constitutes the best value for 4x5 film, where 50 sheet boxes can be bought off the interweb for around £40. This coupled with my chosen black and white developer - Kodak hc110 - at dilution b (1:31), is about the best and most prudent and cost effective workflow that there is.

I’m at a crossroads as to what I'll actually shoot in the spring and summer of 2025, having not bought any colour film since my Kodak 250d 400 ft bulk reels purchase in 2023. Not only the cost of the film but the cost of the c41 developer kit. I may decide to just stick with black and white workflow above, let's see.

Camber’s vast expanse of sand feels even more expansive when devoid of crowds, and the winter storms can create dramatic landscapes.

This is a location that I regularly pass through, on my jaunts to Dungeness.

The dunes, often overlooked in summer, become a haven for walkers and nature enthusiasts. The crisp air and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore offer a sense of tranquility and peace that is hard to find elsewhere.

The Decline of a British Seaside Icon

Camber Sands, with its vast expanse of golden sand and rolling dunes, has long been a beloved destination for British holidaymakers. Generations of families have flocked to this East Sussex gem, seeking sun, sea, and traditional seaside fun. However, the recent closure of the Pontins holiday park has cast a shadow over the area, raising questions about the future of this once-vibrant coastal resort.

A History of Holidaymaking

Camber Sands' history as a tourist destination dates back to the Victorian era, when the arrival of the railway made coastal getaways more accessible. The beach's natural beauty and expansive sands drew visitors in search of relaxation and recreation. In the mid-20th century, holiday camps like Butlins and Pontins emerged, offering affordable package holidays that catered to working-class families. These camps became synonymous with the British seaside experience, providing entertainment, activities, and self-catering accommodation.

This is a complete contrast to the scenes broadcast from Barcelona, with local squirting water at tourists, with a populous movement of tourists go home, as a action towards over tourism, the shortage of housing (with Airbnb rentals sitting unoccupied for the majority of the year).

The Rise and Fall of Pontins

The Pontins holiday park at Camber Sands was a mainstay of the resort for decades. Its chalets, amusement arcades, and entertainment venues provided countless holiday memories for families. However, as travel trends changed and competition from overseas destinations increased, the park began to decline. In recent years, it faced criticism for its outdated facilities and lack of investment. The closure of the park in 2023 marked a significant turning point for Camber Sands, leaving a void in the local economy and raising concerns about the area's future.

I would love to take a work around the Interior of the site, it has an eerie atmosphere to it, akin to The Overlook Hotel in The Shining.

Whilst it was bitterly cold last Saturday, I thoroughly enjoyed the break to Camber and the visit to this part of the quirky Kent coast.

Until next time, keep snapping.

---

Staycation 2020

A good friend of mine made an interesting statement about Covid19, back in May 2020.

He mentioned he was calling his girlfriend’s pug 'Covid' When I asked ‘why’? I was told, ‘its simple really…… it's stopping us going on holiday, we can't go out for an evening to the pub or restaurant and it poos everywhere'!

Both funny and apt.

I’m sat here writing this blog, returning back to work after my two weeks annual leave. No sun, sea or extravagant journeys unfortunately, lockdown in COVID-19 has kiboshed that.

I had some nice plans for 2020. April 2020 was supposed to be a trip to Istanbul with the kids. It was being billed as ‘kebabs and cameras’. I have been mesmerised by the street photography there for many years, in fact the tipping point was purchasing the excellent City of a hundred names, by Alex Webb last year. But alas not to be, this year at least.

Whilst this is depressing, it is providing me with some me time, catching up on photobooks, documentaries and also afforded me the opportunity to compliment my own body of work documenting these strange times.

It also provided a more grounded break with the kids, to have a couple of day trips.

First up was Broadstairs and Margate. I have always loved the allure of the British seaside town and all its kitsch foibles.

I hadn't been to Broadstairs before, and was given the nod by a work colleague. It was a lovely place with plenty of photo opportunities of the domestic holiday maker.

I wanted to take them to the Black Lives Matters exhibition at the Turner Contemporary Gallery, this was of interest to my daughter, who has taken an interest in the three marches that have been held Brighton over the summer, since the harrowing murder of George Flloyd by a police officer.

The exhibition detailed works evidencing black folks plight in the Deep South to get work through art and craft. It also had an excellent (albeit limited) collection of black and white civil rights photography front the 1960’s.

The Turner Contemporary Gallery is a stunning building situated to the east of the seafront, which also has an Anthony Gormley statue in the sea, at the rear of the gallery.

Whilst the town has regularly been voted the best seaside town in the UK to live, the remnants of the old Margate are omnipresent.

Arlington House is a beautiful brutalist residential high rise that dominates the skyline.

First completed in 1964 the site was advertised as “Britain’s first ‘park and buy’ shopping centre with luxury flats,” and marked the beginning of Margate’s redevelopment.

Arlington was designed by Russell Diplock Associates and built by Bernard Sunley and Sons, Originally the site was made up of 52 shops, a pub, a supermarket, a coach station, a filling station, a multi-storey car park and the 18-storey, 142-flat block.

I normally take the kids up to London for a day trip, but due to the depressed tourist market, we were fortunate to be able to book a 2 night stay at the Lancaster Gate Hotel, near Hyde Park. We snagged a bargain getting the room at 50% of the normal daily rate.

First up was West London, and Notting Hill / Portobello Road.

By daughter loves to see the whitewashed London terraced houses and flower lined mews.

For dinner we headed over to Tayyabs Restaurant for the mixed grill in Whitechapel, absolutely delicious. This place never seems to disappoint. I haven’t eaten here for nearly 10 years.

Day two was a mixture of shopping and sight seeing, we ended up heading over to Soho in the evening for a bite to eat at Bibimbap and to take some night photos of the lights in China Town.

As staycations go, it wasn’t bad, the kids and I remain healthy and well, so we can’t and shouldn’t complain.

Until next time, keep snapping.

A selection of the images within this article are available for sale on the Website or Etsy Store, if you would like to enquire about something else, please click the email icon at the foot of this page.