Today we take a trip back to last August (2020), right before lockdown #2 when we could hit the road and visit some of the magical sights our beautiful little island has to offer.
Murder hole, officially called Boyeeghter Beach, is located at the tip of Melmore Head just north of Downings. The beach is off the beaten track in a secluded area only accessible across some private land owned by a local farmer who has kindly granted access, however, explorers should respect the area and close the gates along the way to keep the live stock safe.
After parking the car we had a 15 minute walk across the fields and up the hill towards the beach, I can honestly say once we reached the top of the dunes the view that suddenly presented itself was truly breath taking. The colour of the sand and water, the enormity of the beach and the sound of the waves crashing was an overwhelming rush to the senses. Feeling like giddy children, we rushed down the sandy slopes and made a beline for the nearest wave lapping the shore, golden sands beneath our feet, a sheer cliff to our right hand side, an island to the center of the beach with the incoming tide slowly surrounding it, one huge wave at a time. Quickly laying down our bags and camera gear on some rocks it was time to dip the toes in the surf. Camera in hand, it was a short walk to meet the next surge of bubbling surf as it glided so smoothly over the flat area of wet sand. The noise of the huge waves breaking, the aqua marine, turquoise blues and greens as the light penetrated just below the dancing horses on top of each wave was beautiful, nature at its most spectacular yet its most dangerous. All of a sudden a wave hits even harder than the last one and a surge of water pushes over the beach, hurtling across the dry sand showing no sign of stopping as it travels 20, 30, 40 feet and more, until it hits the rocks beside our previously dry bags. This photographer has never seen such movement of water before, a lesson learned however, and luckily our equipment wasn’t washed away, saved by a quick dash to rescue it before it got soaked.
A short visit turned into hours of amazement as we enjoyed the spectacular sights and sounds. To top that off we had a chance encounter with one of our Photography hero’s, Stephen Hanna (Nebo Fine Art) who gladly gave his time for a chat and some advice on all things photography.
As with everything in life – timing is key, and on this beautiful sunny summers eve our luck was in and full tide coincided with the most stunning hazy sunset, quick flight with the drone, video and photos boxed off. We then set up at the top of the dunes to capture the orange fire ball in the sky as it sizzled slowly into the deep blue Atlantic.
What a day, the most memorable trip and one we cant wait to do again.