In Dorset, Jethro Marshall settles in amongst the shingle and sea kale.
Along the western end of Chesil Beach on the Dorset Jurassic Coast, lies a small shingle oasis called Cogden.
Accessible from the rolling coastal B3165, this 200m stretch of beach is popular with anglers and hardy hikers. But it’s a unique place, a quietly surreal environment with flora & fauna unlike any other beach on the South Coast.
Come May and June the abundant sea kale expands, flowers and creeps further east and west — the blue-grey-green leaves like industrial fleshy cabbages. These clumps are peppered with yellow horn poppies, semi-camoflauged against the golden chesil pebbles. Some years there’s also pink thrift, which breaks the tonal green-blue-yellow system.
This beautiful self-contained micro-climate is a result of its exposed aspect, salty air and elevated high tide mark. Look inland and the lush wild overgrowth starts to encroach onto the beach line, bracketing you with verdant life.
The winds can really howl along the 18-mile tombolo, moisture blowing through the low sky, but lie down and settle yourself into the deep shingle amongst the kale, and your organic protection within the elements is complete. Just point and shoot…
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Jethro Marshall is an image maker who describes his work as ‘anti-bucolic / pro-rural’. You can follow him on Instagram here and his publishing platform here.