The Beast from the East is a phrase widely used to describe an extreme winter weather event that affected large parts of the UK in the early part of 2018.
This short Series captures a little of how it looked to me on the beach in Portobello, which is a suburb of Edinburgh overlooking the Firth of Forth in Scotland, UK. I was “stranded” there for a couple of days whilst the main roads, train lines and flights out of Scotland all succumbed to the icy weather.
Taken early in the morning, during a briefly sunny break in the weather, this image captures the rare phenomenon of snow settling on the beach, extending all the way down to the shoreline. The footprints were kindly provided by an unknown contributor.
I sprang into action when I saw the developing drama in the sky over the beach as evening approached. We had already had a fall of snow whilst the water was at low tide, which unusually settled on the beach. A surreal scene.
Whilst I recall the scene vividly, it may prove to be a tricky image to read. The dark patch to the left is a crown on the beach where for some reason the snow didn’t settle, and the middle ground is dominated by the freshwater burn which enters the sea across this part of the beach.
A classic “grab” shot. This one captures a single hardy soul on the snow covered beach braving the cold weather and perishing wind. For me this image really captures the essence of the weather that evening.
