Living in the UK, I’m never that far from the coast, and I love a bit of coastal photography. Now for the bad news. I live in the North West of England, which doesn’t have the rugged coastal beauty of somewhere like Cornwall. Despite this, I do have three locations that I return to repeatedly.
Here are my top 3 in reverse order.
No. 3 – Whitby
Whitby is on the East side of the country in North Yorkshire. It’s a bit of a drive for me at around 1.5 hours, but it’s fabulous for both sunset and sunrise photography. It’s also a nice place to visit, along with the nearby Robin Hood’s Bay and Sandsend.
When the conditions are right, the light can be spectacular and produce amazing colour, as in this shot I took on Whitby Pier in May 2018.
This tripod-mounted capture used a Fuji XT2 and Fuji 10-24 lens at 11mm. It’s a 1.1-second exposure at f/11.0 and ISO200, and I used a 2-stop ND graduated filter on the sky.
No. 2 – Blackpool
Blackpool is a great place for Photography. The light is often wonderful, and there can be spectacular sunsets. Winter is a particular favourite of mine as the light quality can be exceptional, particularly when it’s cold.
This image from December 2021 is typical when the weather is cold and clear.
This handheld capture uses a Panasonic G9 with a Leica 12-60 lens at 15mm. It’s a 1/400-second exposure at f/6.3 and ISO200. I also used a 2-stop ND grad filter on the sky. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t use a filter when there is a lot of blue sky, but I like its darkening effect on this image.
No. 1 – Formby
Formby is my number one favourite coastal location for photography (in the North West). The landscape there is both beautiful and challenging. As with Blackpool, I think the beach is at its best in winter, with a strong, low light. It’s frequently windy, making shooting difficult, especially among the superb dunes. Sand will get everywhere on days like this.
This image was captured using a Fuji XT3 with a Fuji 16-80 lens at 23mm. It’s a handheld exposure of 1/80 seconds at f/13.0 and ISO160. I also used a 2-stop ND grad filter on the sky.
The other challenging aspect of the photography is that Formby Beach is flat, wide and long. You’re initially faced with an expanse of sand and very little to focus the eye. Only when the conditions come right do you realise it’s all about the light here, as in this final shot.
I hope you like my rundown of my favourite coastal location. If you find yourself in the North West of England and want to do some coastal photography, these are three great locations.
Have a great weekend.
The Lightweight Photographer 
These 3 places are on my ever growing list of places to visit for photography . I also live in a less rugged area, West Norfolk , with the nearest coast , Snettisham and its’s glorious mud flats only 20 miles away.
Norfolk has some great coast as well. You would probably feel quite at home in Formby.
Thank you for sharing your favourite list of coastal photography locations. This is a great list of places. And I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog.
I’m a hobbyist photographer and was fortunate enough to visit Whitby last year and thoroughly enjoyed shooting there. And the next time I visit Whitby I would also like to check out Sandsend.
I also really enjoyed shooting in Blackpool several years ago. One spot that I enjoyed shooting at was on Cleveleys Beach. This beach is only around four miles away from Blackpool and is easily accessible by tram from Blackpool. Cleveleys Beach has an artwork called Mary’s Shell and also another one that is a stone ogre on the beach. And they’re great for long exposure shots.
I’m glad you like the information and enjoy the blog. There are some surprisingly good locations that are often overlooked. Cleveleys is another. In fact that entire stretch of coast can be great, especially at sunset.