07 March 2012

This is a real place


Beachy Head, England (credit Rhy Davies). A more prosaic (but equally impressive) aerial view is shown below (click for bigger), with the vantage point for the upper photo marked.

The name Beachy Head appears as 'Beauchef' in 1274, and was 'Beaucheif' in 1317, becoming consistently Beachy Head by 1724, and has nothing to do with beach. Instead it is a corruption of the original French words meaning "beautiful headland".
Both images via Reddit.

8 comments:

  1. Sorry to spoil your illusions, but Beachy Head is an utterly bleak suicide spot, precisely because nobody goes there, so it's a good place to throw yourself off the cliffs without anyone stopping you. It's barren, and not in a beautiful way. That kind of mist is an extremely rare event, and I suspect the colouration of the sky has undergone some dramatic Photoshopping.

    There are lots of lovely places in England, but this one isn't worth visiting and it's certainly not as magical-looking as you see it here.

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    Replies
    1. It does not appear to be a Photoshop job.

      From Telegraph:
      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/8559488/Landscape-Photographer-of-the-Year-call-for-entries.html

      From the contest website:
      http://www.take-a-view.co.uk/step-1-Selecting-your-images.htm

      "When you have selected your pictures, digital adjustments, including High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging techniques and the joining together of multiple frames, are allowed in all categories. However, for images entered in Classic view, Living the view and Urban view, the integrity of the subject must be maintained and the making of physical changes to the landscape is not permitted (removing fences, moving trees, stripping in sky from another image etc). The judges will allow more latitude in the ‘Your view’ category, which aims to encourage originality and conceptual thinking."

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    2. Thank you for finding that, Dave, because it allowed me to add a credit for the photo to the post.

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    3. A friend's aunt killed herself there some time in the 60s - as you say, it's a common place.
      There are occasional patrols by well meaning people, but of course they can't do much and they're not there all the time.

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    4. It seems every place, photographed in a clever way, can be alluring. I find this spot mesmerizing if not exactly cheerful.

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  2. Thank you, Google Earth. Beachy Head appears to be a great road to drive if you enjoy long mellow winding roads over rolling grassy hills next to the shore. The submitted photos back up much of what doubleclicktf has said (photoshop fo sho and there are crosses on the cliffs). But there are well worn paths on the grass with many tourists in the photos taking in the sight(s).
    Its beauty will be decided by the beholder. I do not have cliffs like this and would love to see the entire collection.
    If when I make it to this tiny country, I hope to have this on my motorcycle's flight plan.

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  3. Yep, it's nationally famous as a suicide spot, but it's also a part of the Southdowns Way path, which as you can see wends and winds through some beautiful English countryside and villages on the chalk downland - I've hiked all 100 miles of it from Eastbourne to Winchester, eating pub food and drinking beer, staying in B&Bs in little villages each night, and it is a great taste of the gentle Southern countryside. I may be biased, having grown up in the area.

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  4. As an American tourist on a road trip to south England, it was a nice stop on the road, but nothing special. I do remember seeing a bunch of suicide prevention signs,

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