In passing when I’ve been talking with visitors to Whaligoe Steps, I occasionally get asked about what it is like living here during the winter season. Looking through my photographs of Whaligoe Steps taken over the years, I didn’t find any really good ones which showcased a visual for the winter season.
Today, I corrected the oversight as I watched hail, sleet and gentle snow flurries grace the landscape from the evening of January 3rd, continuing intermittently throughout the morning of the 4th.
Take my hand as we tentatively negotiate the slippery Steps from the top down to the Bink…
It was a little slippery underfoot, as the descent took place accompanied by a light breeze and a crispy cold ambience.
On this specific trek over the snow covered steps, I noticed how prominent the presence of the winter covering was on the higher flights than the sets of steps further down. Remember, there are six flights of steps which zig-zag down the cliff face making up the Whaligoe Steps.
The north sea gets darker with the wintery weather and provides a pleasant contrast on the eye.
These sets of Whaligoe Steps were given a makeover by the Stonemason Charles Juhlenski during several months of 2021…
As the fourth flight of Whaligoe Steps (photograph directly above this text) reaches its end, at the time of the blog post the steps are in a precarious state of disrepair with some specific examples now wobbling significantly. (Please be aware if you read this at the time of the blog post being published for obvious safety reasons).
At this stage of my descent, I noticed how the north sea breeze and perhaps the shelter from the landscape were disrupting the snow from settling as much.
We made it! The Bink welcomes us after we cautiously trekked down the Whaligoe Steps…
