Ian Tokelove
@iantokelove.bsky.social
Mostly walking or kayaking the more remote landscapes around London, especially the Thames Estuary and its creeks.
The disused gantry bridge at Harwich Train Ferry Berth. Dating back to 1923* this once served train ferries to Zeebrugge in Belgium. The last service ran in 1987 and the structure is now Grade II Listed.
* Originally constructed in Richborough, Kent in 1917 to support troops fighting in WW1.
* Originally constructed in Richborough, Kent in 1917 to support troops fighting in WW1.
July 29, 2025 at 8:34 PM
The disused gantry bridge at Harwich Train Ferry Berth. Dating back to 1923* this once served train ferries to Zeebrugge in Belgium. The last service ran in 1987 and the structure is now Grade II Listed.
* Originally constructed in Richborough, Kent in 1917 to support troops fighting in WW1.
* Originally constructed in Richborough, Kent in 1917 to support troops fighting in WW1.
The gnarled, sculptural remains of a riverside willow, upstream of Flatford Mill on the River Stour. Stripped back to its core, its bleached, twisted bones seem almost alien.
It’s the sort of stump that looks as though it could move itself, when the mist is thick and no one is watching.
It’s the sort of stump that looks as though it could move itself, when the mist is thick and no one is watching.
July 20, 2025 at 6:28 PM
The gnarled, sculptural remains of a riverside willow, upstream of Flatford Mill on the River Stour. Stripped back to its core, its bleached, twisted bones seem almost alien.
It’s the sort of stump that looks as though it could move itself, when the mist is thick and no one is watching.
It’s the sort of stump that looks as though it could move itself, when the mist is thick and no one is watching.
An overgrown corner of Battlesbridge Boatworks, on the River Crouch in Essex.
July 1, 2025 at 7:01 PM
An overgrown corner of Battlesbridge Boatworks, on the River Crouch in Essex.
The end of the line at Brandy Hole, on the River Crouch. Here the seawall path was breached in 2002 to allow the sea in, rewilding precious saltmarsh.
I love this part of the path, walking along the rough remnants of the seawall, with a high spring tide lapping close, and the chatter of birdsong.
I love this part of the path, walking along the rough remnants of the seawall, with a high spring tide lapping close, and the chatter of birdsong.
July 1, 2025 at 6:55 PM
The end of the line at Brandy Hole, on the River Crouch. Here the seawall path was breached in 2002 to allow the sea in, rewilding precious saltmarsh.
I love this part of the path, walking along the rough remnants of the seawall, with a high spring tide lapping close, and the chatter of birdsong.
I love this part of the path, walking along the rough remnants of the seawall, with a high spring tide lapping close, and the chatter of birdsong.
The Hoo Peninsula, walking out from RSPB Cliffe Pools, late afternoon.
Horses and cattle graze amid the abandoned buildings of Cliffe Explosives Works. Along the foreshore, several wooden piers still stand, their stout, dark timbers unused for more than a hundred years.
Horses and cattle graze amid the abandoned buildings of Cliffe Explosives Works. Along the foreshore, several wooden piers still stand, their stout, dark timbers unused for more than a hundred years.
June 15, 2025 at 6:33 PM
The Hoo Peninsula, walking out from RSPB Cliffe Pools, late afternoon.
Horses and cattle graze amid the abandoned buildings of Cliffe Explosives Works. Along the foreshore, several wooden piers still stand, their stout, dark timbers unused for more than a hundred years.
Horses and cattle graze amid the abandoned buildings of Cliffe Explosives Works. Along the foreshore, several wooden piers still stand, their stout, dark timbers unused for more than a hundred years.
The remote, off-grid Broadness Harbour at the tip of the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent. A high tide visit last weekend. Maybe a dozen moorings here, some active, some not. Across the Thames, chemical works and industry. Here, just the wind and the tide.
June 8, 2025 at 9:24 PM
The remote, off-grid Broadness Harbour at the tip of the Swanscombe Peninsula in Kent. A high tide visit last weekend. Maybe a dozen moorings here, some active, some not. Across the Thames, chemical works and industry. Here, just the wind and the tide.
I was chuffed to join @radiolento.bsky.social for this one, exploring the acoustic delights of Kent's Hoo Peninsula.
When you're recording sound, it slows the pace, and that's no bad thing - more time to enjoy the nature around us 🌿
When you're recording sound, it slows the pace, and that's no bad thing - more time to enjoy the nature around us 🌿
NEW! Episode 271 - Wild breezes in the reeds - spring along the Thames Estuary (30 mins)
We're back in Kent for this week's episode. Sit with us in the long grass next to tall reeds swaying in the wind. This is a perfect spot on the Hoo Peninsula on a warm May day.
bit.ly/LenHoo4
We're back in Kent for this week's episode. Sit with us in the long grass next to tall reeds swaying in the wind. This is a perfect spot on the Hoo Peninsula on a warm May day.
bit.ly/LenHoo4
June 8, 2025 at 9:16 PM
I was chuffed to join @radiolento.bsky.social for this one, exploring the acoustic delights of Kent's Hoo Peninsula.
When you're recording sound, it slows the pace, and that's no bad thing - more time to enjoy the nature around us 🌿
When you're recording sound, it slows the pace, and that's no bad thing - more time to enjoy the nature around us 🌿
Sadly deceased, a young great tit.
It flew into the glass of my kitchen door this afternoon. Light but surprisingly firm and solid in the hand.
I placed it on the garden compost, its siblings noisy in the cherry tree above.
It flew into the glass of my kitchen door this afternoon. Light but surprisingly firm and solid in the hand.
I placed it on the garden compost, its siblings noisy in the cherry tree above.
May 30, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Sadly deceased, a young great tit.
It flew into the glass of my kitchen door this afternoon. Light but surprisingly firm and solid in the hand.
I placed it on the garden compost, its siblings noisy in the cherry tree above.
It flew into the glass of my kitchen door this afternoon. Light but surprisingly firm and solid in the hand.
I placed it on the garden compost, its siblings noisy in the cherry tree above.
The lost Littlebrook Power Station, now a huge Amazon warehouse. Shifting dynamics.
It's a shame they couldn’t keep the chimney. It was an integral part of this Thames Estuary landscape.
At 215m it was even taller than the Dartford Crossing, topping out at 137m.
Pic by @quintinlake.bsky.social
It's a shame they couldn’t keep the chimney. It was an integral part of this Thames Estuary landscape.
At 215m it was even taller than the Dartford Crossing, topping out at 137m.
Pic by @quintinlake.bsky.social
Below the Dartford Crossing with Tilbury Power Station
(demolished 2016–19).
A full-page opener introducing the #Kent chapter of #ThePerimeterBook
To order book 👉 is.gd/P2BW67
(demolished 2016–19).
A full-page opener introducing the #Kent chapter of #ThePerimeterBook
To order book 👉 is.gd/P2BW67
May 26, 2025 at 8:59 PM
The lost Littlebrook Power Station, now a huge Amazon warehouse. Shifting dynamics.
It's a shame they couldn’t keep the chimney. It was an integral part of this Thames Estuary landscape.
At 215m it was even taller than the Dartford Crossing, topping out at 137m.
Pic by @quintinlake.bsky.social
It's a shame they couldn’t keep the chimney. It was an integral part of this Thames Estuary landscape.
At 215m it was even taller than the Dartford Crossing, topping out at 137m.
Pic by @quintinlake.bsky.social
Weekend walking with the @radiolento.bsky.social team on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent. Fields of rapeseed & birdsong beside St Mary’s Marshes & then to Northward Hill to hear nightingale sing. An acoustic adventure involving some very underused & overgrown footpaths.
May 26, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Weekend walking with the @radiolento.bsky.social team on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent. Fields of rapeseed & birdsong beside St Mary’s Marshes & then to Northward Hill to hear nightingale sing. An acoustic adventure involving some very underused & overgrown footpaths.
Kent’s Hoo Peninsula, on the Thames Estuary. My favourite escape from the city, at any time of year.
May 12, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Kent’s Hoo Peninsula, on the Thames Estuary. My favourite escape from the city, at any time of year.
The Hoo Peninsula’s northern seawall & the three forgotten jetties which once served the munitions works on Cliffe Marshes. Still standing despite a century of erosion and storms. The inland works, scattered for safety & long abandoned, now provide shelter for sheep & the peninsula’s rich wildlife.
May 12, 2025 at 7:04 PM
The Hoo Peninsula’s northern seawall & the three forgotten jetties which once served the munitions works on Cliffe Marshes. Still standing despite a century of erosion and storms. The inland works, scattered for safety & long abandoned, now provide shelter for sheep & the peninsula’s rich wildlife.
Bradwell substation, overgrown and disused. This once served the nearby Bradwell nuclear power station, now largely demolished and decommissioned. Only the reactor buildings remain, clad in pure white. Meanwhile, the less dangerous substation slowly succumbs to nature. April 2025.
May 7, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Bradwell substation, overgrown and disused. This once served the nearby Bradwell nuclear power station, now largely demolished and decommissioned. Only the reactor buildings remain, clad in pure white. Meanwhile, the less dangerous substation slowly succumbs to nature. April 2025.
Walking the Stoke Saltings, a landscape of Medway saltmarsh, sheltered in the protective belly of the Hoo Peninsula. The eastern horizon is dominated by the huge Liquefied Natural Gas holders on Grain, and the gantry cranes of London Thamesport container port.
May 5, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Walking the Stoke Saltings, a landscape of Medway saltmarsh, sheltered in the protective belly of the Hoo Peninsula. The eastern horizon is dominated by the huge Liquefied Natural Gas holders on Grain, and the gantry cranes of London Thamesport container port.
The Watchtower. A long-disused bird hide with an expansive view of sun-blasted saltmarsh, a beach of broken shells, wide mudflats & the flicker of distant North Sea wind farms.
Very close to the ancient & renowned Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall. This is Essex’s remote & beguiling Dengie Peninsula.
Very close to the ancient & renowned Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall. This is Essex’s remote & beguiling Dengie Peninsula.
April 28, 2025 at 7:17 PM
The Watchtower. A long-disused bird hide with an expansive view of sun-blasted saltmarsh, a beach of broken shells, wide mudflats & the flicker of distant North Sea wind farms.
Very close to the ancient & renowned Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall. This is Essex’s remote & beguiling Dengie Peninsula.
Very close to the ancient & renowned Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall. This is Essex’s remote & beguiling Dengie Peninsula.
Cathedral-like vibes below the concrete wharf at Canvey Wick. Built in the early 1970s to support the development of a large oil refinery on Canvey Island, the project was abandoned after the 1975 global oil crisis. Canvey Wick is now a stunning, rewilded brownfield site, cared for by Buglife.
April 26, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Cathedral-like vibes below the concrete wharf at Canvey Wick. Built in the early 1970s to support the development of a large oil refinery on Canvey Island, the project was abandoned after the 1975 global oil crisis. Canvey Wick is now a stunning, rewilded brownfield site, cared for by Buglife.
Light Vessel no.44, slowly succumbing to nature at Wat Tyler Country Park, Essex. Built in 1869, she served as a lightship on the North Sea's Newarp Banks, off Norfolk. Decommissioned in 1945, she lived on as a clubhouse for Erith & Pitsea yacht clubs before retiring to this remote, dead-end creek.
April 26, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Light Vessel no.44, slowly succumbing to nature at Wat Tyler Country Park, Essex. Built in 1869, she served as a lightship on the North Sea's Newarp Banks, off Norfolk. Decommissioned in 1945, she lived on as a clubhouse for Erith & Pitsea yacht clubs before retiring to this remote, dead-end creek.
Kayaking Holehaven Creek and below the Fobbing Flood Barrier, east of Canvey Island.
Reclaimed marshland reshaped by landfill and oil. Now great for wildlife. Pics from last weekend.
Reclaimed marshland reshaped by landfill and oil. Now great for wildlife. Pics from last weekend.
April 26, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kayaking Holehaven Creek and below the Fobbing Flood Barrier, east of Canvey Island.
Reclaimed marshland reshaped by landfill and oil. Now great for wildlife. Pics from last weekend.
Reclaimed marshland reshaped by landfill and oil. Now great for wildlife. Pics from last weekend.
Wallasea Island. If you like your landscapes flat and your skies huge, this is the place to be. An RSPB nature reserve and a cracking spot for wildlife.
Pics taken on Easter Monday.
Pics taken on Easter Monday.
April 25, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Wallasea Island. If you like your landscapes flat and your skies huge, this is the place to be. An RSPB nature reserve and a cracking spot for wildlife.
Pics taken on Easter Monday.
Pics taken on Easter Monday.
Dilapidated boathouse at Lion Creek, next to the causeway to Wallasea Island, out on the eastern edges of Essex.
Having walked the island with friends I stopped to grab a few atmospheric pics. In the silence, an unseen cuckoo was calling. The rain came in and the light faded. Love this place.
Having walked the island with friends I stopped to grab a few atmospheric pics. In the silence, an unseen cuckoo was calling. The rain came in and the light faded. Love this place.
April 22, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Dilapidated boathouse at Lion Creek, next to the causeway to Wallasea Island, out on the eastern edges of Essex.
Having walked the island with friends I stopped to grab a few atmospheric pics. In the silence, an unseen cuckoo was calling. The rain came in and the light faded. Love this place.
Having walked the island with friends I stopped to grab a few atmospheric pics. In the silence, an unseen cuckoo was calling. The rain came in and the light faded. Love this place.
Evening walk, enjoying the local colour. Down to the river, then back past Mumford's Mill.
April 17, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Evening walk, enjoying the local colour. Down to the river, then back past Mumford's Mill.
Elger Esser, French landscape photographer, is exhibiting at the Flowers Gallery, 21 Cork Street, London W1S 3LZ until Saturday 26 April. Looks very tasty.
I'll be checking these out, although I suspect these framed works will be a little beyond my budget.
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
I'll be checking these out, although I suspect these framed works will be a little beyond my budget.
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Suspended in time: ethereal photos that look like landscape paintings
Inspired by the landscapes of the French masters, Elger Esser captures the brooding seascapes and bucolic country scenes of his beloved countryside – with timeless results
www.theguardian.com
April 3, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Elger Esser, French landscape photographer, is exhibiting at the Flowers Gallery, 21 Cork Street, London W1S 3LZ until Saturday 26 April. Looks very tasty.
I'll be checking these out, although I suspect these framed works will be a little beyond my budget.
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
I'll be checking these out, although I suspect these framed works will be a little beyond my budget.
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Thames estuary walk on Sunday, Slade Green to Belvedere, SE London. An industrial shoreline, half-derelict and half-alive, always interesting.
April 1, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Thames estuary walk on Sunday, Slade Green to Belvedere, SE London. An industrial shoreline, half-derelict and half-alive, always interesting.
Gardens - just add water. Even in urban settings, ponds can add so much life to a garden or green space. I put a new wildlife pond in just a couple of months ago, and already life is thriving. And that makes me happy 🐸
March 31, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Gardens - just add water. Even in urban settings, ponds can add so much life to a garden or green space. I put a new wildlife pond in just a couple of months ago, and already life is thriving. And that makes me happy 🐸
Deptford Creek and the neighbouring Thames Tideway Tunnel works, now nearing completion.
March 27, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Deptford Creek and the neighbouring Thames Tideway Tunnel works, now nearing completion.