Orford Ness - Under a big sky

Saturday was my first visit to Orford Ness. Now a National Trust site, at one time it was used by the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment for 'environmental testing' of the trigger mechanisms of nuclear weapons. Another part had been used by the US military for an experimental over-the-horizon radar system known as 'Cobra Mist', and is now a BBC World Service transmitting station.

Many of the old research buildings remain as points of interest in the otherwise huge flat expanse of shingle. For some reason the big sky and blisteringly hot day made me think of the film Paris Texas. I had Ry Cooder's slide blues theme tune running through my head all day. It was definitely a place that suited a wide-angle lens.