The Garnet Beach

This beach lies just to the north of Sandwich Harbour on the coast of Namibia. To the right are the cold waters of the South Atlantic, cold because the Benguela Current carries them north from the Antarctic - hence, as in this picture, the fogs which roll in off the ocean.

The beach is formed of sand brought in by the waves. In the prevailing westerlies, the lighter particles are then blown inland to form rank upon rank of towering dunes. These steadily migrate inland until their sands pour into the Kuiseb River thirty kilometres to the east which, in one of its occasional floods, carries them back to the sea.

However, the beach sands are pink, their colour coming from the garnets which are brought in by the sea but are too heavy to be picked up by the wind. Almandine garnet is an indicator that the sediment banks offshore from which they derive are mineral-rich: this coast has been mined for years for Namibia's precious diamonds.

As well as being rich in minerals, the waters offshore teem with marine life, and are one of the world's great fishing grounds. Some of that life - the dark shape on the sand is a seal pup - is washed ashore to be consumed by waiting scavengers like this black-backed jackal.

This is one of the bleakest but most spectacular of the many beaches I have seen. It is a beach which I regret, not for having seen it but for having seen it as a passing tourist. It deserved better.