Angels Waterfall

Walk in along the closed coast road and the water meets you head-on: it comes over the rockface, lands on the tarmac of the old E.R.101, and spills off the seaward edge into the sea. Spray drifts across the carriageway as a fine mist, which is a gift on a warm day and hard on a camera lens.

No traffic passes beneath it any more — the road under the fall is shut to cars, so the water hits empty asphalt and the last stretch is walked. Five to ten minutes covers the visit, and much of that goes on working out where to stand for the photograph. This is a stop between places, not a destination in itself, and the good angle rarely stands empty.

• Walk in: the old road under the fall is closed to cars, so the last stretch is on foot — about 10 minutes from the tunnel on the main road.
• Rockfall: rocks come off the cliffs, especially after rain. Barriers and closure signs mark a real risk.
• No facilities: no toilets at the waterfall, and no drinking water or information point within 800 m.
• Parking: a free car park and free street spaces nearby, plus a paid zone before the tunnel where spaces are hard to find.
• Crowds: the spot draws a stream of people photographing water landing on a road, and the best angle is usually occupied.

A car gets you along the south coast and no further: the old road beneath the fall is closed to traffic, and the final stretch is walked. The straightforward line follows the main road past the bridge and through the tunnel, then about 10 minutes on foot to the water. There is a second way in — the closed tunnel by the bridge can be bypassed on the leafy side along the cliff — but it narrows badly, and small children have no business on it.

Better: a dry spell, when the cliff above the road is less inclined to shed rock and the spray is the only water about.

Avoid: the period after heavy rain, when rockfall risk climbs and barriers may be up.

Crowds are the other variable, and they are not seasonal. People come for one photograph of water hitting the road, and the spot where you take it is busy whenever you turn up.