Storm Dennis 2020, Portreath, Cornwall, UK

Storm Dennis was one of the most intense storms to hit the UK in February 2020. It was the thirteenth named storm of the 2019-2020 storm season.

There are several places in Cornwall where I like to go and storm watch but on this occasion I decided to head for Portreath as I had recently visited Lands End, Sennen, Porthleven and Cape Cornwall to watch Storm Ciara.

Where is Portreath?

Portreath is situated about 5 miles away from Redruth. It’s also on the route of one of my favourite coastal drives between Godrevy, Portreath and beyond.

I parked on the main road having made sure I was covered head to toe in waterproofs and headed to one of the many spots I like to go to storm watch in Portreath; the iconic ‘Dead Mans Hut’.

Originally the ‘Dead Mans Hut’ was used as a lookout by the Harbour Master. Actually the official name of the ‘Dead Mans Hut’ is the ‘Lower Pilots lookout’. The Harbour Pilots would position themselves here and attempt to guide ships safely into the harbour by day and night by using flags during the day and lanterns at night.

The name ‘Dead Man’s Hut’ harks back to the time when it was used as a morgue when bodies were washed up or found floating in the sea.

I was fully loaded with all of my photo and video gear and managed to find a spot where I could photograph and film this amazing spectacle.

Needless to say, I got absolutely drenched and I was constantly wiping the seaspray off my lenses but it was worth it.

You’ll see from the photo’s below the day started off very dark, grey and obviously very wet and windy. Eventually, the clouds blew away, the rain stop and blue skies ensued. The high winds remained but it turned into a beautiful day.