Large snowflakes drift lazily onto an ink blue sea, resting for a moment on the water before disintegrating. Clouds obscure a bright moon which hangs high over a calm sea. Gentle waves lap the shore of a sandy horseshoe bay. The flurries of snow thicken but fall in complete silence onto fine sand, dulled in the darkness save for the odd twinkle of coral.

The hull of a wooden rowboat juddering against sand breaks the silence of this place. With a swift movement the boatman brings in the oars and leaps out from the bow onto wet sand. Powerful shoulders pull the boat a few metres up the beach with the rope attached to the bow. For a moment the clouds part and moonlight partially illuminates the long narrow beach, allowing him to spot the shallow cave a few metres further up. He drags the boat up as far as the cliff face and turns it on its side at the mouth of the cave. Once again clouds obscure the moonlight. He looks up at the white chalk cliff stretching almost one hundred feet above, disappearing into darkness. He peers up for a moment longer, calculating. The powdery snowflakes land on his ruddy cheeks, on his black wool hat. They land in his eyes, blurring his vision. He turns away and gazes out to sea, his eyes struggling to make out the water as sea and sky merge at some unknown point of darkness. He’s thankful for a calm night.

Taking the waterproof haversack from his shoulder, he crouches down and removes Maglite torch and glances quickly at the map in his inner pocket. Then he zips up the dark fleece lined jacket to the top so it covers his mouth and starts to walk to the east end of the beach. He claps his gloved hands together a few times for warmth as he walks. Within a few minutes the torch beams make out the first of the concrete steps, the first of which is partially submerged by seawater. He looks up at the steps and railing that hug the cliff side before disappearing. He pauses a moment, lets out a slow deep breath and starts to ascend.

At the top of the cliff a solitary black saloon sits in the car park with engine off, facing out to sea. Driver and passenger sit in silence, watching snowflakes starting to build up on the windscreen. Sooner or later they will have to turn on the engine to clear snow with the wipers. But not yet.