There are few things more likely to make you question your life choices than the sound of an alarm clock going off before dawn on a Saturday morning. However, on Saturday 18th July 2026, Paul Joy and I dragged ourselves from our beds at an hour when most sensible people—and probably quite a few sensible birds—were still fast asleep. Our destination was Blackrock at Port Skewett, where we hoped to photograph the sunrise over the Severn Estuary using our drones. Waiting for sunrise at Blackrock Sunrise Over the Severn When we arrived at Blackrock, the eastern sky was already beginning to glow with a beautiful orange light. The tide was still well out, exposing the great swathes of dark rock that give Blackrock its name. Beyond them stood the familiar shape of the First Severn Crossing, silhouetted against the increasingly colourful sky. Even before the sun appeared, the views across the estuary were fantastic. Eventually, the sun began to rise behind the bridge, burning its way thr...