Sunset from Ayr's beachfront promenade

Dumfries and Galloway holiday 18

I didn't get much chance to explore Ayr itself, though a stroll along the long seafront promenade proved both relaxing and interesting as the evening cooled down after the hot temperatures of the day. The island you can see on the horizon is Arran. There were many people walking along the beach, some metal detectorists scanning the sand, a few paddleboarders and jet ski riders further out on the calm water. On the promenade road, groups of young men were racing souped-up 'performance cars' (where do they get that kind of money?) to impress their mates and the many young women also parading along the beachfront. You could smell the hormones, as well as the petrol and scorched tyres! I felt glad to be old!!  😂

Despite the lack of clouds, sunset when it came was beautiful. 

Along the coast

Dumfries and Galloway holiday 7

Day three and I set out on a jaunt along the coast west from Kirkcudbright. It's quite attractive, with many inlets and coves like this gorgeous little bay near Borgue. Honestly, if you'd just set me down there, I could have believed I was in Greece or Croatia. Hot sun beating down, blue sky, turquoise sea and white sand... and yet, apart from one elderly local walking his dog, there was no-one there at all! Sadly the sea-pinks (thrift) were past their best, dried up in the heat, otherwise the scene would have been enlivened by their pops of mauve-pink. 

Further on, I stopped for a coffee at this lovely little café, Oakhill Café and Deli, in the shadow of Carsluith Castle, a 15th century tower house (and yet another property in the care of Historic Scotland that was closed to access inside because of masonry concerns. Something of a common theme!). The café, run by two 'foodies': Eshan and Suzy, was bright and welcoming, with tables outside to enjoy the summery sunshine. I found that good coffee shops seemed few and far between in this part of Scotland so it was nice to discover this forward-looking place.  

Sunday meditation: The sea

'The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.'  

Jacques Cousteau

'Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.'

Unknown Author

'Take me to the ocean. Let me sail the open sea. 

To breathe the warm and salty air and dream of things to be' 

Erica Billups

A sunset to die for...

Sleights holiday 12

Whilst on holiday, I met with a couple of friends from my camera club, who now live in Whitby. They were kind enough to take me to one of their favourite spots for photography, the atmospheric Saltwick Bay, just south of Whitby. It has features galore with a partly submerged wreck, the Admiral Von Tromp, and several rocks and sea stacks in the bay, including the impressive Black Nab. It's a key site for finding fossils and Whitby jet. It is north-east facing and renowned for its 'double sun' effect at certain times of the year, when the sun both rises and sets over the bay. We were there for the sunset, which turned out to be absolutely spectacular. 

Like many sunsets, it started out quietly but extremely prettily, with peaches, pinks and delicate pale blues in the sky. One of the features of the bay is a shallow rock outcrop that gives rise to pools of water at low tide, pools that reflect and amplify the colours. 

I was mesmerised by the light show and ended up taking about sixty photos (!), so it has been hard to narrow them down to just a few favourites. (Next week I'll probably decide I prefer some of the others!) I've tried to show the progression of the colours as the sun sank down behind the rocks, though the top picture, taken about mid way through 'the show', is (so far) my overall favourite, I think.  

It was like watching a light show, hard to believe that the vibrant colours were natural and not some movie maker's technicolour fantasy. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I'd find it hard to believe the saturation of some of the images but I honestly have not boosted the colours in processing. Apart from the Northern Lights Aurora in Iceland, I can't think that I have ever witnessed a more stunning natural spectacle in my whole long life. I shall always remember it, such a privilege to enjoy. Indeed, a sunset to die for - or at least one to make me die happy! 

We had then to stagger back up the steep path to the top of the cliffs in the near dark, though a huge, waxing gibbous moon did help. This August supermoon, full on the 12th, is known as the Sturgeon Moon, named, I gather, by Native Americans after the abundance of fish at this time of year. Anyway, we made it safely back to the car all in one piece. I certainly wouldn't have done the trip on my own so I am grateful that my friends suggested it, and we were well rewarded for our efforts. 

Sandsend beach

Sleights holiday 9

Eventually I took off my sandals and wandered down to the beach, enjoying the cool, damp sand where the tide had recently retreated. It was early but there were plenty of families settling in for an extended stay, with all the beach paraphernalia that seems to necessitate - windbreaks (not that there was any wind!), sunshades, rugs, small tents, buckets, spades and inflatables, not to forget the all-important picnic basket. There are a few nice cafés on the beachside, and no doubt some ice cream vans would appear later too. It seemed a very safe beach for young families, with very gently sloping sand and the two streams flowing down for extra interest - always good for constructing dams! 

Looking south towards Whitby, the heat haze was obvious. I understand that a day or so later the whole coast was covered in a strong sea fret (mist) so I was quite lucky, I guess, to be able to enjoy the sunshine, though by midday it was too scorching hot for me and I retreated to my accommodation inland, and the joys of a good book.  I finished 'Eight Feet in the Andes', a travel diary by the Irish writer, Dervla Murphy (who sadly died recently). Now I'm reading 'The Book of Joy', a dialogue between the Dalai Lama and (the late) Archbishop Desmond Tutu, which is fascinating and very uplifting. 

Sandsend

Sleights holiday 8

There is a two-mile long beach to the north side of Whitby, which ends in cliffs at the village of Sandsend (its name being a bit of a giveaway!) I arrived there soon after breakfast. There was already little space to park the car and people were beginning to set up camp for the day on the beach. The tide was at its lowest, so most folk were sensibly enough settling well above the high tide mark, to avoid having to move later on. 

I decided I'd explore the little village first. I've driven through it on the coast road before now, but never stopped to investigate. It turned out to be quite pretty, with cottages of stone, stucco and those lovely red clay pantiles, all arranged around a couple of becks that flow into the sea. I think most of the cottages are now holiday lets but were originally homes for fishermen, and workers at the nearby alum works and on the Mulgrave Estate, which still owns some of the land. There were once two villages, Sandsend and East Row but the two merged into one. There was a railway here between 1855 and 1958, originally presumably to facilitate the alum workings, but the easy access led to a growth in tourism

I was a little surprised to see a thatched cottage, next door to the pub. The quaint, two-bedroomed Hart Cottage is Grade II listed, built in the late 17th century - and you can rent it for your holidays, should you so wish. 

Sunday meditation: Gratitude

'It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy. Every moment is a gift. There is no certainty that you will have another moment, with all the opportunity that it contains. The gift within every gift is the opportunity it offers us. Most often it is the opportunity to enjoy it, but sometimes a difficult gift is given to us and that can be an opportunity to rise to the challenge.'            David Steindl-Rast 

Howick to Craster

Northumberland break 14

From Howick Hall, I went the short distance to the coast, where there's a rocky outcrop called Rumbling Kern (named for the noise the sea makes rushing through the rocks). The building you can see in the photo above is The Bathing House, a cottage that was used by the gentry from Howick Hall when they wanted to go swimming. It's now a holiday cottage. 

The weathered cliffs made me think of other famous rock sculptures... who needs Mount Rushmore or the Sphinx when you have these? Do you see the faces? 

I could have spent hours just watching the waves crashing on the rocks - though in truth they weren't very fierce, the wind coming from the land rather than the sea. 

It's a lovely walk along the Northumberland Coastal Path to Craster, rather up and down as coast walks tend to be, but with good views of the varied rock formations and, on approaching Craster, a glimpse in the distance of the ruined Dunstanburgh Castle.

Dunstanburgh Castle sits to the north; its jagged outline reminds me of teeth for some reason! It was an important stronghold during the turbulent 14th and 15th centuries but has been a ruin since the 16th century, attracting artists like JMW Turner and, of course, lots of tourists.  

Craster is a sweet little fishing village with a harbour, a pub and a few cottages (now mostly holiday lets). Possibly its main claim to fame is the Fish Smokery, turning herring into kippers that are prized as delicacies. (I always want to like them but they have too many fine bones that, for me, spoil the enjoyment.) As I was passing, smoke was pouring from the vents - clearly another batch underway. 

Castles in the rain

Northumberland break 9

As I was exploring Holy Island, the weather was dramatic to say the least. Bright spells of sunshine were interspersed with very heavy downpours that you could see coming from far away. I got thoroughly drenched a couple of times, though thankfully modern outdoor clothing soon dries out. The island is relatively flat so Lindisfarne Castle, built atop a volcanic plug, towers over the scene. That was my first place to visit, though I soon got distracted, hunting 'the best view' of it for a photo.  

Looking back from the castle across the sheltered harbour inlet afforded an attractive view of the village, with the ruins of Lindisfarne Priory on the left. That was another casualty of Henry VIII's reforms, despite its long and significant history. Stone plundered from the ruined monastery was used to build the castle as well as some of the village houses. The castle was originally a small garrison built as a defence against the threat from Scottish raids. 

 

Looking south from the beach near the castle, you could just see Bamburgh Castle on the horizon, illuminated occasionally in breaks in the storm clouds.  

 

Over to Holy Island

Northumberland break 8

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne (to give it its full title) is joined to the mainland by a tidal causeway, so access is restricted to low tide. The way across was an old pilgrim route, with stakes set in the sand to guide travellers. Now there's a tarmac road too, with a refuge part way across to give those risk-takers who think they can outrun the tide a place to escape to! The tide comes in fast across the wide expanse of flat sands. 

It is bleakly beautiful, and photographically quite interesting, with lots of opportunity for reflection shots in the shallow pools left behind as the tide ebbs. 

For those who don't know Holy Island, the website HERE has details. It has been an important centre of Celtic Christian spirituality since 634 AD and has a ruined abbey, as well as a castle that was built in 1550. It's a magical place, and there's more to see than is possible in the time between two high tides. I'll show the bits I managed to canter around, in the next couple of posts. 

Seaside fun

Northumberland break 6

Berwick, at the mouth of the River Tweed and almost at the border with Scotland, has a very long protective sea wall, with a lighthouse at its tip. The view north from Spittal beach shows it quite well. At one time Spittal, with its long, sandy beach, was a busy holiday destination, with people arriving by train from the Border towns of Kelso, Coldstream and Jedburgh but nowadays the promenade is relatively quiet apart from a few dog-walkers. It was quite early when I arrived so the beach bar was only just opening. 

Both it and the adjacent weather shelter appear to date from 1930 and have a characteristic art deco inspired geometry. I rather liked the nostalgia of them. 

 

Beachcombing

Northumberland break 5

There were a few places on my 'must see' list for Northumberland. One was Holy Island and one was Spittal beach. They are both up the northern end of the coast and unfortunately both required low tide - Holy Island to access the tidal causeway and Spittal to uncover the rocks... so they were mutually exclusive, in practice. 😞  I went to both anyway! 

Spittal beach is on the southern edge of the town of Berwick on Tweed, a long beach of dark sand with rocks and boulders at its southern point. The sandstone rocks are wonderfully weathered and striated, good for taking intimate, abstract-y, close-up shots. When I arrived the weather was stormy and raining, with some amazing clouds, so that alone was worth a few photos. So dramatic!

I did find a few quite pleasing little detail shots but the main areas of rock were still submerged. 

Someone else had spent quite a time building a cairn from the flat stones.