Evening, Day 1

Dumfries and Galloway holiday 3

Such a hot day cooled off to a calm and pleasant evening, almost Mediterranean in feeling (which was not at all what I expected in Scotland!). I stayed in the town of Kirkcudbright (pronounced Kir-coo-bree), which is on the estuary of the River Dee. A short stroll from the hotel took me down to the harbour area, where there is a small marina. It was all very peaceful, bathed in a soft golden light. 

Looking upstream there is a road bridge in the distance and, on the right hand side, some old harbour-side buildings. There seemed to be just one fishing trawler, which was moored there all the time I was there. Maybe there are others that were out at sea. Beyond the bridge was an industrial estate that had a fish processing plant (very smelly in the heat!) so it seems as though the fishing industry still survives there in some form. 

The river is tidal at this point and the tide was ebbing; the current was flowing really fast and was quite mesmerising to watch: 

Ambling

Northumberland break 4

A little further down the coast from Alnmouth, at the mouth of the River Coquet and more or less directly opposite Coquet Island, is the small port of Amble. I ambled around there quite happily for an hour or so, exploring the harbour area. The tide was coming in (remarkably fast!) and clearly the tidal channel was deep enough for boats to leave, as I watched a little fishing boat glide past. 

 

There's a rickety old pier that encloses a small beach area, and a harbour wall with a little lighthouse. There's an old quayside, and a newer marina situated slightly up river in the estuary. The port once exported a certain amount of coal but was never the size of some of the ports nearer to Newcastle. 

If you want 20 seconds of zen-like peace watching the tidal flow, please see my (inexpert) video. 

Lantern Parade video

 Click the arrow to start (may have to do it twice!) and have your sound turned up!