It’s been a bit since we’ve had a shot of the coast, so here’s one of the North Pier lighthouse.
And then another of tynemouth from taken from out at the lighthouse.
The Tynemouth Lighthouse was built in 1903.
The lighthouse is operational and is used by ships approaching and entering the River Tyne along with South Shields Lighthouse, Herd Groyne and North Shields Lighthouses.
On a calm fine day the pier is a pleasant place to walk along to the lighthouse, but in windy weather and high tide the waves can break very very high. In these conditions the pier is closed.
it didn’t always get closed for massive waves breaking over the top - i remember getting a proper soaking as a kid, which I found exciting at the time, but not much fun on the metro home!
it’s a shame they took the grey crane away.
how about the one of the sanddancers’ pier?
great shots! Danny is right though: let’s push the boundaries a little and have the south o’ the water one too! :)
I bet you would have got some spectacular pictures if you had been there today as it has been very windy. It looks a lot calmer on your pictures and I can almost smell the seaweed. Happy days when we used to plodge in the sea and hunt for willicks in the rock pools.
For non-Geordies, to plodge means to paddle or wade and willicks are winkles.
Alf, while you’re there:
remind me why the area near Haymarket is called Barras Bridge if you know?
You can almost hear those waves~~~
My father tried many times to get me to eat winkles when I was little….just couldn’t do it.
Dave, there are many theories and I don’t suppose we shall ever know for sure but this is my favourite explanation. The area was originally called Maudlin Barrows. The Maudlin referring to the St. Mary Magdalene Hospital for lepers and the Barrows were the burial grounds. When the original bridge was built it was called Barrows Bridge and that was, of course, pronounced Barras. When the new bridge was built in 1819 the whole area became known as Barras Bridge.
There is a beautiful oil painting in the Laing Art Gallery called ” Young Anglers ” by T.M.Richardson, Senr. of two boys fishing at Barras Bridge it is difficult to appreciate that this sylvan scene existed less then 180 years ago in front of the Civic Centre.In medieval Newcastle the Hospital of St . Mary Magdalen stood near here. Barras Bridge crossed a very steep dene where the north road commences.It was a narrow and dangerous crossing but in 1819 it was rebuilt and widened, in 1835 the dene was fiiled in and a broad thoroughfare built over it.
This is where my favourite encounter with the Geordie accent took place. I was on my way out to the light house, this young girl back on her way to the main land:
Nooo, dooon’t gooo there. You’ll get soooaking wet!
Alf, thanks so much…
Yes the only thing I knew about was the ‘Barrows’ becoming ‘Barras’ - I love the corruption of the spelling because of our pronunciation!
Betty, that’s great thanks - I’ll definitely be hunting that picture out!
Daniel - love the accent sample! Reminds me of our Cheryl Cole (pronounced ‘Cheryl Corle’)! I wish my accent was as strong as hers; my daughter’s is!
Definitely a lovely walk! It’s a really peaceful feeling when you get to the lighthouse at the end of the pier; you are close to land, but you feel in the middle of the sea, away from everything! You just sit there and watch the ships go by, the seagulls hovering over fishing boats…It’s a really nice place to spend some time, whether alone or not.. Well, except in the middle of a downpour, that is! hahaha! God, did we got soaked that time!