Photographers Diary - Les and Jan Bell. Photography in Northumberland, Borders, Tyneside.

Today we visited Cresswell on the Northumberland Coast to take photos of the beach, rocks and village. It was a good day for the type of photography we like, with blue skies and white fluffy clouds, interrupted by some very dark rain clouds.

The first photo below is a view along the beach towards Cresswell Village, the second photo is also a view along the same beach from the rocks. The third photo is a view towards Druridge Bay and the fourth photo is a view of Cresswell Village.

This evening we visited Ulgham to take some photos of the church and around the village. It was fine and sunny and the dark raincloud that was hovering nearby, managed to avoid the village while we were there.

The first photo below is the welcome sign at the south entrance to the village, opposite the Forge Inn, seen in the second photo. The third photo is a view of St. John's Church.

Today we visited Plessey Woods Country Park at Hartford, near Bedlington in Northumberland. The park has a visitor centre and waymarked footpaths that pass through open grassy areas, thick dark woodland and alongside the River Blyth, where there is a bathing area in the river.

The first photo below shows the bathing area in the River Blyth and further downstream, the second photo is a view of Hartford Bridge, almost hidden from view at river level. The third photo is a view of the park entrance beside the visitor centre.

Today we visited Bothal, near Morpeth to take photos of a field of Poppies in full bloom. The day was dull and not looking promising but turned into a fine clear afternoon and it was very warm where sheltered.

The first photo below is a view along the footpath to Bothal Village - what footpath?!! To reach here you have to go through a kissing gate that was almost impassable.

The second photo is a view across the fields to the roadside cottages giving the impression they are surrounded by poppies, but it's a trick of the lens. The second and third photos are views taken from the road between Pegswood and Bothal.

After visiting Whitley Bay this morning we moved along to Cullercoats to take some photos of the bay. This is a nice, small beach which is very popular as it is sheltered. While we were there a Fire Rescue boat turned up between the breakwaters. What it was doing we don't know as we didn't have time to wait and find out.

The first two photos below are views across the bay and the third is a view of the rescue boat and a lone coble moored beyond the breakwaters.

Today we visited Whitley Bay on a warm sunny morning to walk along the seafront and beach to take photos for a new website.

The sea was calm and crystal clear looking down from the various stretches of promenade, as seen in the first photo below and in the second photo which is a view along the bay to St. Mary's Island.

The beach is very clean and has gained an award but the third photo shows the ugly side of the seafront - the once thriving main promenade which is now empty and derelict.

Today we visited Newcastle where the High Level Bridge has finally re-opened after extensive structural renovation. The scaffold and tarpaulins have all been removed revealing the bridge in it's former glory, painted in it's original colour.

Free of traffic except for southbound buses and taxis to safeguard it's restored wooden decking, the bridge is quiet and a great place to enjoy the views along the River Tyne.

The first photo below is a view from the middle of the Tyne Bridge overlooking the Swing Bridge with a train in the middle of the High Level Bridge. The second photo is a view looking up to the High Level Bridge and Swing Bridge from the quayside. The third photo is a view from the High Level Bridge to the Swing Bridge and Tyne Bridge. The fourth photo is a view along the east side footpath of the High Level Bridge.

This evening, after a dull day, May ended as it began with sunshine. The countryside is now a mass of spring colour so we decided to walk along the footpath to Bothal for a few last photos this month.

Horses were feeding happily among masses of buttercups, as seen in the two photos below. In the next two photos red poppies are mixed in with the still flowering rapeseed and hedgerows lined with white cow parsley and hawthorn blossom. The last two photos show the roundabout at the Pegswood bypass, also a mass of buttercups and a high-speed train heading north past masses of hawthorn blossom.

Today we walked around the harbour and pier at Amble on a very cold and windy afternoon. The easterly wind was starting to whip the sea up and waves were breaking over the north breakwater as the tide was getting higher. Below are two views of the pier and lights, in the second the waves were rolling up the River Coquet.

The third photo shows the harbour where it was much calmer and a couple of fishing boats we hadn't seen before were moored beside the ice plant. One of them looked in a sorry state and in need of restoration, as seen in the two smaller photos.

This morning we visited Newbiggin to walk along the cliffs to the River Wansbeck. The weather forecast was good and the tide was out, just the right conditions to get some new photos for our Northumberland Beaches website.

Below are three photos taken from the rocks at the bottom of the cliffs and the beach at Sandy Bay. In the distance the church point at Newbiggin can be seen.

At the end of April we took photos of a lone tree in a rapeseed field on the side of the Pegswood bypass near Morpeth.

Since then the leaves on the bare tree have opened and it has turned green, so we returned to take some more photos. Below are three different views of the lone tree in a rapeseed field.

A walk along the River Wansbeck and Carlisle Park at Morpeth in bright sunshine today. In the park beside the Courthouse a mass planting of blue Lobelia dominates the borders as seen in the first photo below.

The second photo is a view across the River Wansbeck to St. Georges Church, below which a heron was looking for food on the riverside as seen in the third photo.

Today we walked around Berwick Town Walls and although it was a very dull day there were still colourful views to be seen.

The first photo below is a view from the town walls across the rooftops to colourful rapeseed fields in the countryside. In the second photo the town hall clock is seen through pink cherry blossom trees, while in the third view an allotment garden has lots of spring flowering plants on display.

This evening after visiting Goswick Sands the weather brightened up for a short while, as seen in the view over the River Tweed below.

On the River Tweed members of the local sailing club at Spittal were sailing their yachts in the light breeze, so we took some photos of them from the riverside.

Today we visited Goswick Sands on the north Northumberland coast. This is a vast and amazing stretch of sands that has to be seen to appreciate the scale of the place.

Arriving at the beach through the dunes when the tide is out the sea looks so far away it appears as just a thin strip of water. In fact it took us over 15 minutes to reach the water's edge, where the sand changes to a bright orange colour. Not a place to be caught out by the incoming tide either.

The first photo below is a view along the sands to Holy Island and the second is a view to the water's edge from the dunes at low tide. The third photo is a view back to the shore from the water's edge with buildings appearing as dots on the horizon, in the far distance are the Cheviot Hills.

This evening we walked to the sands at the mouth of the River Tweed on the Spittal side of the river at low tide. It was overcast but the sun managed to peak through the clouds now and then.

Below is a view up the River Tweed to Berwick with the sun shining through a hole in the clouds. The second photo is a view across the river to Pier Road in Berwick with the Town Hall Clock seen beyond the Town Walls. The third photo is a view of the Lighthouse at the end of Berwick Pier, lit up during another brief sunny interval.

Returning from our visit to Allendale today we stopped at Whitfield to take photos of the Churches and the Rivers Allen and West Allen.

The first photo below is a view of the River Allen seen from the A686 road at Cupola Bridge. The second photo is a view of the Holy Trinity Church at Whitfield, which stands beside the River West Allen.

Today we visited Allenheads in the most southerly part of Northumberland to take photos of the area for our Northumberland Photos website. This is a remote area in the North Pennines on the border with Durham and Cumbria.

The first photo below is a view at the border between Northumberland and Durham at Currick on the road from Allenheads to Stanhope. The second photo is a view of the River East Allen near Allenheads and the third photo is a view taken in Allenheads Village, where an engine and trucks from an old lead mine are used to advertise accommodation and food at the Allenheads Inn.

On the way to Allendale today we stopped at the village of Fourstones beside the River South Tyne to take some photos of St. Aidans Church.

This little wooden church is painted bright green and really stands out on the corner of the road from Chollerford. The photos we took will be added to the church photos section of our Northumberland Photos website.

Today we walked to Bothal near Morpeth where there was plenty of spring colour with trees blossoming, rapeseed fields and masses of dandelion flowers.

The first photo below is a view across dandelion covered fields to Bothal Castle, the second is a rapeseed field on the road from Pegswood and the third is a view of trees bursting into colour along the roadside.

Today we visited Amble for a walk along the pier. It was misty beyond the end of the pier but clearer in the harbour.

In the first photo below a yacht was entering the River Coquet from the mist, while in the second view a fishing boat was overtaking another yacht further upstream. The third view shows another fishing boat making it's way back to the quayside.

A very early start this morning to photograph the sunrise at Blyth. The sun was rising at the perfect angle to take photos of it between the supports below the last wind turbine and lighthouse on the East Pier.

It was a fantastic morning - clear sky and cold but soon becoming warm. The fist photo below shows the piers before sunrise and the next three views are of the sun rising behind the pier. The fifth view is the marina in Blyth South Harbour and the last is a view along the South Beach in brilliant sunshine.

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Our Main Photo Websites:

Northumberland Cam - Photos of Northumberland.

Tyne Photos - Photos of Tyneside, Newcastle and the River Tyne.

Borders-cam - Photos around the English / Scottish Border.

Northumberland Walks - Features some of the walks we do.
Jan's Photo Art - Photo Art created from the pictures we take.

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