NE coast of England and Scotland – Sept 2009
UK break – NE coast of England and Scotland
Keith heads off North – September 2009
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A short travel photo blog of a trip up the NE side of the UK.
September 2009. Heading Northeast from Leicester to the Yorkshire coast, and then up through Northumberland into Scotland.
Coverage somewhat cut short by laptop problems – most photos added after return home.
Leicester to Whitby
Heading North/East from Leicester towards the Yorkshire coast. A few hours drive from home on a scenic route including a trip over the North York Moors.
I’ve never been to Whitby before, and wasn’t expecting it to be packed full of holidaying visitors…
It’s a great old town, full of famous things, but when weighed down with the great British Public, I start wishing for emptier parts…
Absolutely packed – Tat everywhere, but excellent seafood
The masses…
All the fun of the seaside – learn your future at the same time.
Then there is the famous Magpie Cafe.
Supposedly one of the top places to get fish and chips. The queue up the steps is for the restaurant, expect a long wait.
Here’s the queue that evening…
However, outside one chip shop is this somewhat bizzarre advert for chips (that’s fries for US visitors)
Not sure what it’s trying to achieve, but I can imagine it scares kids away from eating chips.
However, there is something special about eating fish and chips by the seaside
And you can follow it with ice cream…
Everywhere watched over by seagulls
Fortunately most of the crowds seem to keep to a few streets
Whitby has been a major fishing port for many years.
The view at sunset, of the statue of Captain Cook, with Whitby Abbey on the cliffs at the other side of the river.
Quite a pleasant end to the day
A couple of shots of the harbour at night.
Looking south (the bright ‘star’ visible is Jupiter)
Tomorrow, a day in Whitby
Whitby – September 2009
A short travel photo blog of a trip up the NE side of the UK – Today, we stayed in Whitby
The weather is very different today – the sea is rougher and there’s a much more Autumnal feel to the day.
Actually much more what I enjoy :-) Photographically speaking, a bit brighter with broken cloud would be ideal, oh and a more stormy sea…
Not so good for ice cream sales
The sort of beach holiday that appeals to me…
This time the fortune teller was busy…
There’s still a huge queue outside the Magpie Cafe…
I’ve not checked, but these seem different people to yesterday.
The view from the other side of the river from the steps leading up to the Abbey ruins.
A few shots of the Abbey ruins (using 17mm TS-E lens hand held)
The view from the harbour
or, as it really looked
After the walk Karen wanted Ice Cream…
A bit squally still, but a nice day :-)
Whilst walking back I noticed the last remaining (flying) Vulcan bomber flying by out to sea. It’s based not far from where I live in Leicester.
Not much detail in this (small) crop from a 200mm shot…
Heading further north tomorrow
Berwick on Tweed to Perth
Today, driving from Berwick to Perth in Scotland
No entry for the 14th since it was grey and damp and I didn’t take many photos. However, a pleasant drive from Whitby to Berwick on Tweed, on the border with Scotland.
Up the A1 into Scotland.
Yes, this is one of the major roads connecting England and Scotland…
After a grey and damp day yesterday, it was time for some clear skies.
This is looking towards St Abbs head, from the harbour at St Abbs
Although a working harbour, the area round St Abbs is well known for diving, where it’s known for its clear water.
This is not something you’d get me doing :-) I don’t swim well and don’t actually like getting wet much either.
There’s a lifeboat station here too.
Just a very pleasant day…
A working port – lobster pots ready for dropping off
Heading north, we crossed the Forth bridge – note the Forth rail bridge to the right
Another bridge picture for Karen’s sister, who I’m told keeps a scrapbook of bridge photos from round the world.
Oh, and this one is on the Tay road bridge heading into Dundee
This is from the shore and shows the road bridge (left) and the rail bridge to the right..
This is cropped from a 15mm fisheye shot. I took several shots to possibly stitch together, but the laptop I’m using is a bit feeble for this sort of stuff.
The field of view of the 15mm FE is almost 180 degrees, and this diagonal crop shot shows how any straight line (horizon) running through the centre of the frame is undistorted
Anyway, in Perth and time for a coffee (tea for Karen)
Tomorrow, round a bit of the highlands
Pitlochry and Glen Lyons
Today, a trip north west from Perth via Pitlochry and Glen Lyons
Sorry for delays, but laptop issues meant I was only able to update blog on my return
The A9 road runs northwest of Perth towards Inverness and is the route into the highlands.
We stopped off at Pilochry, which is a grade 1 ‘bus tour of the Highlands’ stopover.
It has what might appear to some a slight excess of ‘Scotishness’ but must fit well with all too many visitors ideas of what Scotland is about.
Below, Karen resisting the urge to purchase a tweed skirt and tartan shawl.
A snap of some of the wares in another shop – I’m told these biscuits are actually good value and we should have had some…
Of course there’s Whisky, and at Robertson’s store, there are hundreds of excellent malts
Here’s Karen again trying to feign no interest in all the golf related goodies in this, another Pitlochry emporium.
Having spent time at numerous similar small towns in the US, with their own gift shops and tourist magnets, I was pleased to see the obligatory ugly Dodge parked in the street.
Further influence from across the Atlantic, and Karen is struck by the realisation that it’s September and she hasn’t started shopping for Christmas decorations.
Anyway, heading out of Pitlochry, I’m turning west along Loch Tummel, where the two shots below are from the ‘Queen’s View’
If I’d waited a few minutes longer I could have got a shot of a RAF Tornado flying slightly below our height at some 500MPH
After this we took a drive up Glen Lyons, where I’ve not been before but had heard how nice it looked.
An excellent drive, although the clear blue skies meant that I doubt I’ve got many shots that will make good B/W prints.
The one below shows how a 14mm lens and the camera just held out of the car window (by Karen) can get an interesting shot…
A narrow road – I saw something heading towards us… so I stopped
Yes, it’s a bull running along the road followed by some people in a Land Rover
We turned south at Bridge of Balgie (good tea-shop at the Post Office)
Some great views but not ideal weather for black and white photography.
The road we took heads south, over some hills to Loch Tay, where we turned back for Perth
Perth to Lumphanan
Today, a trip north from Perth to Braemar via Pitlochry then towards Aberdeen to Lumphanan
We’re heading north towards Braemar, taking a route via Pitlochry to cover some roads I’d not seen before.
Our destination, Lumphanan, is where a long time friend of mine lives. It’s just north of Aboyne on the map below.
Passing through Pitlochry, I’ve taken the A924, which quickly heads into some typical highlands scenery.
The photo was taken with my new 17mm TS-E lens – an idea of its sharpnes can be seen from this 100% crop of the thistle in the corner (f/8 unshifted).
Not just sheep in the road…
A Scotsman in full dress…
It happened to be a photo shoot. Here’s a view (cropped out of a 14mm shot) showing the photographer too.
I’m not sure what the photos were for – perhaps a biscuit tin, or perhaps the cover picture for a CD of Highland music. I noted a wide range of such musical entertainment in the shops at Pitlochrie.
Here are a couple of B/W conversions of shots, where I used various contrast enhancement effects to get some detail out of the sky.
I’ll have to have a look to see how these might work as big prints.
On previous trips up to Braemar, up along Glenshee, the weather has been more conducive to black and white.
First, one from the last century – taken on film no less
And one a little more recent, on the road into Braemar from the Glenshee ski area
In Braemar, Karen decided it was time for an ice-cream.
A bit further on we stopped of in Lumphanan at Neil’s
Next shot has a bit of camera blur from me trying to get out of the way :-)
Not sure how much time elapsed from the opening, but not much froth has come out…
Unlike myself, Neil still works in the oil industry, and teaches sword fighting too.
This, his party trick for opening a bottle of champagne with a sword.
Neil’s coming down to Leicester for our wedding in March 2010 and has threatened to wear a kilt…
Although I’ve arranged for a photographer friend to do the photography for the wedding, all too many people seem happy to think I’m going to be using a self timer and doing it myself… Just where on this site does it remotely suggest I do weddings???
THE END
Although we spent a few more days heading back south, I stopped this blog here due to laptop issues (it was replaced a month or so later)
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