Blyth and Whitley Bay

The weather today was most likely the same as everywhere else in the UK ... yuk! It started dull and cloudy then the rain set in for the day assisted by a cold wind, so it didn’t matter if Rob went north or south because neither would bring better weather. Rob went south.

The day, then, was one of exploration and mostly spent in the car but with the odd excursion to look at a view (misty and dull) or to simply stretch his legs. It didn’t look as though any form of photography would be done today.

Let’s say it was just the weather conditions today, but Rob’s impression of the coastal resorts south of Ashington was reminiscent of Bilston or Heathtown but by the sea. This may be immensely unfair but the area did have that ‘tired old holiday town’ feel about it. At one point road signs (proudly) announced ‘Battleship Wharf’ which sounded exciting and worth a visit, but it turned out to be a derelict dock area. Clearly this area was a hive of activity years ago. Ashington was a serious coal mining town and there are numerous dockyards which clearly haven’t been used for a long time.

Blythe is proud of its multi-coloured beach huts and includes them on its town signs. They’re also a recommended photographic feature but they are actually no more than ten huts in a row and just didn’t look special today. Rob took a snapshot as you can see, but Blyth’s huts would have really benefited from blue sky and sun. There’s what looks like a lovely pier there too but it was too cold and windy to find the enthusiasm to go and explore it. Or maybe Rob’s just a wimp: Blyth has a team of young beach lifesavers who patrol the beach front wearing red tee shirts and they seemed happy to wear only those tee shirts and shorts. Makes you shiver just thinking about it.

The best place visited today was Whitley Bay which surprised Rob when he saw a pavilion style building on the sea front which, as you can see from one of the photos, is compared to the Taj Mahal. Clearly the people of Whitley Bay have fertile imaginations, or maybe it’s just the council trying to be cool, but it’s an impressive looking building all the same.

Whitley Bay definitely had a more up-market feel to it and it is apparently very busy when the weather is good, but it wasn’t today. There’s still the traditional English seaside town features - amusements arcades, chip shops, small fun fair, usual shops etc, but there are also some nice places for coffee and/or snacks which are more refined. All car parks are pay and display which immediately tells you this is where the people come. North of here all the signs advise that ‘Parking is Free All Day’ which when translated means ‘Please park here we need the tourism’.

Still no photography though and by 5pm Rob was somewhat bored.Read more