Arnside Railway Viaduct

Arnside Railway Viaduct 2, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

Designed by James Brunlees of Manchester, and built in the 1850s to facilitate the extension of the Furness Railway south to connect it with the West Coast line. The viaduct was initially built with slender iron piers sunk deep into the sands, and had a sliding centre section that opened to allow the passage of large vessels upriver to Milnthorpe. This, however, was rarely used, and is no longer part of the structure.

After the line opened for passenger traffic the only demand for the services of the Sands Guide was from tramps who could not afford the rail fare. The guide frequently gave tramps the rail fare to save himself the trouble of conducting them over the sands, but his largesse became too widely known, and after the tramps became more numerous he bought himself a horse, and reverted to guiding his clients across to Furness.

In 1915, when the railway was being used to transport heavy armaments from Barrow, the iron piers were filled with concrete and faced with brick, giving the bridge its present appearance.

The railway viaduct is an iconic focal point in Arnside. It enhances the view from the promenade and provides a sharp contrast to the Lakeland hills beyond and a foil to the swirling waters of the Kent Estuary.

Drive Thru Photography

Trawler on Roa Island Causeway, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

After my little adventure with the tide on Cockerham Sands last week, I opted for the safety of the coast road to Barrow in Furness today. Apart from several places where the views appeared obligingly right in front of a convenient parking place on the way, this trawler was beached next to the causeway that links Roa Island with the mainland. I parked in front of it, retrieved my camera and monopod from the boot, took two shots from where I stood, and continued on my way. Efficient, safe and fast. Who said photography had to be hard work?
I am intrigued by the name of the trawler. I could make out the letters 'VI-A NO-A' on her bow. Vita Nova? Vila Nova? Can't find any reference to a trawler by either of those. There was a Grimsby boat called 'Via Nova' but she was much bigger (180 feet long).
There was someone on board the boat today, and I could have asked him, but I would have had to walk 50 yards to do so.
And that was clearly out of the question.

St Annes Pier

St Annes Pier 2, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

Opened in 1885, the original St Annes pier was 914 feet long, and in its heyday featured a 'Moorish' pavillion, a Mock Tudor Entrance buiding and a pier head Floral Hall.
A fire in 1974 damaged the Moorish Pavillion and the substructure of the pier, but an application to Fylde District Council to demolish the damaged seaward section was refused.
A second fire in 1982 destroyed the Floral Hall and damaged the seaward end so badly that it had to be demolished, reducing the pier to its present length of 600 feet.
All of which gave me the opportunity to walk to the end of the pier at low tide and take a series of shots looking back towards the shore.
And you can't do that in Blackpool.

Cockerham Sands

Cockerham Sands 2, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

This monochrome shot of a stone boundary post, possibly a remnant of the Cockersands Abbey, reminds me how bleak and uninviting this place was when I visited last week. The tide was out, but I was aware it was flooding having bought myself a tide table at Glasson on the way. Even so, I was almost caught out as the water surrounded me on three sides in a matter of minutes with a roar like a distant train. I was only about a hundred yards from the sea wall, and the consequences of my underestimation of the speed of the water were no more than having to retrace my steps briskly rather than lethargically, but I couldn't help feeling that I should have known better.
I am sure that Cockerham is a pleasant and cheerful place on a sunny day, and that a clear blue sky can make it seem less like the surface of Mars, but I am also quite confident that the wildlife in this part of the Bay is safe from the beachfront developer's cement mixer for the time being at least.

Painting 'Merger' at Glasson.

Painting 'Merger', originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

While wandering around Glasson Dock this week I came across the dredger 'Merger' being treated to a new coat of Ferrari red. The two crewmen painting her seemed happy enough for some daft bloke to take pictures of them, but I backed up some distance along the foreshore so that I could include the low tide lunar landscape in front of the quayside. I wasn't sure that the shot would turn out well, but when I saw it on screen I was surprised by how balanced and inviting it was. I am more often disappointed by shots that I have high hopes for, so this was something of a rarity.
I don't think it's a masterpiece, or even a particularly good photograph, but it's better than I expected.
And that isn't something that happens every day.

Sunday Morning Stroll

A Bay near Silverdale, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

A short walk from Arnside took me to Silverdale this morning. The coast here is so undeveloped and natural, it could be 1950. Or 1850. The tide was out, and in Morecambe Bay that means OUT, but the sands were still shining from the receding water. The Bay has a justifiably fearsome reputation for quicksand and the speed of the incoming tide, but even so, I was tempted to walk out a short way to take a picture looking back to shore. But I didn't. Age has taught me few lessons, but I think there is little dignity to be had in perishing on a glorious day like today for the sake of a better angle.
Taken on my S2 Pro, with the Nikon 18-70 f3.5 lens on a Manfrotto mono as a single RAW, post processed in Photomatix and Digital Image Pro.

Nets in Fleetwood Fish Docks

Nets in Fleetwood Fish Docks, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

While staying on the boat for a few days, I made the short journey to Fleetwood to photograph the Fish Docks. I was lucky that the light was sharp and fresh, and the level suited the RAW shots processed (as single files) in Photomatix. I liked the range of textures in these nets, and the colours of the materials used, but as I was taking these shots, I was aware of being warily observed by a number of trawlermen and dock workers. I'm quite sure they found me about as fascinating as a discarded fish tail, but it was a timely reminder that one man's interesting texture is another man's livelihood.