Arnside Sunset

Arnside Sunset, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

Back from a couple of days 'darn sarf' in Essex, it feels like I have been away for a month for some reason. As a child I was brought up in Leigh on sea, and spent most of my formative years either looking at the Thames Estuary or sailing around it in a Mirror Dinghy. When I go back to visit, so much has changed that it is easy to lose sight of the things that remain the same. The cockle boats have got bigger, and the car parks are more expensive, but the sea wall still shakes when a train goes past on its way up to Fenchurch Street, the pubs are still full of old, bearded blokes in cordurouy caps and canvas smocks who talk about each other and complain about the landlord and the tide still goes out so far that the pier in neighbouring Southend had to be built over a mile and a quarter long.
Coming back to Arnside has reminded me why I moved up north in my twenties (and again in my forties). The tide goes out in Morecambe Bay too, trains clatter across the viaduct in Arnside, and the village fills up with earnest people in stout boots and cagoules throughout the summer, but there is an unpretentious sincerity and a wholesome charm about this area that seems to have gone missing from the Essex coast.

And the sunsets are better.

Arnside Stone Jetty.

Stone Jetty, Arnside, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

This stone pier replaced an earlier wooden structure, and facilitated the unloading of ships at Arnside after the constructon of the railways viaduct had caused the estuary to silt up, thereby preventing passage to Milnthorpe. It was constructed by the Ulverstone and Lancaster Railway Company, but later bought for the town for the sum of £100.
It now provides a place for anglers, an outstanding view of the estuary and town, and is a popular venue for visitors on a summer Sunday afternoon.
Sitting on a bench at the end of the jetty watching the sun set over the Kent Estuary is a truly uplifting experience, and many a less than pleasant day at work has been turned into a relaxed evening just by stopping here for ten minutes on my way home.

Silverdale Cove

Silverdale Cove, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

Stopped as I passed this cove at Silverdale again tonight on my way to the gym so I could try out my new Tokina 12-24 lens. I have been using a Nikon 18-70 for a while now, and found it an excellent item. Sharp, fast enough and versatile, and it seems to suit the Fuji S2 very well. However, I have often hankered after a wider angle, and weighed up the Sigma 10-20, the Tokina and the Tamron 11-17. I finally settled on the Tokina on the basis that it was built like a tank compared to the other two, and the DP review mentioned better contrast and very little CA. I shall have to see if it gives me what I was expecting, but early impressions tell me it is sharp at f8, fast focussing and is accurate.
I may, for once, have made a good choice first time.