Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: whitehaven

Showing posts with label whitehaven. Show all posts

A Bracing Visit To The Cumbrian Coast.

A set of photos taken at high tide at Harrington near Workington.

I had hoped for rougher seas as high winds had been forecast but it was pretty tame. In the past I gave seen them breaking over the harbour wall but never mind, I still had a nice walk along the cliff tops and took some reasonable photos.

Its industrial history, which largely ended in the late 1930s, included an Iron works, coal mining, and steel making, plus it once had five railway stations, but only one has survived. Evidence of this history is clear for everyone to see, so consequently, Harrington will never be known as a pretty coastal town although you do get a cracking view across the Solway Firth to Dumfries and Galloway!

Harrington Pier

Harrington Slipway

Harrington Pier

Harrington Slipway

Harrington

Breakwater

Solway Firth

Harrington

Erosion

Coastal Erosion

Harrington

St Bees Coastline

A set of photos taken a few weeks ago on a day out to Whitehaven and St Bees Head with Sal. We went to St Bees first hoping that it would be quiet and thankfully it was. We were able to get a nice little walk in before the beach started to get too busy. We just walked across the bay on the sandy beach and then came back along the cliff top which has suffered a lot of erosion over the years.

The path back ran precariously close to the edge in places and you could clearly make out where previous sections had already fallen in to the sea. The ongoing erosion on the coastline had resulted in it receding 65 feet (20metres) between 1946 and the present day.

The sea thrift and coastal buttercups were in full flower on the cliff tops and were situated at such an angle as to give some great photo opportunities so sorry if I have overloaded this blog with them but I think they do look pretty and may possibly not be there then next time I visit.

We both love Whitehaven, even though the main town itself is very run down these day but then again where isn't, especially on the west coast of Cumbria. Its saving grace is it's Marnia and harbour area, where an excellent cafe is to be found. I haven't posted any photos of Whitehaven as I think I have already posted everything there is to see in previous blogs. In fact I think I only took one and that was the obligatory shot of the lighthouse; it was enoug to simply wander about with Sal and just relax.

Rocky Shoreline

St Bees Head

Rape Field, St Bees Head

St Bees Bay

The Cliff Path

Erosion on The Cliff Path

Looking out to sea

Sea Thrift

Coastal Erosion

Sea Thrift

St Bees Beach

The Costa del Whitehaven

Interesting facts about Whitehaven -

George Washington’s Granny is buried in Whitehaven.
During the American War of Independence, Whitehaven was briefly invaded by American forces. Father of the US Navy John Paul Jones, raided the town in April 1778 . He took the fort, spiked its guns, burned a few coal ships, and made off in his vessel Ranger with three prisoners.
Jonathon Swift Author of Gulliver's Travels who later became Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin was kidnapped by his nurse as an infant and brought to Whitehaven for 3 years and taught to read.
William Wordsworth's uncle Richard lived in Whitehaven and was keeper of Customs for the district and his son was rector at Moresby.
Bounty “mutineer’’ Peter Heywood, who was granted a Royal pardon and escaped the hangman’s rope, once lived in Whitehaven. Peter joined the Bounty which was bound for the South Sea Islands to make scientific observations. Captain Bligh was a strict disciplinarian and as a result there was much discontent among the crew. On arrival at the Friendly Islands this culminated in open mutiny headed by Fletcher Christian, the Master’s Mate.
Whitehaven folk are known as Jam Eaters, supposedly because they can’t afford meat in their sandwiches. This goes back to the mining days of the 18th century.
In the 17th and 18th centuries Whitehaven was involved in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, and the role of British trade in shipping millions of Africans into slavery in the Americas. It grew rich from trade that depended upon slavery: tobacco from Virginia and, most famously, rum and sugar from slave plantations in the Caribbean.

And that's about it...good or bad, that is what Whitehaven is famous for!

Personally I right like the place. The shopping area is pretty run down but the harbour and marina (which have had a lot of money thrown at them over the years) are always busy and a pleasure to walk round. The marina is still being developed, both as a leisure and as a residential area.

Me and Sal paid a quick visit there the other week with our cameras and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours shopping, drinking coffee and taking photographs. The sun was shining which is always a bonus and our drive back to the caravan conveniently went past the Pheasant Inn at Bassenthwaite, which was a double bonus!