Northumberland Photo Locations

I went to the Northumberland coast a couple of weeks ago. I was looking forward to taking dramatic images of troublesome seas, clouds skating across weary skies, and seahorses breaking across windswept beaches. Instead what I got was an insidious sea mist, and continuous low cloud for as far as the eye could see. Don’t, however, let that put you off. There are beautiful locations for photography in Northumberland.

I just had to make do, which meant looking in different directions, which leads me on to the Tynemouth outdoor swimming pool above. I used to swim there as a boy, we thought it was warm when the temperature of the seawater that used to fill it reached, 47 Fahrenheit. The structure has obviously deteriorated since then. However, the seawater is not any warmer.

Research on the Northumberland Coast

To research the Northumberland coast I used this Photographers Guide, Northumberland. The places I visited and would go back to again were:

• Holy Island Causeway there was a haunting feel about it. Check the tides to make sure you can get across to Lindisfarne
• Bamburgh Castle with the right conditions is spectacular
• Dunstanburgh Castle, with the classic view from Embleton Bay. Park near the golf course postcode NE66 3DT
• Newbiggin by the Sea for a really unique sculpture, which is worth a photograph. Postcode NE64 6DB
• St Mary’s lighthouse which is a favourite location of photographers at dawn and dusk.  Postcode NE26 4RS

Not in the book but probably not an omission is Tynemouth Outdoor Swimming Pool opened in 1925 and highlighted above. There are some evocative images to be had as the concrete discolours and degrades.

My favourite location, however, was the Rendezvous Cafe on the Promenade at Whitley Bay. No change since the 1950’s?

The Traditional Northumberland Landscape

For a view of traditional Northumberland landscape, try the locations in this book by veteran landscape photographer  Joe Cornish.

 

The Lake District

See my Lake District locations using this book:

 

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because I have found they offer great advice and customer service.