Blustery day at the coast

A picture of Newcastle on Tyne from the Gateshead bank, looking east. The Norman Castle Keep is just visible above the High Level Bridge.

A six span, two level bridge it carries both rail and road traffic over the River Tyne between Gateshead and Newcastle. The bridge opened in 1849, and is a Grade 1 listed structure 412m long.

It is a cast iron heritage structure designed by Robert Stephenson, and is one of Network Rail’s 'Major Structures'. Travel the East Coast Mainline and you will go over the bridge. In May 2008 the High Level Bridge reopened to the public following an extensive, £42M programme of repair and strengthening to extend the life expectancy of the structure and conserve it as an important piece of our national heritage.

We went out today, escaped down to the coast and ate fish and chips from Kristian's on the North Shields river frontage. It was a bright and clear day, but windy enough to blow away every last cobweb. We walked along the river frontage, head down into the blast, and watched several ships come storming into the Tyne on the high tide. The City of Sunderland works between the Nissan car factory and the rest of the world. The factory where 1200 people were laid off a couple of weeks ago because no one is buying new cars in these credit crunch recession days.

It was good to get away from the computer and watch the world go by. I should have had the camera trained on the acrobatic gulls and terns hovering alongside the car as I threw out left over chips. One chip and twelve birds dived for it. The chip never touched the ground! Sadly the camera was in the boot, but next time I'll be prepared.

Bought some jeans and a top in the M&S outlet at Royal Quays, dithered over the sale stock at the Barbour factory in South Shields but left there without making a purchase.

Coming back through Newcastle with the sun sinking in the west I saw lots of pics I could have taken, but the traffic flow was such that I didn't care to stop and hop out with a camera in my fist. One day soon I shall go into town on the bus and walk around and take all the pics I want.

It is a very photogenic town.

This for example, is the view from the same spot as the first picture, but facing west instead of east.

More bridges! And looking so very different because of the light. And that's not all of them. Newcastle is a city of bridges.

I'll catch the rest on that next trip out.