Tag: UK

Day 09 – Barrow-In-Furness to Carlisle

A rather dull day nine as we drove north along the coast from Barrow-In-Furness to Carlise.

 

Photo of the day

Coastal Road Trip, St Bees Lighthouse
St Bees Lighthouse

 

South Walney

Coastal Road Trip, South Walney, Nature Reserve, Piel Castle
First stop of the day was the South Walney Nature Reserve, with its views back north to Piel Castle, which we had seen the evening before from the other side by Rampside.
Coastal Road Trip, South Walney, Nature Reserve, Ranger's Hut
The ranger’s hut at the nature reserve, an Aladdin’s cave of nature related info.
Coastal Road Trip, South Walney, Nature Reserve, Seagull, Jarno
We encountered a very curious (and hungry) friend.

 

Eskmeals

Coastal Road Trip, Eskmeals Beach, MOD Eskmeals
Next to the pebble beach, we found this sign, we moved on quickly…
Coastal Road Trip, Eskmeals, Lake District Views
But behind the beach there were idyllic views over meadows to the Lake District.

 

Ravenglass

Coastal Road Trip, Ravenglass
Cute seaside cottages (very close to the sea on the other side) in the small village of Ravenglass.

 

Sellafield

Coastal Road Trip, Sellafield
The word’s first commercial nuclear power station.  Julian had remembered adverts for the visitor centre as a kid, and was weirdly curious to visit.  However, it seems the visitor centre no longer exists, so instead we made do with these views across the fields.

 

St Bees

Coastal Road Trip, St Bees Lighthouse
More views across fields.  We were trying to get a closer look at St Bees Lighthouse, but down a very narrow quiet country lane we came across private property signs.  So we decided to view from a distance over this golden brown wheat field.

 

Whitehaven

Coastal Road Trip, Whitehaven, Lighthouse
A bit of a tired looking lighthouse at Whitehaven.
Coastal Road Trip, Whitehaven, Harbor, Industrial past
Remains of Whitehaven’s industrial past.

 

Maryport

Coastal Road Trip, Maryport, Lighthouse, Paintings
Next to Maryport Lighthouse there was a display of lighthouse paintings by local school children, so here is one of them to add a bit of colour to day nine of our Coastal Road Trip.
Coastal Road Trip, Maryport Breakwater
A bleak and cold evening at the Maryport breakwater.

 

Siloth

Coastal Road Trip, Siloth
Before heading east along the coast to Carlise we stopped by Siloth, with its surprisingly wide cobbled streets, and long stepped promenade stretching into the distance.

 

Daily video

Day 08 – Preston to Barrow-In-Furness

Today’s drive on the north west coastline was pretty varied as we covered everything from quiet coastal villages to busy holiday resorts like Blackpool.

 

Photo of the Day

Coastal Road Trip, Blackpool, Blackpool Lights, McDonalds
Blackpool Lights

 

Preston

Coastal Road Trip, Preston, Marina, Lighthouse, Morrisons, Lighthouse
As you follow the north west coastline, Preston is the first crossing point over the River Ribble.  As luck would have it there was a disused lighthouse by the local Morrisons supermarket at the town marina.  I guess not many lighthouses have a trolley park at their base.

 

Lytham St Anne’s

Coastal Road Trip, Lytham St Anne's, Lytham Windmill
Lytham Windmill, our first windmill (keeping Jarno happy), right on the edge of the grassy Ribble estuary.
Coastal Road Trip, Lytham St Anne's, RSPB
The view across the estuary from the local RSPB sanctuary.
Coastal Road Trip, Lytham St Anne's Pier
Lytham St Anne’s Pier and the broad sandy beach.
Coastal Road Trip, Lytham St Anne's, Beach, Donkey
Donkeys being prepared for the day ahead on the beach.

 

Blackpool

Coastal Road Trip, Blackpool, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Mr Chippy
A few typical sights along the long Blackpool seafront.  First at the southern end, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, behind a chippy.
Coastal Road Trip, Blackpool, Blackpool Lights, McDonalds
The Blackpool lights (by day), no prizes for guessing who were sponsoring this section of the lights.
Coastal Road Trip, Blackpool, Blackpool Tower
And at the northern end of the promenade, the magnificent Blackpool Tower.

 

Cleveleys

Coastal Road Trip, Cleveleys, Mary's Shell
The promenade looked pretty smart here, it clearly had a recent face lift.  A huge shell work of art (Mary’s Shell) on the empty beach.

 

Fleetwood

Coastal Road Trip, Fleetwood, Pharos Lighthouse
More disused lighthouses, first the larger Pharos Lighthouse at Fleetwood.

 

Knott End-on-Sea

Coastal Road Trip, Knott End-on-Sea view, Fleetwood, Lower Lighthouse
Then whilst having a picnic at Knott End-on-Sea, we had a great view back west over the River Wyre to the Lower Lighthouse at Fleetwood.

 

Lancaster

Coastal Road Trip, Lancaster, Lancaster Castle, Julian, Jarno
Crossing the River Lune at Lancaster, we stopped to look at Lancaster Castle.  Interestingly it was still a working prison until 2011.

 

Morecambe

Coastal Road Trip, Morecambe, Lake District Sculpture, Art, Silhouette
Silhouette of the Lake District mountains, outlined and labelled on this clever art piece on Morcambe Promenade.
Coastal Road Trip, Morcambe, Eric Morecambe Statue
This statue needs no introduction for the Brits, but for the rest it’s a statue of Eric Morecambe.  A famous British comedian.  Julian did a selfie with him but his sunglasses were lopsided, ironic.

 

Arnside

Coastal Road Trip, Arnside, Pier
Small quiet pier on to the River Kent at the quaint village of Arnside.

 

Grange-over-Sands

Coastal Road Trip, Grange-over-Sands, Railway, View
The railway line separating the view back over the River Kent to Arnside.

 

Ulverston

Coastal Road Trip, Ulverston, Barrow Monument, Head Monument
The Hoad (Barrow) Monument on the peak of Hoad Hill to the east of Ulverston.  Only took a picture as it resembles a lighthouse.

 

Rampside

Coastal Road Trip, Rampside, Rampside Lighthouse
Before heading to Barrow-In-Furness for the night we stopped by the rather unusual and slim Rampside Lighthouse.

 

Daily video

Day 07 – Colwyn Bay to Preston

We started day seven of our trip by going back west a few miles to Llandudno before continuing east out of Wales into England.  Some typical and some not so typical British seaside sights today.

 

Photo of the day

Coastal Road Trip, Crosby Beach, Antony Gormley's Another Place
Crosby Beach

 

Llandudno

Coastal Road Trip, Llandudno Pier
Early Sunday morning at Llandudno Pier, eerily empty.  Everyone was clearly still in bed, as they knew the heavens were about to open.
Coastal Road Trip, Llandudno
Colourful hotels at the end of the Llandudno promenade.  The start of the Great Orme hill and headland behind.  We then drove around the Great Orme Heritage Coast loop, would have been great views if it it hadn’t been pouring down with rain.

 

Colwyn Bay

Coastal Road Trip, Colwyn Bay
We looped back to Colwyn Bay where we stayed the night before.  The promenade and road along the sea front was closed off due to an ongoing waterfront improvement project.  In the distance we could see the pier, which looked in a sorry state… hopefully that is part of their improvement project too.

 

Prestatyn

Coastal Road Trip, Prestatyn, Lifeguard Board
The lifeguards were having a peaceful day at a very quiet Prestatyn Beach.  Wind turbines off shore in the background, which became a surprisingly common sight on our coastal journey.

 

Talacre Lighthouse

Coastal Road Trip, Talacre Lighthouse, Point of Ayr
The Talacre Lighthouse at Point of Ayr.  Abandoned, but looked great, even on a stormy morning.

 

Flint

Coastal Road Trip, Flint Castle, Julian, Jarno
Flint Castle with impressive views over the River Dee.  We bumped into a lovely Canadian family that had also been staying at the same B&B as us near Cardigan, we had also bumped into them at Cilgerran Castle three days earlier… small world.

 

Flintshire Bridge

Coastal Road Trip, Flintshire Bridge
Crossing the River Dee over a rather striking Flintshire Bridge, flanked by electricity pylons.  Blue sky starting to peep through the clouds…

 

Leasowe Lighthouse

Coastal Road Trip, Leasowe Lighthouse
The now disused Leasowe Lighthouse, not the most attractive lighthouse, but still striking with the blue sky behind.

 

New Brighton

Coastal Road Trip, New Brighton
The view from New Brighton out to the lighthouse and beyond to the cranes on the other side of the River Mersey.

 

Crosby

Coastal Road Trip, Crosby Beach, Antony Gormley's Another Place
One of the one hundred Antony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ statues, submerged in Crosby Beach.  A bit spooky but very striking.  Very cool to see in person.
Coastal Road Trip, Crosby Beach, Antony Gormley's Another Place, www.coastalroadtrip.com
A bit of beach marketing.

 

Formby

Coastal Road Trip, Formby Point
A lovely clean beach backed by sand dunes and pinewoods at the National Trust’s Formby Point.  They’ve clearly struggled with beach erosion though, this looked like an old road or building that had collapsed in the beach and sea.

 

Southport

Coastal Road Trip, Southport, Ice cream van
A Mr Whippy ice cream van finishing work for the day at Southport Beach.
Coastal Road Trip, Southport Beach, Weather Vane Fish
A striking looking weather vane style fish sculpture on the Southport Promenade.

 

Marshside

Coastal Road Trip, Marshside, View to Blackpool Tower
On our way to Preston for the night, we passed Marshside, with views across to Lytham St Ann’s, and Blackpool Tower ghost-like in the distance.  A sneak preview of our trip tomorrow.

 

Daily video

Day 06 – Porthmadog to Colwyn Bay

After beautiful weather on day five, day six started rainy and windy and continued most of the day.  As today’s trip included Anglesey, the weather matched our expectations for the wind swept island… but we had fun nevertheless.

 

Photo of the day

Coastal Road Trip, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysiliogogogoch Station
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Caernarfon

Coastal Road Trip, Caernarfon Castle
Welcome to Caernarfon!  Impressive castle but the verdict is out on the rest of the town.  Though we did have a good coffee.

 

Coastal Road Trip, Caernarfon Castle, Carousel
And the Merry-go-round Carousel in the market square brightened things up a bit.

 

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Coastal Road Trip, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysiliogogogoch Ticket
It had to be done, first visit on Anglesey was to the the town with the longest place name in Europe and second longest in the world: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.  Which means even the train tickets have to be extra big.
Coastal Road Trip, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysiliogogogoch Station
…and the train station signs… etc etc… you get the idea 😉  Secretly I (Julian) was excited to visit, I had always wanted to since a kid.  Check.

 

Plas Newydd

Coastal Road Trip, Plas Newydd
Next stop was Plas Newydd House & Gardens.  The impressive interior is home to the largest canvas painting in the UK.  We did take a picture of it, but we couldn’t get the whole painting in the shot, so best to just google it!
Coastal Road Trip, Plas Newydd, Garden
A bit of colour on a grey day in the Plas Newydd Garden.

 

Anglesey, west coast

Coastal Road Trip, Anglesey west coast
Most of the west coast of Anglesey looked like this, wet, windy and stormy.

 

Trearddur Bay

Coastal Road Trip, Trearddur Bay
Struggling to get out to sea at Trearddur Bay, we watched a little longer, he capsized a minute later and gave up.

 

South Stack

Coastal Road Trip, South Stack Lighthouse
The rain stopped by the time we arrived at South Stack Lighthouse on Holy Island, also a RSPB bird sanctuary.   We also tuned in to Irish radio and our mobile phones started trying to connect to Irish networks, you then realise how close you are to Ireland.
Coastal Road Trip, South Stack Lighthouse
Great views of South Stack Lighthouse over some pretty severe cliffs.  We walked a bit further on to also try and see North Stack Lighthouse, but the weather closed in and all we got was pictures of sea mist.

 

Beaumaris

Coastal Road Trip, Beaumaris Castle
Following the northern and eastern coast of Anglesey, we ended up at Beaumaris Castle.  Seemed one of the nicest towns on the island.
Coastal Road Trip, Beaumaris Pier
Beaumaris Pier, with seagulls hovering in the wind, almost in formation.

 

Conwy

Coastal Road Trip, Coastal Road Trip, Conwy Castle
Back on the mainland we passed through Bangor to Conwy, and its grand 13th century Conwy Castle, before heading to Colwyn Bay for the evening.

 

Daily video

Day 03 – Pembroke to Cardigan

Off on our third day of travel.  We will cover about 130 miles of coastal roads today.  A grey sky, but we’ll bring some sunshine.

 

Photo of the day

Coastal Road Trip, Newgale Beach
Newgale Beach

 

Milford Haven

Coastal Road Trip, Milford Haven, Flowers, Statue, Harbour
Colour and thoughtful art above the industrial landscape of Milford Haven.

 

Dale

Coastal Road Trip, Dale, Rain, Julian, Jarno
Welsh summer, heavy rain at Dale Beach – time for a coffee to wake us up!

 

St Ann’s

Coastal Road Trip, St Ann's High Lighthouse
Stunning views, steep cliffs and choppy waters at St Ann’s High Lighthouse.

 

Martin’s Haven

Coastal Road Trip, Wooltack Point
Walkers at the National Trust’s Martin’s Haven.
Coastal Road Trip, Martin's Haven, Wooltack Point, Midland Isle, Julian, Jarno
And here are two of those walkers with Wooltack Point and Midland Isle behind us.
Coastal Road Trip, Martin's Haven, Skin Care Cymru’s Don’t Be A Lobster Flag
Skin Care Cymru’s alternative Welsh flag: ‘Don’t Be A Lobster’, flying above the coastguard’s hut at Martins’s Haven.

 

St Brides

Coastal Road Trip, St Brides
Julian stayed here at St Brides with his family 10 years ago, so was keen to visit again.

 

Little Haven

Coastal Road Trip, Little Haven
The cute little village of Little Haven, with 30min free parking, just enough time to do a mini tour.
Coastal Road Trip, Little Haven
And the view west from the top of the short cliff path walk above Little Haven.  Lush grass clinging to the rocky cliffs.

 

Welsh Roads

Coastal Road Trip, Windy Welsh Roads
We thought this Pembroke single track road was funny, double yellow lines on both sides, no chance to pass someone never mind parking!

 

Newgale

Coastal Road Trip, Newgale Beach
The tidy, wide and flat sands of Newgale Beach.

 

Solva

Coastal Road Trip, Solva
Looking down over Solva Bay with its boats waiting for the tide to return.

 

St Davids

Coastal Road Trip, St Davids
St Davids Cathedral in Britain’s smallest city.  Really impressive, except for the coffee in the Cathedral Cafe, too hot!
Coastal Road Trip, St Davids, Ceiling
The beautifully painted ceiling of St Davids.

 

Pwll Mawr

Coast Road Trip, Pwll Mawr
We took the wrong turn looking for Strumble Head, and ended up with this amazing view west from Pwll Mawr.

 

Strumble Head

Coastal Road Trip, Strumble Head Lighthouse
Getting addicted to lighthouses now… took 100 pics of Stumble Head Lighthouse in the fresh and bright late afternoon sunshine.
Coastal Road Trip, Strumble Head View
And again stunning views west along the Pembrokeshire coast from Strumble Head.

 

Fishguard

Coastal Road Trip, Fishguard
And the final stop of the day in Fishguard, before heading to our B&B for the night near Cardigan.

 

Daily Video