Coast Road South
When you come to a fork in the road, take it. ― Yogi Berra
Sunrise, Roker
Sony A7R V | 55mm f/8.0 15s ISO125
Whitby is a destination that’s been on my list since we moved to the east coast. I’d been through the town on a previous trip to Bempton and again for one of the steampunk weekends, but both were fleeting visits. At the start of March I had a couple of days free and, at quite short notice, decided to head down south to try to explore Whitby a little further. Along the way I also took the opportunity to have a look at a couple of other locations that have caught my eye. The loose itinerary went as follows:
Day One: Roker, Seaham, Hartlepool, South Gare and Whitby
Day Two: Whitby, Staithes, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, South Shields
Roker to South Gare
The shot of Roker Pier is one of the more iconic images from that section of the coast. It’s often photographed, but I didn’t have a shot. I’ve been once before as a stop going down further south, but on this occasion decided to take the pain and set the alarm early to catch the sunrise. Such is the fickle nature of landscape photography; a spectacular sunrise teased before a big bank of lower cloud rolled in. That said, I’m pleased with the images I did get.
Seaham - Chemical Beach - is another popular location that ideally needs a low tide and colourful sunrise. I had a high tide and a bright day, so didn’t venture down onto the beach. In truth, there are probably only a couple of distinctive compositions, so it’s not a location that’s demanding a specific trip. Hartlepool on the other hand (and rather contrary to my expectations) proved quite fruitful and is somewhere that is worth a return visit. The fisherman’s huts at South Gare are well known, but there are other locations in Hartlepool itself (such as the magnificent Steetly Pier) that piqued my interest.
Whitby (Day One)
I arrived in Whitby mid-afternoon which gave plenty of opportunity to have a look around the Abbey before heading down to the harbour for sunset. The east coast really needs some high cloud to set off a good sunset, but on the evening there was probably a little too much cloud in the wrong places. I’m relatively pleased with the shots, however, and felt that it made the trip worthwhile. I had half a plan to return to the harbour after dark for some night skies photography, but the combination of an early start and a fish supper saw me retire gracefully at a respectable hour.
Whitby Harbour Light
Sony A7R V | 35mm f/11 3s ISO100
Whitby (Day Two)
I started the second day where I’d ended the first, on the harbour waiting for the sunrise. I was blessed with clear skies, which while lovely to witness is not the ideal for sunrise photography. However, I was pleased to be there and pleased with the images. After sunrise (and a coffee) I headed off along the sea front and took in the views. Whitby really is quite a pretty place…
Sunrise, Whitby Harbour
Sony A7R V | 23mm f/11 5s ISO 100
Staithes to South Shields
The return leg of the journey was more about having a recce of a couple of locations rather than capturing anything special. The weather, while glorious for walking around, was very bright creating all sorts of high contrast. Nowhere was this more evident than Staithes, where the classic view relies on golden, or even blue hour lighting or moody weather conditions. However, it is a lovely spot and well worth a return visit. It’s also good to have some knowledge of the geography ahead of any repeat.
Saltburn-by-the-Sea was another spot that I wanted to have a look at. It was really very busy though and both the pier and the tramway were shut for maintenance. I’m not sure that there is too much beyond these two attractions to warrant a return visit and it’s one to come back to only as part of a wider trip.
South Shields on the other hand definitely warrants a return trip sooner rather than later. We’ve been to Tynemouth on the north of the estuary a couple of times, but this was my first time on the south. I definitely only scratched the surface and there are a few locations in the area that I’d definitely like to explore.
Overall then, it was a great trip and well worth the time away.
