Northumberland

I often feel drawn back to the coast, so I checked the weather and found that Northumberland would be drier than Wales or Scotland, so headed to my favourite park up there. This gives me easy access to photography opportunities, swimming, beach combing and facilities not too far away. I’ve always felt safe here too in the company of other vans overnight. I had dreams of a driftwood fire on the beach wrapped in a blanket drinking a bottle of beer. Sadly, no, but next time and hopefully with company and terrier. 

I noticed here in Northumberland the people are like their environment - the salt of the earth, their bright hellos and easy laughter heard long before they are seen. As it’s difficult to tell a tourist from a native, maybe it’s the place that has this effect on all who relinquish their souls to the sea for a day or more, something carried on the briny, fresh breeze that downs hoods and whips through many a castle’s turrets; or in the cry of seabirds soaring over endless stretches of wild dunes. Maybe it’s the anticipation of freshly caught seafood waiting to be dipped in melted butter, or the glow of a warm fire in the local tavern complete with reclining wolfhound. I do believe the saying ‘behind every picture is a story’ but with the vast amount of imagery we are bombarded with on social media, I like to share my stories as the photographer behind the pictures. 

Discovery - When you wear your dry robe on the beach it’s like a confessional, people seem to open up to you and confess their love of leaping into cold water or doing triathlons at 65, telling me all about their cool new gear and about whether their partners join in or stand on the beach looking in equal parts supportive and horrified with a towel and a flask, occasionally running from the incoming tide. Honestly, wear a dry robe all the time, you‘ll have conversations with the best people as they can see you’re a bit of them (I might look like a nob walking the dog at home though).

Photography

I’m not really sure what my style is, but I know I am at my best when I’m immersed in the elements or deep in an atmosphere whether that’s in a dynamic environment such as waves crashing onto the shore or something more tranquil such as a mirror lake reflecting a sunrise. Of course being in the right place at the right time, both literally and mentally, is the tricky part and is the reason why epic photography remains epic. I like uncluttered and moody scenes and I take care to carefully compose an image using light, subject or leading lines to balance and draw the eye through the image. I think this is what separates a photograph from a snap, although it is also highly subjective. To create a mood I often use long exposures and I’m most happy on a misty, cold day with the threat of sunlight breaking through. The conditions for my trip did not give me the conditions for epic photographs but there is a quietness to the sunrise images that I really like. I found myself hunting the coastline looking for pattern and textures as well as imagery that would remind me of my time spent there. 

The Inevitable Other People Problem

Gets up at 0430 to set up a composition that makes the most of the sunrise, bloke rocks up with tripod and sets up right in front of me without any acknowledgement of me whatsoever. I have my tripod set up and I’m wearing a bright blue, massive dry robe and carrying an orange and camo backpack! This man has seen me, he simply doesn’t care. I sometimes envy those that can get what and where they want by simply ignoring good manners and the consequences of their actions on others. BTW for the rest of the morning he stood about 2 metres in front of my car (which was overlooking the sea and the castle) and played about with his drone for hours (not a euphemism). 

Later that morning I filled a whole bin bag with rubbish from takeaways strewn along the verges of the car park. I did this for many reasons, but the main one is that I believe vanlifers get blamed for this, even though it’s not true in the main and I don’t want to see even more ‘no overnight parking ‘ signs going up everywhere. Leave No Trace people. Of course if you’re reading this you probably already do and would have picked it all up just like me.

The Boat Trip

Seeing the joy and awe on the faces of my travelling companions as the boat dipped and rose quite dramatically across from the bay at Seahouses was almost as lovely as seeing the seals draped across every surface of rock below Longstone lighthouse - a tiny island forming part of the Farne islands. I saw cormorants stretching their wings in front of an audience of watchful eyed seals. I could not get the smile off my face the whole journey. I went with Billy Shiel’s boat trips - the captain’s narration was delivered with humour - a highlight for me, and I noticed the crew were very gracious and helpful for those that needed assistance embarking. Cost £21 for 1.5 hours.

Swimming (more like wading this time)

As I sleep in my car, there is really only one chance to go for a swim as there is nowhere to dry gear - it’s too cold right now for me to forego neoprene gloves and boots and I also wear a wet suit jacket, all of which take ages to dry. It’s not really the water I protect myself from but the biting wind. This day the water temp was the same as the ambient 6 degrees, so not too cold. Anyway, I waited for the sunniest day, but this didn’t translate to a calm sea. The pull of the retreating waves was more intense than anything I’ve encountered before, my feet disappearing into the sand as the water rushed past sucking up the sand as it left. I had a wonderful serene experience at one point even with the waves crashing around me when a skein of pure white swans flew silently overhead against a backdrop of a bright blue sky. True eye candy.

The Car Camping Experience

I can honestly say my new camping mat is the best thing I’ve bought for my car camping set up. My DIY window blinds not so much, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shouted ‘fuck off’ at an inanimate object during the night as they slowly peeled away from the windows and came to rest on my sleeping face. Also, I found it hard to keep warm through the night due to the northerlies coming straight up off the sea which was about 30 metres from my car. An all seasons sleeping bag is now firmly on the wish list.

What I Ate

I ate some great food from the Creel and Reel seafood trailer. I went for the king prawn burger mainly due to budget - it was delicious, fresh and the fries were fried and salted to perfection. Cost £13, not cheap but as is often the case with hut or street food it is way better than dishes served up in most restaurants. They often have fresh, local scallops and lobster, lately even turbot, a little more expensive, as well as ‘fishy fries’. There is definitely something about eating food from the sea whilst sitting in amongst the dunes listening to the waves. On my way home I stopped at North Shield fish quay for a styrofoam cup of cockles in home brewed pickle and a child portion of fish and chips. This is a place I’ve never spent anytime, but will definitely return to explore further. I couldn’t do much cooking myself on this trip as it was too windy for the stove, but I had planned to cook fresh seafood on my camping wood burner on the beach. I was relieved to discover a new retail park in Alnwick hosting an M&S Foodhall, where I stocked up on fruit and various salads and erm pistachio and almond cookies (so good/so bad), so I definitely didn’t starve!

I stopped at Alnmouth on the way home for a walk along the windswept beach, the little marina and the high street where I found a deli, places to eat and a gorgeous coastal themed gift shop. Found myself feeling envious of the setting and houses with sea views. From the gift shop little painted ceramic fish drawer handles caught my eye as well as a book ‘Twelve Moons- a year under a shared sky’ by Caro Giles. 

As always, I’ve shared my settings below each image. 

Camera gear

Benro tripod
K&F concept camera bag
K&F ND & CPL filters
Fujifilm X-T3
Tamron 18-300mm lens