In August the photography group mounted an expedition to North Shields, to the Fish Quay and its environs. Despite the recent run of unbroken good weather, the morning of the trip found us in light rain in Barnard Castle, which turned into much heavier rain as we approached the Tyne. But we are not easily deterred and, comforting ourselves with the thought that we would not have to contend with harsh shadows, we pressed on. By the time we had parked and all met up the rain had eased to “persistent precipitation” so we adjourned to a nearby café for refreshment and to admire the work of the local photography group which was on display there.
By the time we came out of the café, the rain had stopped and there were even intermittent hints of blue sky, so we split up and started to take pictures. There were a surprising number of interesting subjects within fairly easy walking distance, including an impressive sculpture by Ray Lonsdale (“Fiddler’s Green”). There were also a significant number of volunteers on the beaches trying to help clear up the recent spill of (about a billion!) plastic “nurdles” in the Tyne, and they were happy to chat and share their views about the environment and the shortcomings of the Port of Tyne.
After a couple of hours, we all met up again and went for a late lunch of excellent fish and chips before heading back just before the rain started again. Winner!
Our next outing will be a return visit to Beamish Museum on Tuesday, 1st of September.
