Crossing

Tyne Tunnel

Thousands of commuters use the Tyne Tunnel every day and hundreds drive from South Shields under the River Tyne at Jarrow and make their way to work in North Tyneside. I used to do it myself some years ago and hated the twice daily trip with it’s interminable queues!

However, as a Tyne Crossing it is one of the busiest, I prefer the older pedestrian tunnel where you can use a bicycle and see the old county boundaries under the river marking Durham and Northumberland.

This shot has been livened up a little in Photoshop with some radial light rays (helps cover the imperfections in the shot taken by my passenger!

Camera details: Pentax K100D, 60mm lens, 1/15 second, f5.6, iso 200

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Bridging the Wear

Wearmouth Bridges, Sunderland

The River Wear lies just to the south of South Shields and enters the North Sea at Sunderland. The city is bifurcated by the river with the older Monkwearmouth, Seaburn, and Fulwell to the north and the younger city centre, Grangetown, Ryhope, and Hendon to the south.

Two bridges cross the Wear near it’s mouth, carrying traffic into and away from the busy city centre, on the left the road bridge and on the right the rail bridge.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, 28mm lens, /750 second, f9.5, iso 200, polarising filter.

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Industrial giants

Shipyard cranes, Wallsend

I took this picture to record the ending of a long tradition of heavy engineering and shipbuilding on Tyneside. This is the former Swan Hunter yard in Wallsend where hundreds of shipbuilders from South Shields used to work, the cranes are now being dismantled in readiness for shipping to their new owners Bharati Shipyards in India. Swan hunter’s most famous ship was probably the RMS Mauretania built for Cunard, the HMS Ark Royal and the Esso Northumbria were also built here.

Picture taken from the Hebburn Marina and riverside park on the south bank of the River Tyne.

Camera details: Pentax K100D, 220mm lens, 1/1000 second, f8, iso 200

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Dragonfly

River Don, Jarrow

Just along the road from South Shields the River Don flows into the River Tyne, and opposite St. Paul’s Church in Jarrow there is a small pond formed from rain water that is full of life in the summer months, tadpoles, toads, frogs, insects, strange worms, and these bright blue dragonflies.

Trouble is, they don’t want to stay still enough to be photographed! I was lucky with this one.

Camera details; Pentax K100D, lens 450mm macro, 1/350 second, f8, iso 200

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Jungle King

Leo in supine state

Statue of lion outside of South Shields Museum, Ocean Road.

I need to appeal to local readers to help me out with the history of this piece, he has stood guard outside the Museum for many years yet I know nothing of his history. Where was he before someone decided to rest him here?

Camera details; Pentax K100D, 28mm lens, 1/60 second, f5.6, iso 200

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