Photos and the City

Tag: sea

Saltburn by the sea

Goodbye York and hello Saltburn-by-the-sea! This stunning little sea resort is just a short train ride from York, getting out of the train you smell & taste the salty air and instant relaxation will set in!

I arrived right in time for a little heatwave and spend the day exploring the endless beach and having my first swim! So refreshing!

Saltburn by the Sea

Saltburn’s original settlement at the North Yorkshire coast was just a couple of houses and the Ship Inn where the smugglers and the local fishermen met.

In the 19th century, the Pease family developed Middlesbrough as an industrial centre and after finding ironstone the Stockton & Darlington Railway and the West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway Company developed routes. By 1861 the railway reached Saltburn.

In 1858, while walking along the coast path towards Old Saltburn to visit his brother Joseph in Marske, Henry Pease saw a prophetic vision of a town arising on the cliff and the quiet, unfrequented and sheltered glen turned into a lovely garden. The Pease family owned Middlesbrough Estate and had control of the S&DR, and agreed to develop Henry’s vision by forming the Saltburn Improvement Company (SIC).

Land was purchased from the Earl of Zetland, and the company commissioned surveyor George Dickinson to lay out what became an interpretation of a gridiron street layout, detracted from by the railway which ran through the site. With as many houses as possible having sea views, the layout was added to by the so-called Jewel streets along the seafront—Coral, Garnet, Ruby, Emerald, Pearl, Diamond and Amber Streets, said to be a legacy of Henry’s vision. (Wikipedia)

My lovely B&B was in Emerald Street and had the best view of the sea from the balcony.

The Saltburn Cliff Lift is one of the oldest water-powered funiculars worldwide – it was built to bring people down (and up) the very steep cliffs to promenade (opened in 1869).

Pearse developed Saltburn by the sea as a mixture of a seaside resort, trading place and housing for his workers.

Today Saltburn still is a lovely resort and not as busy as Whitby or Scarborough. It was quite hot during my stay but I always found a nice empty spot on the endless beach.

The city has some lovely independent shops and café houses.

The view down “my” street – Emerald Street. I stayed in an amazing B&B with Ruth and her trusty four-legged companion Ralph who had won my heart within seconds! Ralph is the friendliest spaniel and will keep you company during breakfast or whenever you want him to!

01/10/2019
Salerno

I managed to arrive safe and sound in Napoli, saying goodbye to the car and make myself comfy in the same Airbnb as the year before, looking all over the city. But it was a short first night, early morning the next day I hopped on the train to Salerno for a little photo shoot.

After a lovely trainride, I was back at the Amalfi coast, less stressed than a few days before with the car and it only takes one hour by train. I also had thought about going by boat (traghetto) but the departure times didn´t quite fit my schedule.

Carola picked me up at the train station and we drove in direction of Paestum to the stunning Lido delle Sirene. The beach was completely deserted and we had every corner just for ourselves.

Afterwards, Carola drove me back to Salerno and there was enough time for a little stroll around the city.

I didn´t see that much but got a little taste for next time. I just strolled around the Old Town and the Trieste Lungomare, a wonderful promenade to the port.

Human settlement at Salerno has a rich and vibrant past, dating back to pre-historic times. The site has been one of the most important and strategic ports on the Mediterranean sea, yielding a rich Greco-Roman heritage. It was an independent Lombard principality, Principality of Salerno, in the early Middle Ages. During this time, the Schola Medica Salernitana, the first medical school in the world, was founded. In the 16th century, under the Sanseverino family, among the most powerful feudal lords in southern Italy, the city became a great centre of learning, culture and the arts,[…] (Wikipedia)

For a very brief time, February to August 1944, Salerno was the Italian capital, during the liberation after the landing of the allied armies until the liberation of Rome.

03/05/2019
Giant´s Causeway

On the next morning, I got up quite early, had a quick breakfast at my B&B and off I went to Bushmills to visit the main reason I came to Northern Ireland: the Giant´s Causeway – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

I remember looking through a book at Waterstones in Cork many years ago and seeing the first picture of this place and instantly fell in love – it took some time but finally, I was going to visit it!

Some logistics:

The Giant´s Causeway is one of the most visited tourist’s attractions in Ireland, be there as early as possible. There are some parking spaces around the visitor centre which were slammed when I left around 11 – I was very pleased that I choose to park at the park & ride in Bushmills and take the free shuttle bus from there, way less stressful! And even helps save money!

When you arrive at the Giants Causeway there are two ways to enter, one for free via the path or the second one via the visitor centre, which costs £10,50 (or £9 if you´ve used the bus!) and offers an audioguide, exhibitions, toilets, coffee shop and a souvenir shop.

The path (Coastline & North Antrim Coast Path) is open from dawn to dusk, the visitor centre from 9 to 5. (spring & summer until 7 or 9 pm)

From that point, it´s about one-mile walk down to the Giant´s Causeway – you can either walk or take the Bus for £1 – also know as Translinks shortest and probably most profitable bus route.

The Grand Causeway

The area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption thousands of years ago is probably the most known feature of the Giant´s Causeway:

The columns may even continue under the sea as there are similar ones in a place in Scotland.

04/11/2017