Morecambe & Heysham, Lancashire, Summer
After a thunderstorm, you need to get those vast and expansive views.
After a thunderstorm, you need to get those vast and expansive views.
On the Saturday, the Met Office issued a Yellow Warning of thunderstorms and torrential downpours. This was very much needed as temperatures were starting to creep up to the mid 20’s again with 90%+ humidity.
If there’s one thing a thunderstorm is really good at it’s clearing the atmosphere. So, on the Sunday, we decided that solid hike along the Morecambe Bay coast, from Morecambe to Heysham and back, was needed. The views across the bay to Cumbria and the Lake District fells are always welcome. Plus, we knew we would have limited time before the next load of thunderstorms arrived.
I decided to equip relatively minimally; just my camera, Sony 28–70 and Vivitar “Series 1” 70–210mm for those super tight and zoomed in compositions.
The views, and the weather, were glorious.
All photos taken on my Sony α7ii using my Sony FE 28–70mm f3.5–5.6 OSS and Vivitar “Series 1” 70–210mm f2.8–4.0 zoom lenses. RAWs developed in Lightroom for iPad using RNI Films’ Portra 160 film emulation, then a little bit of finalisation in Affinity Photo 2 for iPad.
Morecambe & Heysham, Lancashire, Summer by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Want sweeping and expansive views for mountains in the distance? Morecambe Bay is where you need to be. Anywhere with access to the Bay will do, but for this walk we chose the town of Morecambe itself.
This is the 14 m tall Hook Beacon, signalling the location of West End Gardens at Morecambe Bay. It was conceived by Broadbent Studio in collaboration with local school pupils.
A man and his dog, watching the world go by.
We started the walk 1-hour after low tide, so the sea was still miles out. Families and couples alike were enjoying the sensation of wet sand on their feet and sea air in their faces.
I decided to equip my 70–210mm lens for some super-zoomed in compositions across the bay to Cumbria.
A lovely mural that I can never resist taking a shot of.
Nice and clear, the Coniston Fells in the Lake District, 25 miles away.
One of numerous breakwaters along Morecambe. This is Grosevenor Breakwater, with Black Combe (600 m/1,970 ft) rising in the distance.
It’s always nice to see people soaking in the vibes of the day and taking in the immense views that Morecambe has to offer.
South beyond the town of Morecambe, ancient Heysham comes into view, resting on a small hill above the Bay.
St. Peter’s church. Christian worship has been regularly practised at the site for over 1,000 years.
The graveyard behind the church enjoys spectacular views across the Bay.
Trees in the graveyard remind us of the passing of time beyond our own horizons.
The ruins of St. Peter’s chapel, dating from around the 8th or 9th century. It gives me vibes of a portal to another world.
A group of six stone-hewn tombs dating from around the 11th century. Each tomb has an associated “socket”, which was probably where a wooden cross would be inserted.
At Half Moon Bay, just before Heysham Nuclear Power Station, one can find the marvellous SHIP sculpture by Anna Gillespie.
The ship's hull is mounted with two opposing figures at each end. One faces "new" Heysham, the Nuclear Power Station, and the other faces "old" Heysham, the ancient monument of St Patrick's Chapel.
The sculpture "celebrates Morecambe Bay's landscape and maritime heritage, and reflects the importance of seaborne trade in bringing news, innovation and shaping the character of the area."
Heading back to Morecambe, I couldn’t resist nabbing the colour contrast of pink and green courtesy of these flowers.
The way back to Morecambe, with plenty of other peeps enjoying the day out in the glorious sunshine.
This gentleman was raising people’s spirits with tunes from his pocket trumpet. He was also kind enough to pose for a photo or two and give us a rendition of “Bring Me Sunshine”, an appropriate tune for the town of Morecambe.
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Morecambe & Heysham, Lancashire, Summer
And now for something a little different.
And now for something a little different.
Morecambe’s a good place to visit, especially if you like long walks beside the seaside. It enjoys vast panoramic views across the bay towards Silverdale and Arnside, the Furness Peninsula, and the Lake District fells beyond. You can’t help but take photos of the views before you.
Just a wee bit south down the coast from Morecambe is a small coastal town with a lot of history: Heysham.
Today we did a walk between the two.
Heysham is an ancient place. The main focus of historical human inhabitants is Chapel Hill, a small headland above the bay and Heysham itself. It’s suspected that there’s been human activity here for 12,000 years. Heysham is also only one of three sites in Britain and Ireland that contains pre-Roman labyrinth carving.
On Chapel Hill one can find the ruins of St. Patrick’s Chapel, probably constructed in the 6th of 7th century CE. Next to the chapel is a group of six stone-hewn graves, made around the 11th century. The grounds of St. Peter’s church contains lots of Saxon and Viking artefacts, including a Viking hogback stone that’s on display in the church, making the stone around 1,000–1,200 years old.
It’s an ancient place, and you can feel it around you when you’re on Chapel Hill.
All photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my Vivitar “Series 1” 28–105mm f/2.8–3.8 and Laowa 9mm f/2.8 lenses. Converted in Capture One for iPad, developed in RNI Films, and finished in Affinity Photo.
Morecambe & Heysham, Lancashire, Summer by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The security fencing surrounding the site of the former “Frontierland” theme park has now been beautifully decorated with murals from local artists.
This one’s my favourite.
Across Morecambe Bay the tide was on its way out. Two people stroll along the sands seemingly all alone, with the backdrop of the Lake District fells in the distance.
The sail-like structure is called the Hook Beacon, part of a series of sculptures created for the redeveloped West End Gardens along Morecambe Promenade.
Families bravely navigate the sands of Morecambe Bay with the Furness peninsula in the distance.
It was a beautiful day to be out and about in Morecambe.
People from all walks of life were out on the Promenade; running, walking, cycling, skating, and more.
A gentle moment between father and son I felt honoured to have captured.
On a day like this, Morecambe Bay is Big Sky territory.
I love that the town is allowing creatives to brighten up and revitalise the seafront.
On the path towards Heysham we passed some common land where various horses and ponies were contently grazing.
I don’t know if these were Shetland Ponies, but they were cute and inquisitive.
This child was delighted to feed the ponies.
Our destination, the old part of Heysham with Chapel Hill above it.
We took a moment to wander the grounds of St. Peter’s Church in Heysham. Not a bad final resting place, eh?
The small St. Peter’s Church. Records show that an Anglo-Saxon church was present here in 1080 CE, and some parts of it remain in this present-day church.
Approaching our ultimate destination for the day. This is “Ship” by Anna Gillespie, with Heysham Nuclear Power Station framed in between.
I whipped out my 9mm ultra wide lens for some interesting compositions of this fantastic sculpture.
I can’t do better than Ms. Gillespie’s words, so here they are: “Symbolically positioned on the boundary between land and sea, benefitting from dramatic backdrops of the tides, horizon and stunning coastal sunsets, the outline of a ship's hull is mounted with two opposing figures at each end, one facing 'the new' of Heysham Nuclear Power Station and the other facing 'the old' of the ancient monument of St Patrick's Chapel.”
I think it’s absolutely brilliant.
Heading back north towards Morecambe, the path clambers over Heysham Head. I paused for some compositions of the rock formations.
Endless views.
We followed the trail alongside Heysham Head towards Chapel Hill and the ruins of St. Patrick’s Chapel.
Most of the south wall, east gable wall, and eastern part of the north wall are still present to this day. Despite the name the chapel was probably built 300 years after the death of St. Patrick.
Next to the ruins are these stone-hewn tombs, probably Viking in origin. They date before the Norman Conquest of 1066 CE.
My lovely Lisabet, admiring the views and soaking in the ancient presence of this mystical place.
The way back to Morecambe. What a lovely day.
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Morecambe, Lancashire, Winter
We felt the coast calling us.
We felt the coast calling us.
After an epic hike around Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales, followed by a beautiful walk along the Keswick–Threlkeld Railway trail, it was time for something a little more… pedestrian.
The coastline was calling us, and we heeded its call. But where to go? We decided, ultimately, on Morecambe.
Morecambe has a special place in the hearts and minds of the Lisabet family. To start, it’s a favourite destination of her brother, Dwight. Additionally, Lisabet has fond memories of visiting Morecambe with her grandparents for a stroll along the promenade, perhaps with a pit stop for some tea and a slice of cake for good measure.
Morecambe was set up by the Morecambe Harbour and Railway Company to connect the nearby fishing village of Poulton-le-Sands with a railway line. The Company expanded the railway line further. In the 1850s Morecambe was connected to Skipton, Keighley, and Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and a settlement began to grow around the harbour and railway to service the port and as a seaside resort.
In time, Morecambe became known as the UK seaside resort, which peaked in the middle of the 20th century. In fact, Coco Chanel was known to fly directly to Morecambe from the South of France for weekends at the town, staying at the Midland Hotel.
Like most UK seaside resorts, Morecambe experienced a decline from the 1970s onwards. Even the jewel of the Morecambe promenade, the Midland Hotel, fell into disrepair until its resurrection in 2008.
Plans are afoot, though, to continue the rejuvenation of Morecambe, including the ambitious Eden Project North, no doubt following on from the success of the first Eden Project in Cornwall.
On this day, weather and light conditions were very generous, and Lisabet and I enjoyed several hours along the promenade, soaking in the massive scenes across Morecambe Bay towards the Lakeland fells.
All photos shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 using two of my prime lenses: a Fujinon 23mm f/2.0, and a Laowa 9mm f/2.8. All images made in-camera using Øyvind Nordhagen’s Daylight Fujifilm recipe.
My lovely Lisabet, she who is skilled in the arts of being super cosy.
There appears to be a lot of new signage around Morecambe now. I like the way the design and typography reflects the early 20th century Art Deco style when Morecambe was at its peak.
Aye. Have some respect, people.
On this occasion, the tide was out as evidenced the large and seemingly endless expanse of sand and mudflats (one of the largest in Europe).
Soon we came across this fantastic sculpture, known as the Venus and Cupid (subtitled “Love, The Most Beautiful Of Absolute Disasters”). It was designed by Shane A. Johnstone in 2005.
Views for miles and miles, with some epic clouds to boot.
The people who live in these flats must enjoy some incredible Morecambe Bay sunsets.
A family carefully navigating around Morecambe’s beach pool. No doubt it will be frightfully cold.
Some braver souls than I ventured further out onto the sands. Just be careful of the quicksand…
Lone fishing boats rest lopsidedly in the sands, waiting for the tide to inevitably return.
Plenty of memorials can be found along the promenade in one form or another. Clearly a special place for many people.
Had to use some of these tide breakers as a leading line across the bay towards the Lake District fells.
We soon reach the more “touristy” part of Morecambe’s promenade. Kids playgrounds and B&Bs ahoy.
Near the clock tower one can find this metallic sculpture depicting the Lakeland fells across Morecambe Bay.
You can find some rather colourful and unusually shaped seafront buildings when strolling along the promenade.
Of course, no walk of Morecambe is complete without visiting the Eric Morecambe stature, now seasonally adorned with a Christmas hat and fluffy white beard.
Bringing sunshine to millions of people.
The clouds were looking a little dark, looking back towards Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
I love that some of the buildings in Morecambe still have their original signage.
More new signage that reflects Morecambe’s Art Deco past, complete with palm trees.
It’s rather beautifully done.
Near the Stone Jetty, I wandered around the front of the Midland Hotel to capture some ultra-wide compositions of the buildings curvature.
It’s a cracking building. Glad to see it restored to its former glory.
Around the other side of the hotel, I decided to shoot right into the sun and fully accept whatever weird and wonderful lens flares I got. In the end, not bad at all!
There are bird sculptures aplenty when you follow the Stone Jetty, such as these cool seagulls.
Love the design and layout of the Stone Jetty.
The sun was really starting to break out from the heavy winter clouds, casting long shadows that I couldn’t resist playing with.
One of my favourite bird sculptures found on the Stone Jetty, a rather depressed looking bird.
Near the terminus of the Stone Jetty, Lisabet and I spotted these mudbanks and their curves alongside the boulders. Had to line up a composition.
She’s a beaut.
Lunch was beckoning, but not before I nabbed a few more scenes along the Stone Jetty.
Remember what I said earlier about strange and unusual Morecambe buildings?
This is one of Morecambe’s prettier buildings, though; the Winter Gardens, originally built as the Victoria Pavilion Theatre in 1897.
Pre-sunset, some beautiful golden sunlight was casting beams across various buildings along Morecambe’s seafront. As well as documenting the weird and wonderful, I also wanted to capture the “other” side of Morecambe too.
Some places have existed along the Morecambe seafront for so long they’re practically institutions in their own right, such as the Old Pier Bookshop.
The light just got better and better, and we weren’t the only ones enjoying the scenes.
Another fantastic day.