Memorable Bank holidays are usually dependent on the weather and most become blurred by the layers of subsequent experience. Yesterday was a good day with some writing, the washing up and the washing and drying underway, with a smoked salmon roll for half past tenses breakfast and away in the warm sunshine to the mouth of the river Wear.
The Bents park fields were full of young men playing football, as many as ten pitches, and there were add hoc groups on the Leas, one playing cricket. It was a long way in distance and time from the heightened perception of a Mediterranean morning but I was reminded, particularly as the whole Whitburn and Seaburn bay was shimmering freshness with sailing craft with colourful sails participating in the weekend Roker Regatta. At the park at Whitburn, the one I thought was called South Bents, there were paintings of local views hanging on the wire wall of the tennis court facing outward to the roadway.
I had hoped to park off the coast road by the Queen Vic but every space was filled so a dozen yards further I crossed over and turned into Benedict's road opposite the attractive new restaurant pub, the Harbour View which on weekend days offers a pensioner special roast for £3.95, and where opposite there was a previously unexplored pathway leading to an Italian restaurant at the top of the sailing training and experience centre, a four storey modern square of a building created as part of the development of the marina village on the two banks of the former North dock, and which also remains the home of the small Sunderland fishing fleet.
At ground level there are two single storey sideward extensions with the RNLB station store at one end and the Harbour newsagent store and teashop restaurant to the other.
I took the left route down several flights of steps to a pathway parallel to the river bank, taking a photograph of the Sunderland skyline before descending, and with to my left above the bank to the roadway there are tall blocks of flats twelve to fifteen storey, recently refurbished and transformed with pastel colours not out of place on a Mediterranean coastline. In the distance there are other blocks in the town shopping centre and towards the ongoing port of Wear on the seaward bank of the river. Two cranes signal a greater industrial past, reminders of which are evident with the pipework alongside the banking. From the higher level it is also possible to obtain an excellent view of the marina which contains over 100 craft, the majority ocean going, lined in a dozen rows facing the marina entrance and with others moored to its banks, and then with views into the main river basin which provides a wider stretch of water than that at the entrance to the Tyne. A further flight of steps leads me to the western marina promenade which is private property owned by the Marina Activities Centre and is not designated a Public Right of Way.
At the end of the steps there are several art works in wood and metal, some encasing a tree, one a fake stained glass door against a wall with portico while another is opening into a free standing door arch against which there is an oar. Further along towards the Activities centre there is a new mural fitted into the Victorian wall and at the centre itself is a blue plaque commemorating the C 2 C and which includes a bicycle emblem suggesting a different kind of activity, but to day I am not inclined to investigate further. There is a small car park backing the north side of the marina and three old men sit discussing the world and an overheard reference to yuppies suggests they are more likely to be local fisherman than residents of the village formed with a variety of imaginatively created terraced villas, cottages and flats are crowded with the smallest of outside spaces in three new streets on the eastern peninsular between the marina and original north pier.
Previously I attempted to explain that the old entrance to the River Wear has been retained with its two piers, the north retaining its lighthouse where as the southern has been removed in its entirety to Roker Cliff Park when the pier was shortened. The width of the entrance is sufficient for ocean tankers and cargo vessels, and naval ships to continue to visit, as they were once manufactured over mile inland up river. However in two outer piers were created, one the Roker Pier with its own lighthouse and the other the New South Pier, curbing towards each other at least half a mile out to sea thus creating an outer harbour breakwater to add further protection to the craft moored in the inner docks and which on the southern side of the river comprises of a series of major docks one leading to the other with locks and the Gladstone swing bridge and which run parallel to the sea, after which there are several oil depots, sewerage and gas works together with warehousing and other works along the coast, until some two miles and the edge of the city. Thus there is the contrast between an ongoing industrial and commercial southern coastline and that of the north, some seven miles, comprising two miles to Whitburn three and half to the Souter Lighthouse, four miles to Marsden Grotto, the two miles of the Leas and a further mile of the South Shields Beaches and which in total make up the Northern Rivera between the Rivers Tyne and Wear.
Returning to my walk on bank holiday Sunday, The new Marina Village is separate from the marina basin by tall red brick walls providing security and privacy but with the consequence that the walls form the view to the rear ground floor of dwelling ground floors of the dwellings. On the promenade at regular intervals sandstone murals have been inset each with a descriptive metal plagues e.g. "They held a grand party to celebrate. The wicked witch's castle was opened to the public and the good witch borrowed a broomstick to fly back to her island. While all the people cheered and danced on the beach," "These four carvings and story were created by the St Peter's riverside sculpture project." Another set were created by the sixteen members of the Monkwearmouth Local History Group. "Look back; summer, long ago. Playing on the beach; ice creams, Punch and Judy, bucket and spade, Ships always on the horizon, watched from the pilot house. Remember!" "Look out from an Autumn window; cobbled street, milt cart, washing on the line, Kids skipping and playing, while their parent's work. Pits, yards and kilns, remember them!" " Look in, coming home through the winter cold; Dad already in the bath, washing off the coal dust. A warm glow from the fire, remember that?"
The Bents park fields were full of young men playing football, as many as ten pitches, and there were add hoc groups on the Leas, one playing cricket. It was a long way in distance and time from the heightened perception of a Mediterranean morning but I was reminded, particularly as the whole Whitburn and Seaburn bay was shimmering freshness with sailing craft with colourful sails participating in the weekend Roker Regatta. At the park at Whitburn, the one I thought was called South Bents, there were paintings of local views hanging on the wire wall of the tennis court facing outward to the roadway.
I had hoped to park off the coast road by the Queen Vic but every space was filled so a dozen yards further I crossed over and turned into Benedict's road opposite the attractive new restaurant pub, the Harbour View which on weekend days offers a pensioner special roast for £3.95, and where opposite there was a previously unexplored pathway leading to an Italian restaurant at the top of the sailing training and experience centre, a four storey modern square of a building created as part of the development of the marina village on the two banks of the former North dock, and which also remains the home of the small Sunderland fishing fleet.
At ground level there are two single storey sideward extensions with the RNLB station store at one end and the Harbour newsagent store and teashop restaurant to the other.
I took the left route down several flights of steps to a pathway parallel to the river bank, taking a photograph of the Sunderland skyline before descending, and with to my left above the bank to the roadway there are tall blocks of flats twelve to fifteen storey, recently refurbished and transformed with pastel colours not out of place on a Mediterranean coastline. In the distance there are other blocks in the town shopping centre and towards the ongoing port of Wear on the seaward bank of the river. Two cranes signal a greater industrial past, reminders of which are evident with the pipework alongside the banking. From the higher level it is also possible to obtain an excellent view of the marina which contains over 100 craft, the majority ocean going, lined in a dozen rows facing the marina entrance and with others moored to its banks, and then with views into the main river basin which provides a wider stretch of water than that at the entrance to the Tyne. A further flight of steps leads me to the western marina promenade which is private property owned by the Marina Activities Centre and is not designated a Public Right of Way.
At the end of the steps there are several art works in wood and metal, some encasing a tree, one a fake stained glass door against a wall with portico while another is opening into a free standing door arch against which there is an oar. Further along towards the Activities centre there is a new mural fitted into the Victorian wall and at the centre itself is a blue plaque commemorating the C 2 C and which includes a bicycle emblem suggesting a different kind of activity, but to day I am not inclined to investigate further. There is a small car park backing the north side of the marina and three old men sit discussing the world and an overheard reference to yuppies suggests they are more likely to be local fisherman than residents of the village formed with a variety of imaginatively created terraced villas, cottages and flats are crowded with the smallest of outside spaces in three new streets on the eastern peninsular between the marina and original north pier.
Previously I attempted to explain that the old entrance to the River Wear has been retained with its two piers, the north retaining its lighthouse where as the southern has been removed in its entirety to Roker Cliff Park when the pier was shortened. The width of the entrance is sufficient for ocean tankers and cargo vessels, and naval ships to continue to visit, as they were once manufactured over mile inland up river. However in two outer piers were created, one the Roker Pier with its own lighthouse and the other the New South Pier, curbing towards each other at least half a mile out to sea thus creating an outer harbour breakwater to add further protection to the craft moored in the inner docks and which on the southern side of the river comprises of a series of major docks one leading to the other with locks and the Gladstone swing bridge and which run parallel to the sea, after which there are several oil depots, sewerage and gas works together with warehousing and other works along the coast, until some two miles and the edge of the city. Thus there is the contrast between an ongoing industrial and commercial southern coastline and that of the north, some seven miles, comprising two miles to Whitburn three and half to the Souter Lighthouse, four miles to Marsden Grotto, the two miles of the Leas and a further mile of the South Shields Beaches and which in total make up the Northern Rivera between the Rivers Tyne and Wear.
Returning to my walk on bank holiday Sunday, The new Marina Village is separate from the marina basin by tall red brick walls providing security and privacy but with the consequence that the walls form the view to the rear ground floor of dwelling ground floors of the dwellings. On the promenade at regular intervals sandstone murals have been inset each with a descriptive metal plagues e.g. "They held a grand party to celebrate. The wicked witch's castle was opened to the public and the good witch borrowed a broomstick to fly back to her island. While all the people cheered and danced on the beach," "These four carvings and story were created by the St Peter's riverside sculpture project." Another set were created by the sixteen members of the Monkwearmouth Local History Group. "Look back; summer, long ago. Playing on the beach; ice creams, Punch and Judy, bucket and spade, Ships always on the horizon, watched from the pilot house. Remember!" "Look out from an Autumn window; cobbled street, milt cart, washing on the line, Kids skipping and playing, while their parent's work. Pits, yards and kilns, remember them!" " Look in, coming home through the winter cold; Dad already in the bath, washing off the coal dust. A warm glow from the fire, remember that?"
At the end of the wall there is a promontory, one side to the marina, one across the river and the other towards the yacht club building across the North dock basin and across the main river basin to the entrance to the commercial docks. Here are three full size buoys, to coloured blue and one of blue and yellow squares. There are also three post mounts on which are three soaring seabirds made from metal. It is easy to sit and remember or just stand and look out at the skyline of fluffy clouds, tall flats, new marina housing and the commercial storage buildings and works.
I reluctantly make my way around the north basin, past the boat lifting crane to the storage and boat repair yard within the grounds of the Sunderland Yacht Club, past some fisherman try their luck within the river mouth to the point, the marker which signals the end of the promenade walk at the North pier. I have to make my way through the end of the car park to the end of the Pier View road so to be able to say that I have walked every metre from riverbank to river bank, but decided against the winding steep roadway to the Queen Vic roundabout but reverse back through the car park until one of the pedestrian cuttings between the village streets back to the marina promenade, and around to its Westside and then instead of taking the steps back to where the car is parked, I continue along the lower promenade to the second separate area of new marina housing up the roadway to the petrol garage on the riverside road into Sunderland city centre. I cannot resist take a brief look at the marked footpath which on my next visit I will hope to reach the older but also within my time in Sunderland housing development of St Peter's Riverside. There is also a pathway back around the marina village Westside and it is at this juncture I make discovery of an art work, which cannot be seen from the roadway, or those who take either path without first exploring amongst the shrubbery. Here on a base of stone there is a mounted telescope, a sea dog's chest and portmanteau, an oil skin, a ship's log, a map, a seat in metal and in stone.
I am sweating again, remove my shirt and travel home in my unzipped jacket, allowing the end of summer wind generated from the open window of the vehicle to cool my chest. This is daring, well for me it is.
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