Arnside

Arnside is a small holiday resort on the shores of the estuary formed where the river Kent enters Morecambe Bay. From here the nearest of the South Lakes Peninsulas is clear across the water, with Grange over Sands just visible on the hillside.

The estuary is straddled by the Kent Viaduct, carrying the railway line across to Grange over Sands, Ulverston and eventually, Barrow in Furness which lies on the tip of the larger peninsula.

The pier at Arnside was built by the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway Company as a wharf for sea faring vessels after the construction of the viaduct had blocked access to the port at Milnthorp. 

In 1934, the end section of the pier was destroyed by a storm and had to be rebuilt by the London Midland and Scottish Railway Co, but in 1964, the pier changed ownership, being bought by Arnside Parish Council for the princely sum of £100.

The events of January 1983 might have given them cause to regret the purchase, when yet another storm destroyed the causeway. This time, the pier was rebuilt using a combination of public subscription and grants from both local government and NGOs, and was officially re-opened on April 12th 1984.

You remember the initial cost of purchase?

The rebuilding cost £25,000.

But what a gorgeous place to sit on a late summer evening :)

Catching up!

I've had a friend up to stay this weekend, so I'm well behind with both posting and commenting.

The photos of Morecambe Bay are on their way and if I haven't got as far as commenting on your blog for the past few days, apologies! I am gradually catching up!

Morecambe Bay from Scout Scar

This (Scout Scar) must surely be one of the finest viewpoints in England, for you can see at least 120 hills and mountains in the Lake District, Yorkshire and Lancashire from it, as well as less interesting features such as Blackpool Tower, far away across Morecambe Bay.

Harry Griffin - The Guardian

With such a panorama I was a bit stumped about which bit to show you, but I settled on the view of Morecambe Bay...

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Here it is :)

Isn't it stunning?!

Spectacular?!

Mind boggling?!

What do you mean, you can't see it? 

:/

OK - Just for you, here's a bit of help...

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Better?

No?! :(

Maybe I'd better switch back a couple of weeks then and show you what we saw on our way home after installing Mark in his new accommodation.

How's that?

(More views of Morecambe Bay to follow)

Two Zeds on a post...

My personal challenge for this round of Miss Jenny Matlock's alphabe-Thursday is to post about a location within the borders of my own county of Derbyshire, UK, for each letter of the alphabet.  (Woo Hoo, I've done all 26!)

Look for the letter, to see where I am.

A brace of Zeds in Derby!

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This rather tatty looking building was, until the beginning of 2010, the Zanzibar nightclub in Derby. Located on London Road, which runs alongside the Westfield Centre, heading straight for the middle of town, you would think it would be perfectly positioned to attract loads of trade, but it would seem not! In fairness, most of the other clubs are on the further edge of town and that seems to be where the night time scene is, but surely a building of this size and distinctiveness could fulfil some useful purpose in our city!

Instead, it sits here slowly going more and more derelict...

paint peeling, algae growing...

once exotic palm trees looking decidedly forlorn...

..and a straggly bunch of weeds threatening to grow right up the turbaned mascot's nose...

See?

But this place was not always a Night Club.

The building first opened as a cinema, the Gaumont Palace, on 17th September 1934. Fronted by a flight of white steps, it boasted a marble and walnut lobby which gave way to a grand auditorium with seating for over 1,000. The art deco ceiling housed over 500 light bulbs and there was a ten rank Compton organ which filled the room with a huge sound.

Even now, the shape of the building and some of the exterior decoration give an impression of how it must once have been.

Gradually, cinema attendances dwindled. I distinctly remember my Mum telling me that television had taken the place of the big screen and that the age of the cinema was passing. Forty-five years later, the fortune of the 'pictures' has turned around completely, but in the mid 60s, its days seemed numbered.

The Gaumont changed it's name twice, first becoming the Derby Odeon (in 1965) and later the Trocadero (Troc) at which time it was split to house both a cinema and a bingo hall. These are the reincarnations which I remember. I know that I went to the Odeon Saturday morning Kid's Club on at least a couple of occasions, but only remember the Troc from the outside!

I would be thrilled to walk along here one day and see scaffolding. This building is worthy of restoration!

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A fifteen minute walk across town brings us to another 'zed' which is enjoying rather better fortunes.

This is Zizzis, a busy restaurant in the Frairgate area of Derby centre. It's a while since I've eaten here, but the food was great and the waiter memorised our order (in spite of there being about 7 of us).

Across the front of the building is this quote from Sir Henry Royce of Rolls Royce fame:

Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.

Did I mention that the food is Italian?  For a peep at the menu, click here.

Zizzis completes this round of Alphabe-Thursday very nicely. I've enjoyed posting all about my county and I've discovered places and information which were totally new to me. It's been good to take you for the ride but, next time around, I think I shall choose a slightly less work-intensive theme :)

What was on Scout Scar

We may not have had the views, but there were still things to see on top of Scout Scar.

The trig point is not at quite the highest point of the ridge, but it is placed to give a clear line of sight to at least two other trig points.

This is trig point 1062 (of 6557 in the UK), known as the Barrowfield Trig.

On top of the concrete pillar can be seen the mountings for the theodolite used for the Ordnance Survey's massive project to map Great Britain by geodetic survey (taking into account the curvature of the earth). Nowadays, the need for the triangulation of positions has been replaced by satellite, but the trig points remain!

Also on top of Scout Scar is this wonderful example of how to construct a dry stone wall, the cross section clearly showing the design behind the positioning of the stones.

Finally, there is the Mushroom.

Originally built in 1912 to commemorate the coronation of King George V, the Mushroom was refurbished in 2002 to mark the golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, his grand-daughter. It is a four way shelter giving information about the views to be seen.

All round the inside edge of the roof is engraved a pictorial representation of the view. Stand behind the central post and line up the picture with the landscape beyond. It tells you what you are looking at.

Look carefully and you may see as far as Blackpool tower, the Old Man of Coniston, the Langdales and even across to the Yorkshire Dales.

http://www.discovercumbria.co.uk/Scout-Scar.html 

On a grey day like today, I'm afraid I'll have to take their word for it!

Scout Scar

Sunday in Ambleside dawned grey and mizzly. The lads went off to the Kendal Climbing Wall, but Dad and I persevered with our plans to walk along Scout Scar.

Accessed from the National Trust car park, Scout Scar is just to the south of the Lake District National Park, but still within the county of Cumbria. The Scar is part of a limestone ring which runs around the edge of Morecambe Bay and was once at the bottom of a warm, shallow sea (though, were you to want a swim, you would have to travel back in time 350 million years!).

The ridge stretches above the Lyth Valley at a height of 235 metres, running roughly north to south for a couple of miles.

The walking is easy and the views are said to be stunning!

On the shores of Ullswater

By the time we had topped Kirkstone Pass and dropped down past brothers Water to Ullswater, the sun was trying to break through the clouds and the light was dancing on the water.

This really is a gorgeous lake.

Looking the other way, a solitary figure was heading down the track, all kitted out for a day of walking. Would you enjoy a walk amongst these fells?