The Tyne

So I was originally going to begin a section just for Newcastle - but the city is so vast and offers such a variety of sights and activities, that it felt way too broad to have just one section for it.

Instead, I’ve focused on just one of the beautiful features of it here: the river Tyne.

Colossal in size and responsible for a ton of great feats of engineering that includes stunning bridges (and also lined with beautiful buildings), it inspires no end of stunning photos.

These are just a few of mine, to kick things off.

Tynemouth

The good thing about the autumn months is that you don’t need to force yourself out of bed horribly early to see a sunrise. 

I recently visited Tynemouth and was awake early enough to see the spectacle unveiling itself over the north sea. As the sky burst with colour, it gave an unexpected treat as pockets of cloud lit up above the Priory and the bay - it was a rare “mammatus” formation, and the clouds looked spectacular coated in the golden morning light.

It was also fun trying to time photos to capture the lighthouse at the end of the pier as it shone towards the camera – which is more difficult than it sounds!

Kielder Water

Day and night, Kielder is an incredible place to be. I went there for a walk in the forest to experience some of its wonderful wildlife, and then managed to stay just long enough to watch the sun set over the water.

When darkness descends, a whole new dimension takes over as the skies light up with an amazing star show.

In this fleeting visit, I enjoyed the stunning reflections of golden hour and dusk on the water, with just enough time to capture some long exposure shots and get an idea of good places to aim for next time.

There are dark skies viewpoints well marked out all around the water, and I can’t wait to get back there with more time planned in to enjoy them. Watch this space (excuse the pun)!

Beamish

Stepping back in time at Beamish is a fascinating experience, and also a great opportunity to try some retro styles for photos.

We ate chips in the 1950s, stroked pigs on a World War II era farm, strolled along a 1920s high street (being passed by vintage trams and busses), and took a snack break in a coal mining village from the 1800s.

Beamish is a living museum that sprawls across 350 acres of beautiful country land. The place really is living, as every setting you visit has people in costumes breathing the history and carrying out activities to tell their stories. From shop assistants, dentists and embroiderers, to policemen on the beat and even Edwardian photographers – the detail is fascinating and creates an incredible atmosphere.

Because it is set across natural countryside, the scenery moves with the seasons too and will be great to visit all your round. We visited in autumn with beautiful colours throughout to give it a great atmosphere.

Once you have bought a ticket you are granted unlimited entry for a whole year, so I’ll be going back to see the how the landscape changes with future seasons.

Sycamore Gap

I’m gradually seeing Hadrian’s Wall one section at a time (I have cycled the full route, but you would need to get off and walk to see the actual wall and its famous features).

To visit Sycamore Gap I parked in a place called Once Brewed, at a visitors centre for The Sill. It was a three-mile round walk from there, with some mild scrambling on the sharp inclines. I did it on a warm summer’s day and finished with a cold drink back at the visitor’s centre.

It maybe wasn’t the smartest move visiting an already popular site on a Bank Holiday; I was never going to get a clear photo of the sycamore tree with nobody around it. But I think the people add character to the scene, and help to give it a friendly tone.

Grassholme

My exploration of the North East continues, and this week featured a walk from Grassholme to Hannah’s Meadows, following the trails of the Pennine Way.

So the first thing to point out is that I may, on some level, still be trying to fill the void of not seeing the lakes of the Lake District as much as I used to. It seems that the North East replacement for them is reservoirs!

This particular walk had four reservoirs nearby, and they looked stunning from a distance as the large bodies of water broke up the landscapes and gave more features to take in.

The walk itself was a four mile loop, and took in views of the Pennines, reservoirs, wild flowers and animal life in abundance.

It’s an area I’d love to go back to and explore more, if only to get a photo of an elusive hare that got away before I had a chance to get it on camera!

Tanfield Railway

The North East has a great history of industry, and a big part of this was the amazing rail networks.

Lots of the old lines have now been converted into beautiful walking and cycle paths, which I’ve been finding a great way to get around and see the sights in the region.

One historic railway line that still stands, and is operational (at least in some seasons throughout the year), is the Tanfield line in County Durham.

I recently did a short walk alongside the line all the way to an old single-arch railway bridge called the Causey Arch. I love a good old-fashioned, arched railway bridge; they’re fantastic feats of engineering, and this one is apparently the tallest single arched railway bridge still standing in the UK!

The walk to it was beautiful too as it wound through dense woodland, with a narrow river meandering below, and it gave some stunning views of the old railway line along the way.

Durham

I love historic locations, and Durham is filled with character from its rich past. 

It has some great features, like a beautiful cathedral and a castle that sit high up on a hill above the river (I’m finding that most places in the North East feature buildings on dramatically steep hills!).

The river itself is stunning, too; it gives fantastic reflections, and winds right through the centre of the city with historic arched bridges crossing it.

On my last visit there, the early morning streets were all nice and empty for me to wander around, and a moody fog drifted along the impeccably still and sleepy river and then hovered over the city. It made a stunning scene.

Seaburn and Roker

The North East has a beautiful coastline that I’ve gradually been exploring.

I love being by the coast, as not only do you get vast and sprawling views of the sea, but you also find some incredibly interesting structures that make fantastic focal points for photos. A great example of this are the lighthouses that appear frequently along the coastline, each one with its own style and charm.

Roker has a stunning, washed-out red and white striped lighthouse, which sits at the end of a long and curving pier.

When I visited, the pier itself was closed off so that you couldn’t get close up to the lighthouse (probably for safety whilst the tide was in and big waves threatened to wash over the sides of the pier).

It added to the charm, though, as it set the lighthouse out alone with its own peace and serenity, standing strong against the sea that swirled beneath it.

When I’m by the sea I’m still undecided whether I prefer a smooth long exposure shot, or a slightly moodier capture with the texture of a choppy sea still visible.

In this case I took both, just to be sure!

Bywell and Corbridge (Cycle Route 72)

I love a long bike ride where you lose yourself in the countryside.

You just have to cycle far enough away from your familiar surroundings to not recognise anything. It’s the feeling of exploring and finding new territory, and it's so satisfying when it's a place of beauty. It’s exciting and relaxing at the same time - it’s an adventure.

These landscapes were captured on a bike ride along the Hadrian's Wall Cycle Route (Cycle Route 72) - a route close to my heart, from memories of cycling the coast to coast years ago.

They're beautiful crops that I found on a quiet B road, somewhere between Bywell and Corbridge.

I try not to take too many photos of crops, because I know they can very quickly become samey; but I can't help it on a nice ride out like this. They make such great minimalist photos, but somehow manage to  have plenty of texture, too, and an exciting crowdedness from the flourishing crops. 

Simonside Hills

Not quite the season for beautiful lilac heather, but this weekend we had blue skies and these gorgeous views from the Simonside Hills in the Northumberland National Park.

I’ve seen lots of photos of the lilac heather that covers the hills here and can’t wait to go back when it’s in full bloom for some more colourful landscape photos.

For now though, the cotton grass was especially beautiful, and I’m incredibly happy to add it to my collection of great North East landscapes.

County Durham

My first feature is a bit of a vague one, with it being an entire county and all! But I do have the excuse that I’m relatively new to the area, and I will of course be able to give more specific locations as I settle in to it more.

County Durham is where my exploration is beginning, and from first sight it has both glorious countryside and giant hills in the masses.

It’s the home of Beamish, which is a huge place in itself, and there are lots of great cycle paths and walkways to get out and about on nearby.

The one I’ve featured here, for my first landscape photo, is a shared cycle and walking path, which links with other routes to take you all the way to the city of Durham (which I cycled to!).

This view is across the Beamish countryside, with the city of Newcastle sitting in the distance (you can even see the Angel of the North in front of the cluster of buildings if you zoom in).

It was a breath-taking sight as the view opened up across the fields, and even in my slightly disorientated state, I could pick out that I was looking towards Newcastle simply due to the scale of it.