Anthony's Bank. (Part 2)

 Following on from the last post we are continuing along Anthony's Bank on the return walk back to the car par.

This is  slight detour away from the shoreline walk where the Buck Beck meanders it's
way from the town to the sluice gates and the sea embankment.  Popcorn always enjoys this bit.

Last summer's dead reeds make a bright show along here.

Catkins starting to emerge on the trees.

I looked back to see the rear of the caravans that look out across the Humber Estuary.

This bridge across the beck once carried cars and pedestrians from the town to a car park

adjacent to the beach.  New developments meant closing the road and it soon fell into

disrepair and the bridge is no longer safe to cross by vehicles, walkers can still access the

beach along here.  Over the years I've driven over here many times with our children and 

grandchildren.

Up on the bankside is an old gnarled tree bowed down by years of strong winds off the 
Humber Estuary, but it survives and has this year's blossom just breaking.

Dead reeds against the darkness below the footbridge.

Once we'd driven down here we met this island where the drivers went around it in a 

clockwise direction to access and leave the car park beyond here. Now very overgrown the trees on it have been left to get on with life and just now are full of Spring blossom.

Not too sure what the blossom is, might be Blackthorn?

Emerging on the other side of the island is the old car par.  It's accessed from another road. Still in
use but in the hands of a private car parking company who require users to pay the charges via
their mobile phones.  Not many local folk park here now for several reasons.  Firstly we don't 
like mobile phone apps, secondly the car park surface is like a pothole Armageddon and thirdly,
there's a FREE CAR PARK at the far end of Anthony's Bank!

We returned to Anthony's Bank for the return walk and are approaching Buck Beck again.
It changes shape and contours throughout the year with each high tide. It can be dangerous too
to walk out on the beach here because of shifting areas of sinking mud that requires  the 
services of the Coastguard to free people.

Half way back along the footpath and what looks like someone taking a rest on 
one of the benches here.

But this "person" is a resident along here, left here over a year ago. Possibly as a poignant 
memorial to a child?  We don't know, there may have been a card or plaque with it but not now.
I'm always pleased, but extremely surprised, to see it still here when we go for our walks.  It 
would have to be a particularly heartless person to take it. 

"Teddy" acquired a "friend" this week and after one or two walks since it appeared I'm 
pleased to say it remains.  (For now)! 

Almost back to the end of the footpath, the flag is flying to warn people to get off the beach
in plenty of time before the tide turns on it's way back in.

Another view of Haile Sand Fort, a leftover from World Way One.

Recent high and very violent tides have scoured out and removed about four feet of sand 

off the beach here in the last few weeks.  This resulted in the concrete sea defences that hold

up the embankment here being being undercut and the council had to undergo repairs.

Tons of large rocks were brought in and placed at the base, then concrete poured in amongst 

them to prevent more wave action washing more sand away.  The hope is that following

tides will drive new sand back to this area.

As folk arrive at St. Anthony's Bank from the FREE car park, this noticeboard spells out the 
dangers that they must be made aware of before setting out onto the beach.  
Popcorn & I hope you enjoyed our walk and if you come to see the area for yourselves just 
be aware of the advice and enjoy this fascinating part of Lincolnshire.

Olympus EM10iv plus 14-42 EZ lens.

Anthony's Bank.

We had a brief spell of nice weather this week so a couple of days ago we had a walk along Anthony's Bank along the beach front.  It runs from the south end of Cleethorpes to the Humberston Fitties along a hard surfaced footpath.

We started as usual from the car park at the rear of Thorpe Park Caravan site, at the Humberston end.  I took plenty of photo's and despite "pruning" them down a little I still had a lot.  So I've decided to post the walk over two posts.

Leaving the car park to get to the beach just ahead.  The council are having to do some repairs to the sea defences following some heavy, high tides.

When I got to the path there was a group of walkers.  We usually turn right here for the Humberston Fitties but on this day we turned left, back towards Cleethorpes.

I let them get going as I don't like walking in groups.

These caravans are at Thorpe Park and have super views out across the beach.
Cleethorpes Pier can be seen in the far distance.  A slim white building on the right of the horizon.

The tide was out, which is how I prefer it, as it lets you see all the creeks and sandbanks.

Recent heavy tides brought this timber walkway up onto the beach, it hasn't floated off
on any following tides yet.  There's a lot of debris along the tide line. 

This saltwater lagoon gets topped up when we have any high tides.  We get Oyster catches
and other seabirds here including a resident Little Egret.  A bird watcher told me he'd been
observing a Glossy Ibis here, but I've never seen it.

A bit further along, approaching where the Buck Beck come through from Cleethorpes
and out to the Humber Estuary.

Not many people out on the beach.

The Buck Beck, as it flows under the embankment out out to sea.

Haile Sand WW1 Fort can be seen out in the Estuary, on the horizon.

This is the railway station at the southern end of the Cleethorpes Light Railway, which
extended from the middle of Cleethorpes seafront to here at Humberston.  Following a problem
with a road crossing this part of the line was closed and has now fallen into disrepair.

The passing loop at the station leading to the now derelict signal box.

A couple continuing along the footpath.

Vandals have smashed all the windows and this signal box is now a luxury Pigeon Loft!

We turned of here to take a little detour from the Embankment footpath. this is the rear
of the sluice gate that controls the flow of Buck Beck out to the Humber Estuary.

That's about half of my photo's from our walk so I'll show the rest, from our return walk, in part two of this posting.

Olympus EM10 iv plus 14-42 EZ lens.

 

Railways.

 Well this spell of wet, cold & very dreary weather continues.  It seems to have rained for the whole of winter, such a drastic change since the drought we had all last summer and into the autumn.  so I've been looking through my archive pictures and today's post is of photo's taken last October on a lovely sunny day!   Ah yes, I remember those days.

We called at the Waltham Windmill site to see how the restorations to the mill were coming along, I've been photographing it's progress.  Most of the work was completed, just the 6 sails to lift back into position.  Still waiting today, but I will get the finished pics soon.  While I was there I saw the little railway was taking folk for rides around the site so turned to that for some pics.

The railway is owned and run by members of the Grimsby & Cleethorpes Model Engineering Society and has extensive tracks around the site, giving rides to visitors when the track is open.

This lady was enjoying her knitting in the sun and answering any questions people might have.

The signal box operates all the track points and signalling.  While I was taking this photo
I realised  I was being observed by the volunteer by the door and wondered if I was ok to
take photo's.  I've done this so many times in the past so I decided not to ask!

In the station this chap was refuelling his loco with coal while people waited for their ride.

The man I said was watching me earlier came up to me and asked if I would like to go to the inside of the track to get better photo's, well I jumped at the chance as it would provide better viewpoints.

Up near the workshop was this loco on the trestle being "steamed up" for it's turn

around the tracks.  I'm reliably told it once ran around a track below the old wooden roller

coaster at the end of Cleethorpes Promenade, back in the 1950's.

A view into the cab where the controls are.

The loco I saw in the station came along, with passengers, through this wooded area
which I wouldn't have had access to from the general public area.

A different loco pulling more folk through this shady place.

Then an electric replica of an American Union Pacific loco.

The same engine, this time out on one of the loops that extends the track around the site.

Everyone enjoyed the ride, but I didn't get a wave.

I must point out that I'm not a railway " anorak" but have to own up to being a "train spotter" way back in the 1950's when the steam trains brough hundreds of visitors to Cleethorpes during the summer season.

Olympus EM10 Mk4 with 14-42mm lens.