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  Summer still a thing across the North of England today and an absolutely gorgeous backdrop to the warm September sunshine in Durham this afternoon. Passing by the Durham School Boat Club along from Prebends Bridge and just had to capture this view across the River Wear to the city's Norman cathedral. I gather southern areas of England haven't faired quite so well judging by the comments from whoever was presenting Sunday's Chart Show on the independent radio network from...

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  Up in Weardale, around 3.5 km north of the village of Wolsingham, Co Durham, is Tunstall Reservoir. Originally built as a water supply reservoir for the Weardale and Shildon District Waterworks Company, between 1873 and 1879 by the 19th century water engineer Thomas Hawksley. These days the reservoir is soley used to maintain minimum regulatory flows on the River Wear, supporting of water abstractions further downstream, at Chester-le-Street. There is car parking and a popular picnic spot availa...

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  September sunshine and blue skies complenting a view down the tree-lined avenue, known as the 'Long Walk' on the Gibside Estate in Gateshead's Derwent Valley. This view is from Gibside's Chapel, designed as a mausoleum by renowned Palladian architect James Paine and it forms the centrepiece of Sir George Bowes’ (1701–1760) extensive Georgian landscaped grounds. Gibside has been in the National Trust's ownership since 1965. The increasingly lengthening shad...

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  A view this afternoon of the Durham Heritage Coast from the England Coast Footpath on the clifftops at Ryhope, Sunderland in NE England. The sea stacks in the near distance have only relatively recently become isolated from the cliffs of which they were once part. Just around the promontory lies Ryhope Dene and the boundary between Tyne & Wear and Co Durham. Further down the coast, one of the piers at the entrance to Seaham Harbour with its diminutive lighthouse. When the seas become ang...

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  Drystone walls and a barn in Baldersdale, Co Durham, not far from the former home of 'Daughter of the Dales', Hannah Hauxwell. Older folk may recall Hannah originally coming to public attention after being featured in an ITV documentary, 'Too Long a Winter', which chronicled the almost unendurable conditions of farmers in the High Pennines in winter. Living alone in a farmhouse that had originally been her family home, the remote property had neither running water...

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  Almost at the Autumnal Equinox and at this time of the year, the sun sets behind Sunderland's Wearmouth Bridge on the River Wear in NE England from this viewpoint (not quite there yet!). It works best when when it is slack water at high tide and calm conditions, unfortunately neither of which came into play on this occasion. I'll be keeping an eye on the skies these next few days to see if I get an opportunity to improve on this capture, although there's no chance this ti...

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  Can't really grumble at this – Sunderland's Cat & Dog Steps Beach on the 'Roker Riviera' in NE England this afternoon. On the penultimate day of summer, it was blue skies and in the sunshine, feeling very warm. This feels like it is the summer that doesn't want to let go! #england #sunderland #summer #september #coast #seaside #beach #landscape #photography

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  Today marks the final day of the Summer of 2026 in the Northern Hemisphere and what a summer! Whenever recalling memorable summers of the past, the go-to benchmark has invariably been 1976 (more so if you were of an age to remember it!). I think, without a doubt, that 2026 will now be taking that mantle for most of those living across the UK. Summer officially arrived at the solstice on 21 June, but here on Wearside, it kicked off a little earlier when the BBC Radio One Big Weekend set up camp a...

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  Just had to go back to this spot on the Sunderland's River Wear in NE England to see if Mother Nature would put in a better performance than my previous visit. A couple of evenings ago it looked promising, but the sun disappeared into a low bank of cloud just as it reached level with the bridge. On the last day of summer, with the equinox just a few hours away, the skies were a lot clearer (maybe a little too clear!). I would have loved it to have coincided with high tide as the higher r...

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  Good to see activity underway on the site earmarked for the Crown Works Studios alongside the Northern Spire. Pile drivers and other plant are already on the riverside site following earlier pledges stating that work on the new film and high-end television production hub on the south bank of the River Wear in Sunderland would begin in the autumn. The first phase, Studio One, is set to create three sound stages, ancillary production accommodation, backlot space and a surface car park, alongside t...

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  After grabbing the photograph of work underway on the site of the Crown Works Studios, I thought I'd make use of the gorgeous early autumnal weather with a walk along the banks of the River Wear just downstream from the Northern Spire Bridge. The impact that this new crossing has had (and will continue to have) on the future economic direction of Sunderland cannot be underestimated. Always touted as being a major catalyst to help kick-start the city's forward momentum, it is no c...

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  Evening falls across Sunderland's River Wear as it flows through the Port of Sunderland on the final stage of its journey to the North Sea. This was captured yesterday (Saturday) evening with one of the regular small fishing boats moored in the foreground and the somewhat larger 'Normand Frontier' a modern, multipurpose Offshore Construction Vessel, sailing under the Norwegian flag and at the time of posting, berthed at Corporation Quay. This view is looking east, not lon...

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  West of Middleton-in-Teesdale in County Durham, NE England, lies the valley of Lunedale. You can sort of guess at how sparsley populated the area is when you realise the population of the civil parish was not counted separately at the 2011 census, instead it was combined with the neighbouring parish of Holwick and even then the total number of recorded inhabitants was just 187. Back in the day, Lunedale was found in the North Riding of Yorkshire, but since 1974 it has been in County Durham. The...

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  That's September done and dusted and on the final day, yet more blue skies and warm sunshine. Not sure what the official temperature readings were today for the North East of England, it certainly felt warm on Sunderland's coast at the Cat & Dog Steps Beach, but maybe not quite the 25°C recorded today in Cambridgeshire. #england #sunderland #coast #seaside #september #autumn #seascape #photography

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  Early autumnal sunshine streams in through one of the windows of the ancient Grade I listed St Andrew's Church at Bywell in the Tyne Valley of Northumberland, illuminating the stone lectern. The church's tower was designed originally as a defensive structure, dates from about 850 and its walls described as 'massive'. Later additions and alterations occurred in the early 11th century and early 13th century. St Andrew's is under the care of the Churches Cons...

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  Sampling the early autumn sunshine in Sunderland's lovely Doxford Park this afternoon (with lingering summer vibes on the side!). Looks like the new week in NE England is finally going to see temperatures getting back to what forecasters describe as 'typical for the time of year', in other words, time to rearrange the wardrobe. Love how this park is managed to create paths and spaces that are not 'over-manicured' and retain a more natural setting. It certa...

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  Remembering that episode of the 'Vicar of Dibley', where Geraldine invited parishioners to bring along their pets to church to be blessed as Fr Marc Lyden-Smith, parish priest at Holy Rosary and Immaculate Heart in Sunderland, does likewise, blessing pets brought along to mark the Feast Day of Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone (c1181-1226), AKA St Francis of Assisi. Many of the stories that surround the life of Francis say that he had a great love for animals and the environment a...

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  Thought I would make good use of the recent gorgeous weather to capture a view of one the city cultural jewels, the National Glass Centre, still looking good despite its recent closure, on the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland, NE England. This attractive vista could soon be blighted though if plans submitted by the building's owners, Sunderland University, are approved. A planning application has been submitted proposing an 8ft high wooden hoarding to completely surround the buildin...

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  In the recent summer sunshine, Webster's Ropery, on the banks of the River Wear at Pallion, NE England. It opened in 1793 and once went by the name 'Grimshaw Webster and Company' a patented rope works. It was the first ropery on Wearside to be driven by steam and it was also the world’s first factory producing machine-made rope, thanks to Richard Fothergill, a Sunderland schoolmaster, who had patented a machine to spin hemp. I heard it mentioned on a number of occasions t...

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  A path well royally trodden – framed in the lychgated entrance, the Church of St Mary and St Alkelda in the North Yorkshire village of Middleham, near Leyburn in Wensleydale. Grade I listed, the ancient church dates from the 13th century and was where Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) once worshipped. King Richard spent several years during his childhood at Middleham Castle and which later became one of his royal homes. #yorkshire #middleham #richardIII #church #historical #photogr...

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  Some really low tides just recently, in fact they were both the lowest (and highest) of the year. Always interesting to explore parts of the coast that for the rest of the year are hidden under water. A huge wide sweep of the Cat & Dogs Steps beach at Roker on the coast of NE England is also great for catching reflections of the sky. Worth paying a visit for a low-tide 'plodge' and although you might have missed the very lowest, the next low 'spring tide'...

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  TABLE FOR TWO And this one is right beside the window overlooking the Durham Heritage Coast! A scenic spot on the south side of Seaham at Noses Point in NE England overlooking the coastal magnesian limestone landscape that was acquired some years back by the National Trust as part of Project Neptune. The Heritage Coast runs all the way down to Hartlepool Headland and it you enjoy fresh air and stretching your legs, the clifftop paths provide ample opportunities, not to mention great views to the...

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  Into the final week of summer... or so the Met Office would have us believe. A week today and the decree will be going out that it's the final day of the season that this year has been record-breaking, in terms of the amount of sunshine, warmth and the lack of rainfall. However, for the avoidance of doubt, the season of summer doesn't officially end until the equinox, which this year falls on 23 September. We can't stop the evenings drawing in, but we can bask in the seas...

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  Roker's Cat & Dog Steps Beach on Sunderland's seafront looking just stunning in the bright warm sunshine of late August. Must admit, that on a day like this (Monday morning), this is probably one of my favourite views along our lovely stretch of coast. On an in-coming tide, love seeing the sunlight sparkling on the sea, reflecting the clear blue skies and contrasting against the golden sandy beach below. #england #roker #beach #seaside #coast #sunderland #august #summer #...

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  A positively dystopian feel to Westminster Underground Station in London where steel, bare concrete and dark corners are all features of a public space like no other I have come across on my travels. These escalators lead to the deep level platforms opened in 1999 as part of the Jubilee line extension from Green Park to Stratford. The original station was completely rebuilt in conjunction with the construction of the deep level platforms and 'Portcullis House', which sits above t...

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  A gaze across the River Wear in NE England from Wylam Wharf to St Peter's Gate, part of the Sunderland University site on the Monkwearmouth side of the river that includes St Peter's Campus. St Peter’s Gate is an office space hub for a wide range of start-up businesses, described as being "... situated near St Peter’s Church and surrounded by inspiring views". In the background, the church with the tall spire is the former Presbyterian church completed in 1892 o...

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  As we head into the final weekend of August with many families preparing for youngsters heading 'back-to-school', I think this year's summer break will live long in the memory. In short, it's been a belter! Captured this view of Cliffe Park, on Sunderland's coast in NE England at the beginning of the week, looking north towards Whitburn Bay and Souter Point beyond. For anyone not local, the lighthouse in this picture was built in 1856 by Thomas Meik, the R...

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  Once upon a time, the roof of the National Glass Centre used to be a great place to catch a sunset with the colours in the sky reflecting from the glass roof. Sadly, maintenance of the building's fabric was put low on the list of priorities and the roof had to be closed off to visitors (sad because it was a big attraction). Originally thought to have been a temporary measure, the roof remained off limits right up until the NGC's final day. Luckily, I took a few photographs to rem...

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  Once upon a time, the roof of the National Glass Centre used to be a great place to catch a sunset with the colours in the sky reflecting from the glass roof. Sadly, maintenance of the building's fabric was put low on the list of priorities and the roof had to be closed off to visitors (sad because it was a big attraction). Originally thought to have been a temporary measure, the roof remained off limits right up until the NGC's final day. Luckily, I took a few photographs to rem...

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  In past years, below average rainfall has often been the reason given for leaves beginning to fall before August is out. This year, the lack of precipitation has been breaking records in many areas of the UK, particularly England and Wales. That said, these woods on the National Trust's Wallington Hall Estate in Northumberland were still looking quite lush this afternoon in the August sunshine (and occasional showers). Of the rain that did fall, not much seemed to be reaching the ground...