Summertime blues

Took Margot out for a check-up at a clinic out in the western wilds of Anlaby. I wasn't allowed in, something to do with them being afraid of the bogeyman, Charon or Karen or was it caronavirus? Anyway I ended up on the naughty step outside. Which might not have been so bad had it not been tipping it down and a temperature of slightly sub 13C, nearer 11C but we won't quibble. Summer's gone and all the flowers dying sprang to mind as bits of me slowly turned blue. This was the view from the bike shelter. The pimple in the far distance is the Humber bridge, the mucky brown stuff in the middle ground is somebody's ruined harvest. I've checked and it's definitely warming up now it's, let me see, oooh 14C! Balmy.

As far as the eye can see

I somehow ended up "by the tide of Humber" once again, so I thought I'd show some of the delights that can be spotted hereabouts. On a clear day you can just about make out a tiny bump on the horizon way away to the south-east that is the water tower of Grimsby dock, it's 200 feet tall and from this distance (15 miles, give or take) looks not unlike a mini-Nelson's column. This is one of those place's where you can check the curvature of the earth as tops of ships peek over the horizon, last time I looked the earth was still roundish ...

Off to the east and on the north bank is the village of Paull with its stumpy white lighthouse,

south has the oil refineries and chemical works of north Lincolnshire and the little red buoy that shows which way the current's running,

and off to the west the familiar Humber bridge, the beginnings of the Lincolnshire Wolds and the delightful cement works in the background,

while northwards lurk untold dangers.

The iconic view from from Sammy's Point

I don't know if you local paper has a buzz word that it uses over and over despite the writer not having a clue what the word means. With the local rag here that word is 'iconic'. So every old building becomes iconic, bridges become iconic, fried mashed potato patties become iconic, the very snot from kid's noses is a runny green iconic splurge. So, in the manner of the iconic Hull Daily Mail, we have here on the left in the background the iconic Humber Bridge, moving across Hull's iconic water front, the soon-to-be iconic C4DI building, the obviously iconic Holy Trinity, the newly iconic Millennium Bridge and the gloriously iconic Tidal Barrier. I'm standing in front of the iconic Deep and I realise I forgot to mention the iconic River Hull and iconic Humber with attendant iconic mud. Those clouds passing by, yup, part of the iconic Hull sky ...

Home again, home again, jiggety-jog

As I shall not pass this way again here is the view going home.

Distant Bridge

I mentioned yesterday that they'd built a big bridge up the road from the ferry terminus, well 'up the road' is really five miles as the crows flies. Mind you, if you can fly like a crow then you don't really need a bridge ... It's not allowed to be dull in Hull, we have gloom instead.

C word on Vermont Street

I mentioned earlier how the local phone monopoly was painting up their cable cabinets with bits of what it likes to call culture. Here's the Humber Bridge gracing the end of Vermont Street, just next to that church they're demolishing that I showed yesterday. The artist, Katie Spencer, says the bridge represents "the pinnacle of Hull: togetherness and community". I promise not to post any more of these things, if you are remotely interested (and why wouldn't you be) there's a web page with all the current images and a dinky little map here. (There's almost certainly gong to be more, they'll spread like toads).

More Gloom

A nice bit of gloom over Albert Dock. Those with good vision will be able to pick out the Humber Bridge stretching away in the distance. The small bridge in the centre carries the public footpath up and along the top of the buildings on the left as I mentioned in a previous post here.

Bridge for the living

Last year was the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Humber Bridge. Since then, as I may have mentioned, the tolls have have been reduced by half with increased traffic of 7% so that's good news all round. I was prompted to post this picture by one those plaques to do with the Larkin Trail that pepper the city in various places. This one by the old ferry landing pier.

This mentions a cantata called 'Bridge for the Living' written to celebrate the completion of the bridge so a little trip to You Tube found the following. Some of the pictures are pretty and you can always turn the sound off.

It's that bridge again

At over 510 feet in height the Humber Bridge does tend to peek into view now and then. At the beginning of April the toll on the bridge was halved to £1.50 and recent reports suggest that traffic on the bridge increased by 20,000 in the first month, which comes as no surprise to anyone really.

Sunsets and Puddles

Taken by Margot K Juby

Last year's silly cold weather has been followed this year with even sillier weather. Temperatures today(14C/57F) are near a record high for late December. With clear skies we've been having some stunning sunsets; this one captured in the puddles of Snuff Mill Lane.

Docked

Here the Albert Dock stretches away towards the Humber Bridge.

Progress from Albert Dock, Hull

 Running along the Humber to the west of the River Hull is the Albert Dock. It was built between 1863 and 1869 and named after Prince Albert; Victoria Dock was built earlier on the east side of the Hull (sickening the sycophancy of our ancestors). It was extended in 1880 by the addition of the William Wright Dock (he was chairman of the Dock Company). It's the best part of a mile long. Surprisingly (well it's a surprise to me) the dock is still in use for general cargo and a few fishing boats. There's also a training place for the North Sea oil rigs. Far off in the background you can just make out the Humber Bridge.

Below is the view eastwards through the dock gates showing (just) the P&O ferry to  Zeebrugge and Rotterdam in King George dock (another dock, another royal).

 Finally here's the wide brown Humber that the dock leads into. The name Humber might come from an ancient , pre-celtic word meaning river, or it might be, as  Geoffrey of Monmouth has it, named after Humber the Hun. Whatever the history, it's a wide old stream and now a very important waterway with the modern docks of Hull and North Lincolnshire being some of the busiest in Europe.

Humber Bridge

This is the north tower; it's a mere 510 feet tall. For people who admire engineering there's a wealth of truly fascinating detail here.

Humber Bridge

 

 

You can walk or ride a bicycle across this wonderful bridge at no charge. It will cost you £2.70 to take a car across. I don't drive so I wouldn't know how far you would get with £2.70 worth of petrol but I'd guess it's nowhere near the 40 or so miles you'd have to drive if the bridge wasn't there. Lorries and buses pay even more. The whole toll issue is local hot political issue and many promises were made before the last election which have yet to come to pass. It's plain that abolishing the tolls would increase traffic and economic activity; on the other hand the Government would be writing off over £300 million, I can't see the present regime doing that. The loan was apparently underwritten by Hull City Council so council taxpayers in that city could ultimately have to foot the bill if the Bridge Board defaults on its repayments.

Hassle to Hessle

So, on a whim, to Hessle, to see the shops and take a few piccies of the Humber Bridge. Hopped on the 105 bus to town, just in time to catch the 66 to Hessle. Big mistake. This "bus" was clearly mechanically spavined. Every turn, acceleration; stop, every damned inch of the road seemed to insult it's weakened frame and cause jolts and discomfort to the paying passengers. The roads of Hull are apparently not paved with gold or any other substance but consist of holes with other holes within; designed to catch the wary and unwary alike. The route of this bus is such that it includes as many twists and turns as it is possible to make so that, after 20 minutes, we were actually going past the bus station from whence we had departed. And on and on it went, grinding it's relentless way. Out of town the design of roads is to lay blocks of concrete, say ten yards long; then tarmac over these blocks. At every joint the tarmac wears out leaving a gap that this, seemingly unsprung, cart passed over with a sickening crunch. 

After 45 minutes of this we arrived having gone just over 7 miles at just under 10 mph. I think it may have been quicker to walk.