Frost

The view from the back of my house early this morning. A really hard frost last night.

No Photo (7)

To-day was Team Meeting day.
For most people going to a team meeting in connection with work is relatively straightforward. But not for me.
My team meetings are held in Scotland - either Glasgow or Edinburgh. To-day was Glasgow, which meant I left home just before 6.30am and didn't get back until 10.00pm.
I should have been away earlier in the morning because, when I was queueing for security, I heard the last call for my flight. I got escorted out to the plane on my own - the last passenger to board.
Apparently the flight had arrived early, and was ready to leave early...so not my fault then!
On the way back, however, there was a twenty minute delay - well done, Easyjet.

Reflection

Reflection after heavy rain.

Beginning or End?

Depending on which way you approach it, this is either the beginning or the end of the riverside path I have shown recently.
Above is looking down the path towards Coleraine, while below, looking the other way, is the car park.

Belfast

We spent a few hours in Belfast to-day. One of the places we visited was the relatively new Victoria Square shopping centre. It's got a large House of Fraser store, along with a variety of other quite upmarket stores.
An attraction for shoppers - or tourists - is the dome above the centre. From here you can see the city in all directions. We decided to go up for a look to-day, but we left it rather late. By the time we got up, it was almost dark and all that could be seen was the reflection of parts of the inside of the centre - see the above photo.


This is the Belfast Wheel, with the City Hall behind it.
I went on the Wheel this time last year. You have a terrific view of the city when you're up at the top.

Reeds?

This is another view of the riverside path. I think these are reeds which grow between the path and the river.

Leaves

Looks more like winter now.......taken on the riverside walk I mentioned yesterday.
This is an alternative to walking down Castlerock beach, although I prefer the seaside.

High Tide

At high tide the river comes very close to the path which runs from just below the Cutts towards the town.

A Lock

Beside the sluice gates at the Cutts, there is a lock. This is one of five locks on the Lower Bann, which allow navigation of the river from Lough Neagh to the sea. The photo above shows the approach to the lock from upriver of the sluice gates. The small jetty has been constructed recently.


This is the approach to the lock.
The Cutts got its' name from the fact that a channel was cut into the bedrock of the river to bypass the rapids and allow navigation.

Calm Water

Upriver from the sluice gates the water looks calm. The area which is cordoned off is the danger area for small boats. Here the force of the current under the gates could easily destroy a boat.

Floodgates

There are three sets of floodgates on the Lower Bann. This is the final set at the Cutts, just outside Coleraine. The remaining 9km of the river is tidal.
The floodgates are used to control water levels in Lough Neagh - the largest lake in the British Isles - which has a catchment area draining 43% of the land area of Northern Ireland. The lough has only one outlet - the Lower Bann.


Canoeing is being promoted from a tourism perspective. The Lower Bann Canoe Trail runs the approximate 60km length of the river.


These photos were taken from the west bank of the river. Next to the east bank there is a weir, which can be seen in the above picture.

Bridge

This is a view of the Foyle Bridge in Derry/Londonderry/Doire (delete according to your political/religious viewpoint).
Personally, I have always known this city as Derry - in the same way as I have lived most of my life in Co. Derry. My use of the name reflects no particular political or religious belief.
The city is also known as the Maiden City. More recently, in a move aimed at tourists, it has become known as the Walled City.
I was too far away from the bridge to do it justice......better next time, perhaps.

Another Beach

This is part of the beach at Portballintrae. The Giant's Causeway is just behind the headland in the background.

Low Cloud

I drove from Coleraine to Limavady this morning. As can be seen, it was a miserable day. The picture was taken at the top of the mountain - well, what we call a mountain here...more of a big hill, really.

End of Autumn...

Just a quick shot of Mountsandel Wood, fading now from its' autumn glory.

No Photo (6)

Another day without a photo. A combination of work and personal business to-day.
Lucy had a hospital appointment in Belfast and, as her mum and dad don't have a car, I took them.
She was born with an extra thumb on one hand - apparently an extra finger or toe is quite common. This was her first time to see the plastic surgeon.
He said it would be a straightforward operation, but he wouldn't do anything until she was at least a year old.

No Photo (5)

A few days ago I said that I might have been over-ambitious in aiming to post a photo taken, on the day, each day.
In fact, until I have built up a reserve, there will be days like to-day when I can't post any photo.

I don't work set hours, so some days are busier than others. Not every day offers the same photographic opportunities.
But, I'll keep going...

County Hall

This is a view of the County Hall in Coleraine - looking across the river Bann from what was once part of the harbour. This site has been redeveloped and is now a retail store with associated car parking.

Early Morning

I was on the beach before nine this morning. As you can see, I was completely alone.
Judging by the footprints, however, other people were there before me.


This is a view of Castlerock, with the Mussenden Temple on the edge of the cliff in the distance.
The shot was taken from the pier at the Barmouth. The camera's lens was at full stretch, so the quality isn't great.

Promenade

If you live here the address, simply and grandly, is Promenade, Castlerock. Mind you, there aren't very many houses with this address. There were more houses built further back on Main Street, because the ground was higher and there was a better view of the sea.
According to what it says here, this should be known as an Esplanade.
Whatever you call it, it's where I park my car when I walk down the beach. My car isn't in the photo, by the way...

Car Park

On the other side of the road from the swimming pool, which I mentioned yesterday, there was a car park. Guess what.......it's now an apartment block!


The view of the back of the block was taken from a small car park which overlooks the village and the sea. It was dull and damp this morning, so it isn't possible to see the sea beyond the apartments.
The Belfast to Derry railway line is just visible in the bottom corner of the photo.

Swimming Pool

This was once the site of Castlerock's swimming pool.
I suppose an outdoor pool on the north coast of Northern Ireland was always doomed. People want pools to be covered over and to contain comfortably warm water.
Still, it's a pity it had to be replaced with another apartment block.



Perhaps I'm just jealous that I don't own one of the apartments. They've got a quite spectacular view, after all.
And I wouldn't have to drive from Coleraine for a morning walk...

Castlerock Beach

I have mentioned Castlerock before - it's a small coastal village a few miles from Coleraine.
I like the beach here because it's quite an easy walk from the promenade to the Barmouth. I did that walk early this morning, before work.
I would like to live right beside the beach, but perhaps I'd never get to work then...
The photo above was taken from close to the Barmouth looking towards the village. The early morning mist is just clearing away.


This is where the beach ends - in a contrast between old and new. Like all the seaside towns and villages in Northern Ireland, Castlerock is being swamped with new apartment buildings. Or rather, it was being swamped - the housing market is dead, no-one wants a holiday apartment, so all building work has stopped for a while.

Light

The photo above was taken from the top of Ramore Head, Portrush, looking across the West Bay.
The one below is a view of the Skerries to the east side of the town. The Skerries are a number of small rocky outcrops off the East Strand.


It was a lovely afternoon, so my wife and I walked right round Portrush.
The town is situated on a peninsula jutting out into the sea, with Ramore Head being its' outermost point.
It's a small seaside resort, long past its' heyday now.