Jo’s Monday walk : sea glass at Seaham

The outlook at Seaham Beach

The outlook on Seaham Beach

This week I’m taking you back to the north east coast of England, with a bit of a purpose.  I’ll explain more later but I need you to keep your eye open for sea glass.  The beach at Seaham is one of the best locations I know for finding it.

Between 1853 and 1921 Seaham was home to Europe’s largest glass bottle works, supplying millions of hand blown bottles.  Enormous amounts of waste glass were left at the end of each day, and this was generally thrown over the cliffs and into the sea.  More than a hundred years later, scrubbed smooth by the power of the water, we have sea glass in many shapes and colours.  Are you ready to hunt?

We’ll start on the cliff top and work our way down
It’s not very steep
And soon we’re at the beach
With more pebbles than you could ever want

With more pebbles than you could ever want

And among those pebbles, the precious bits of sea glass.  You can follow the beach round to the small harbour and the lighthouse, if you like, but I’m going in the opposite direction- north towards distant Sunderland.

There's a lot of beach to examine!

There’s rather a lot of beach to examine!

Rusted groynes litter the shore

Rusted groynes litter the shore

Filling up with pebbles too

Filling up with pebbles

Incongruously, some have been mended

Rather incongruously, some have been mended

Overhead, the cliffs menace!

While overhead, the cliffs menace!

Let’s get up close and personal with a few stones.  You never know what you might find.

We're looking for a hint of glitter

We’re looking for a hint of glitter

Unconcerned, a man walks his dog

Unconcerned, a man walks his dogs

What's this? Look at the shimmer!

What’s this? Look at the shimmer!

I simply love the textures

I simply love the textures

You might remember we did something similar just south of here on Crimdon beach, a while ago, and ventured into some caves beneath the cliffs.  I’m drawn on along the endless beach, intrigued by my surroundings.  Dog walkers pass me by, with a nod and a smile, and occasionally children ferret on the beach.

Mindful of the dangers these crumbling cliffs can pose, still it’s hard not to be lured closer.

The cliff formations fascinate

The cliff formations fascinate

Torn and twisted as they are

Torn and twisted as they are

And here a table, nicely laid

And here a table, nicely laid

You know that I’m not going to be able to resist some close ups, but I treat the cliffs with due caution and the respect they deserve.  So should you!

I know that some of you are claustrophobic so I won’t linger.  The fascination of the shapes and vistas can keep me endlessly there on the shore, forgetting my purpose.  That morning a lady was standing, her dog patiently at heel, gazing out to sea.  After the briefest of smiles, I carried on my exploration.  As I turned to retrace my steps, she spoke to me.  “Did you see the dolphins?”

Crestfallen hardly describes it!  I would have loved to see them and wished she had spoken sooner.  We stood a while, hoping for a return, but they had gone.  And so I climbed, regretfully, back up the steps.

Depending on the tide, this walk can be as long or as short as you want to make it.  If you are free the next few Sunday lunch times, you will assuredly have company on the beach.  My husband, who designs gardens, does most of his work with CAD (computer aided design).  He was more than pleased to be contacted recently by Stuart Langley, a local artist, in connection with a light installation to appear at this year’s Lumiere, in Durham.  It’s an imaginative and exciting event, and Stuart has been a previous contributor with his Stained Glass Cars.  The project he is working on requires a substantial quantity of sea glass, and so he’s hoping for some help in gathering it.

If you can help in any way the Lumiere site gives details.  The event itself takes place from 12-15th November, and if you can be there I can promise you a delightful evening.  It takes place on alternate years, and this was my post for 2013.  It was a magical occasion.

walking logo

No putting the kettle on today!  I will still be in Bristol for the Hot Air Balloon festival when you’re reading this, and not back till very late in the day.  As usual, I will catch up with you all as soon as I can, and apologies to all those who are sitting unattended in my Inbox.  There’s plenty to keep you busy till then because once again I have some wonderful walks to share.  Many thanks to all of you who have joined me and, if you would like to do so next week, details are on my Jo’s Monday walk page.  Just hit the logo above.

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Gardens with rhodies have always been irresistible to me.  Bogs, not so much!  Thanks, Anabel!

Geilston Garden and Tom na h’Airidh

Hitting the heights with Drake!  Don’t we always?

Mountain high

A revelation for me about Toronto! Totally changed my thinking…  thanks, Jackie!

Monday walk

More city madness with Pauline!  The inevitability of change :

Gold Coast Icons

If you’ve come to expect beauty from Amy, you won’t be disappointed here either!

Monday Walk : Banff Rocky Mountains

One of the best things about blogging is sharing magical posts such as this.  Many thanks, Suzanne!

Killarney x 2

Too good at speaking my mind, sometimes!  Hugs, please, for Jude :

The Levant Mine

A little bit of fairy dust, anybody?  Sure to find some with Violet Sky!

Wishes and dreams 

While anyone seeking inspiration should surely make a visit to Lucile :

The Quest for Inspiration

And anyone wanting to recapture childhood only needs to visit Gilly!

I Wish I was Ten Again

Debbie’s back from exotic Singapore with some cracking good sights!

Arty Stroll along Orchard Road

And to finish, from Laia, what could be better than?

A beautiful, pleasant walk in Abel Tasman National Park

Fantastic, aren’t they?  Nothing more to say than ‘have a great week’.  Hope to see you on the beach at Seaham, or failing that, at Durham in November.

 

 

155 comments

    1. It’s quite a beach, this one! I don’t know if you saw my recent Lumiere post and the result of collecting all that sea glass? 🙂
      Sorry for my delayed response but I’m barely just home and will feature your walks next Monday.

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  7. Wow. That’s a beautiful walk Jo. We’re on the West Coast in Lancashire and our beach has pebbles too but no cliffs. We have miles of sand dunes instead. I’m following your blog and looking forward to reading more about your travels and walks. Thanks for the info about Jo too.

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    1. Many thanks for that, Gillian. 🙂 Do you need a link to Jude? You’ll find her in my comments 🙂 I’ll come and play on your beaches a little later but I need to get started on this week’s walk or it won’t happen!

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    1. Oh no! 😦 Hope you’re both still in one piece? Sunday dinner and most of the ironing is now completed so I’ll pop over soon for a look. Many thanks, Pauline 🙂

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  10. The Stained Glass Cars are fascinating, so I am very curious to see what develops from the sea glass. Sorry I can’t send any from NZ. The only place I have found sea glass was in Maine, USA. Haven’t looked for any here.

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    1. Oh, Ann- you do disappoint! 🙂 🙂
      I hope you’re feeling more chirpy these days? Mick thinks improvisation may be called for as a huge quantity of sea glass will be needed. Whatever the outcome, Lumiere will be fabulous. 🙂

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  11. I always loved beach walks as a child Jo and my 2 girls did as well. We always came home with lots of wonderful stones and treasured objects – am sure we still have some hidden away somewhere! On a personal note my mother in law was born in Seaham – have never been there so am interested to see what it looks like. Hope you’ve had a good trip to the West Country 🙂

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    1. It (Seaham) is much improved these days, Rosemay. It has transformed itself from a scruffy little mining town to a place of bistros and a smart hotel (Seaham Hall, should you ever get the chance to stay- very swish!). And it goes without saying that the beach is great fun 🙂

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  14. Oh no! You missed the dolphins? Anyway, judging by those fabulous photos, I’m not really surprised that you were too busy concentrating on the beach and cliffs. Great post – thank you.

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  15. I love hunting for unusual pebbles on the beach and then coming across one that shimmers and glistens like the one in your photo. It’s very theraputic I find! Looking forward to hearing all about your trip to Bristol Jo, and wishing you a very Happy Anniversary. Big hugs lovely lady 🙂 xx

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  16. Another lovely walk along the beach with you, Jo. Story of the sea glass is interesting. I wonder if the glass bottle company knew they’d be creating a treasure hunt for years to come. I look for sea glass on the beaches by me and have collected some unique and pretty pieces. Blue is always a big win! Happy Anniversary. Enjoy the rest of your week.

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    1. Could well be! It’s our wedding anniversary today so maybe later. Sitting in the garden recovering from Bristol. Bouquet just arrived so I’d better go and find some vases. Eating out later xx

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  19. You’ve written about two of my biggest obsessions here, Jo – glass and stones. When I walk through the creek every afternoon I’m constantly picking up and examining stones. Sometimes I bring them home so my bag can get very heavy! I’m also going to do a stained glass course with a friend this year so I can do some windows in the RUC – I’m very excited about it.
    Sorry you missed the dolphins – maybe next time 😉

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