St. Mary's Lighthouse
The tiny St Mary’s (or Bait) Island, lies just north of Whitley Bay on the coast of North East England. It’s a tidal island that is only accessible by foot or vehicle by means of a short concrete causeway which is revealed at low tide. It’s a popular spot for photographers and photography workshops. When I first visited for a sunset shoot there was a group at the start of the causeway, so after taking a few photos I ventured over to the left where there is a small beach. This viewpoint also provides some great compositions.
On the island is the lighthouse and lighthouse keepers’ cottage. It was all built in 1898 using 645 blocks of stone and 750,000 bricks. Prior to the lighthouse there was an 11th-century monastic chapel. The monks kept a lantern on the tower to warn passing ships of the danger of the rocks. The lighthouse lamp was powered by paraffin, and was not electrified until 1977, St Mary’s was by then the last Trinity House lighthouse lit by oil.
You can easily walk across to the island at low tide and there is also a small museum, a visitor’s centre, and a cafe.
Sunrise or Sunset
Both are great times to photograph this lighthouse. Here are some good viewpoints:
From the start of the causeway
The beach at sunset
At dusk
Sunrise from the beach
Looks good in Black and White too
When the tide is out
Getting to the UK
The UK is widely served by pretty much every airline around the world. If you are coming from within Europe then the following airlines are worth looking at.
Wizz Air: Personally I have always found them to be the best and offer the lowest fares.
Skyscanner: A great place to search and compare flights
Ebookers: Ebookers have been around for longer than most and have always offered a great choice of flights.
Getting around
CAR
The best way to get around the UK is by car. Either take your own car or you can rent one easily from any airport or major town and city. Here are three great places to look:
BUS
The national Express coach service connects most major cities and towns and is a great way to get around.
Stagecoach is the local bus service that operates across the UK. Use this for more local connections, and also express services between towns and cities. This is a great way to also meet some locals.
TRAIN
The national train service also serves a lot of the larger towns and cities. Great for getting from one side of the country to the other.
Trainline: A great website to search and book your train tickets online.
Accommodation
Holidu: This is a great website to search for a variety of places to stay.
Hostelworld: If you are looking for budget accommodation then Hostelworld is a great place to search for a variety of backpacker hostels, B&Bs and hotels.
My book
Learn Photography
For a more comprehensive look at photography, check out my book, available to buy at Amazon.
Shedding light on all the photography basics in one book.
Want to know how to take better photos? Well, first you need to master the basic techniques. Whether you are a complete beginner or an intermediate looking to improve your photography, this book is packed with photography techniques, tips and advice for beginners and intermediates.
All the camera functions and their effects explained.
