> Cleethorpes, which is cheek-by-jowl with Great Grimsby (you > are clearly a man "in the know" about this "Great" place!), > is an ideal base for photographing the seals at Donna Nook, > just south of the mouth of the Humber estuary. Doona Nook > gets busy at weekends but it is the #1 seal photo site in > the UK. Now that the North Sea seal distemper virus > outbreak appears to be over, restrictions on access to Donna > Nook will soon be withdrawn, if they haven't already. > > Cleethorpes is also a good base for photographing the local > fens and "Dutch houses". The Fens of North East > Lincolnshire differ substantially from those in East Anglia > because they remain much as they were when built in the 17th > century. > > If I recall correctly, the builder of the Dutch-style fen > drainage system, with it field drains, carrier drains and > man-made "rivers" and dykes (clay embankments) was > Vermuyden, who settled in the area with many of the Dutch > workers after the system was complete. This explains the > existence of the enchanting "Dutch houses", a surprising > number of which still remain despite the tendency for the > land to subside, taking the foundations with it. > > The East Anglian fens have lost the vast majority of 17th > and 18th century features because of the vast changes to the > landscape that have taken place in the succeeding centuries. > Not so the North East Lincolnshire fens, where many > (photographically) charming, nay enticing, features remain. > Not a lot of people know that! > > Of course Cleethorpes is a traditional and fairly downmarket > bucket-and-spade, kiss-me-quick and fish-and-chips seaside > resort, but it is actually quite refreshing to "slum it" > every now and again <g>. Skegness is actually slightly more > refined but it lacks the sheer wealth of photo opportunities > that the area around Cleethorpes boasts. > > B&B in Cleethorpes is cheap, with top quality local bacon, > eggs and tomatoes forming the "Full English" breakfast.
As I recall, I went to high school with Doona Nook. (And she gave me Cleethorpes....) --Mike
