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A walk around Whitehaven Harbour

28th September 2019

We retreated back to David's after saying Goodbye to Rod back at Portinscale who went shopping in Keswick looking for new gloves...and cake!

After a quick bite to eat we set about the website transfer which didn't take as long as we had anticipated and with spare time on our hands we thought we'd have a walk around Whitehaven Harbour.

It was incredible to think that just this morning it had been pretty grim where despite the odd ray of sunshine it appeared that the rain was in for the rest of the day, how wrong we were..

I love being besides the sea and Whitehaven along with its rich history always triggers something inside of me, not only did we manage a great walk around the harbour but David also provided a walking commentary about the history not just surrounding the harbour but Wellington Pit which dates back over 300 years.

Ordnance Survey

Explorer 303

Overview

Ascent:	N/A
Wainwrights:	N/A
Weather:	Dry Bright & Sunny.
Parking:	N/A
Area:	Whitehaven
Miles:	Wasn't counting
Walking With:	David Hall
Ordnance Survey:	OS 303
Time Taken:	Wasn't counting
Route:	Millennium Promenade - West Strand - West Pier - West Pier Lighthouse - The Candle Stick - Duke Pit Fan House - Old Quay - Lock Gates - North Pier - Millennium Promenade

Map and Photo Gallery

Whitehaven Inner Harbour from Millennium Promenade.

The afternoon has brought wall to wall sunshine just perfect for a walk around the harbour.

Golden Sands from the West Pier.

From the promenade we passed the Beacon along the old quay towards the west pier.

St Bee's Head from the West Pier.

That's Tom Hurd Rock in the foreground, a popular place with local children back when David was growing up.

Walking along the top of the West Pier.

It's like Strinding Edge only with the Irish Sea a very long way down on one side.

Looking back on the Candlestick from the West Pier.

The Candlestick was the ventilation shaft used by the former Wellington Mine, David informed me that the gases inside the mine were ignited after lightening struck the structure which burned for days afterwards.

Approaching West Pier Lighthouse.

What a beautiful view.

Glimmering light over the Irish Sea.

With St Bee's Head in the distance.

Fishermen, West Pier.

West Pier Lighthouse.

Instead of walking back along the wall we'll head back along the west quay and pay a close up visit to The Candlestick.

The Candlestick, Wellington Mine.

With the west pier seen left and the north pier seen right.

The Duke Pitt Fan House.

Built in 1862 around a castleated design the fan house was constructed to extract, and allow clean air into the Duke Pit mine by means of a 13 meter fan which was driven by steam.

Whitehaven Harbour from the top of Mount Pleasant Steps.

The Scottish hills from the coast of Whitehaven.

Well we've thoroughly enjoyed walking around Whitehaven Harbour but I'm still struggling to believe that this is the same day we walked through Newlands this morning which just shows how adverse the Cumbrian weather can get.

What a perfect end to a productive day.