Photo (just 1) - Tank Traps - Druridge Bay, Northumberland

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Wile-E

Wile-E

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Blyth, Northumberland
Taken by my wife recently while walking the dogs on Druridge Bay beach. Part of the WWII coastal defences. There's mile after mile of the blocks on this beach, the movement of the sand with the various tides covers and then uncovers them depending on the season and weather. In the upper-right background of the picture, the dark line at the base of the sand-dunes is the line of traps continuing along the coast.

db3-2.jpg
 
Welcome, one of those things we never really paid any attention to despite going to that beach regularly for years, the traps were "just there" so we never looked twice at them until I passed my wife the camera for her to take a few snaps.
 
Nice. Next time you go there take a pic of the "hut" on the road - the one next to the farm on the hill. It's actually a pillbox disguised during the war.
 
Sausage said:
Nice. Next time you go there take a pic of the "hut" on the road - the one next to the farm on the hill. It's actually a pillbox disguised during the war.
Click to expand...

I know that one! I kept thinking it would be a hillarious micro-explore being so tiny!
 
Spent a lot of time as a kid playing on these blocks. Go on the shore at low tide and you'll find rusty lumps, break them and they usually contain .303 bullets and 20mm shells as well. I think this placve was used a s a traing ground and I used to have a massive collection of WW2 bullets from this beach. There are quite a few good pillboxes up there too, but some have sunk into the dunes.
 
BigLoada said:
Spent a lot of time as a kid playing on these blocks. Go on the shore at low tide and you'll find rusty lumps, break them and they usually contain .303 bullets and 20mm shells as well. I think this placve was used a s a traing ground and I used to have a massive collection of WW2 bullets from this beach. There are quite a few good pillboxes up there too, but some have sunk into the dunes.
Click to expand...

We started quite a few years back taking the kids in the summer, nice clean beach and not crowded normally. Last year or so we've been taking the dogs at the weekends early in the morning - they both had other dogs go at them as pups so have *issues* around other dogs, it's nice to take them there early and let them run free with no worries about bumping into people.

Any background on the other structures around the long single-lane national trust area - where the smaller ponds are etc, road from Cresswell takes a sharp left with the NT area straight ahead. I noticed too on flashearth that there's the outline (outer walls?) of some building out in the fields near there also.
 
I think you may be on about Low Chibburn preceptory mate which was used as a pillbox too. Here is some more info:

http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N11884

Actually that Keys To The Past site is really great for North East research, especially the historic maps option.

Wile-E said:
Any background on the other structures around the long single-lane national trust area - where the smaller ponds are etc, road from Cresswell takes a sharp left with the NT area straight ahead. I noticed too on flashearth that there's the outline (outer walls?) of some building out in the fields near there also.
Click to expand...
 
Ooh, Dragon's Teeth! Those are great Wile-E and that's an excellent photo that your wife took. :)

That website's interesting, BigLoada. I'm beginning to wonder if I should move oop north, with all the great stuff you have up there! ;)
 
It will be a culture shock up here Foxy... running water, electric light, flushing loos...:p

Ages since I was at Druridge - last time I was there the blocks had vanished. I thought the council had cleared them to improve the thriving tourist trade. :) It didn't occur that the sand level shifts enough to bury them completely. I can remember as a little kid getting some really nasty cuts on my legs from the dune grass. Happy days...
 
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