Crimdon Dene

Despite the sunshine, it was bitterly cold as I kitted up at Crimdon Dene's carpark. In the shade of the dunes, the sand had frozen, and it was a little like walking over a ploughed field. The sand was smoother as I approached the sea, and the walking was easier. Looking northwards I could see some large buildings at Sunderland. Southwards, the derelict Steetley pier stretched out to sea. I followed the tracks of a dog walker who was heading for the pier. After about a quarter of a mile I came across the brook flowing out of Crimdon Dene and then out to sea. It was quite deep and I didn't fancy getting wet feet and so it looked like I'd have to return to the carpark and find the bridge across the brook. I kicked myself for not remembering this brook from the last time I did this walk. Maybe the tide was out on that occasion, making it easier to cross.

I wandered back to the carpark and picked up the coastal path.

Steetley Pier

After crossing the brook, I followed a path on the tops of the dunes. The neighbouring golf course was busy with its members doing a decent job of thwacking their balls in to the marram grass. For my own protection, I paused on a couple of occasions, so I didn't end up in the firing line of a sliced shot. I was glad when I could drop back down on to the beach again and find safety. Sandlings made their comical scuttling along the sea's edge. A few Oystercatchers foraged at a slower pace. The Crimdon area is an important area for Little Terns. These migrate from west Africa and nest in the dunes. Eventually I reached the massive wooden beams of the impressive Steetley pier. It stretches for 2,000 feet into the North Sea and was used to transport Magnesite from a production plant near to the pier. Magnesite is a heat resistant material and is used to line blast furnaces, kilns and incinerators. It can also be used as a binder for flooring materials. At its height the plant produced 250,000 tonnes of magnesia per year. Two large pipes can still be seen on the pier. These piped sea water to the plant, and this was used in the production of the magnesia. The works was closed in 2005 and the pier has fallen into disrepair. It has had a section removed so that people cannot walk along it. The plant has gone now and the area has now been used for new houses. A little further southwards I noticed that another housing estate had been created since the last time I was here. I could see the northern outskirts of Hartlepool now, and I headed for the outlying houses.

Hartlepool

The tide was now fully in and waves crashed against the lower promenade. The walkway was busy with dog walkers and pram pushers. A few fishermen were also chancing their luck. The Heugh Battery Museum was closed; it was shut the last time I was here too. Information boards outside the museum recount the incident on the 16th of December 1914 when three German ships bombarded Hartlepool with more than 1,100 shells, resulting in the death of 130 people and injuring hundreds more. Private Theo Jones was the first person to be killed in the bombardment, and was actually the first soldier to die on English soil during the war. Whitby and Scarborough were also attacked on the same day, but Hartlepool was the worst hit.

Looking at the black railings on the promenade , you can occasionally see the figure of a black monkey has been incorporated into the design. Hartlepool is of course famous for this monkey, and its people are know as Monkey Hangers. Hartlepool United F.C. has the nickname of Pools Monkey Hangers. Legend has it that during the Napoleonic wars, a shipwrecked monkey was hanged by the people of Hartlepool, after they believed him to be a French spy. In fairness, the monkey did get a trial, but not surprisingly, he was unable to answer any of the court's questions and so he was found guilty. They dragged him to the town's square and he was hanged. You don't see anything like that on Law & Order, although it would make a rather interesting episode.

It's quite easy to miss the bronze statue of Andy Capp. The cartoon's creator, Reg Smythe was a Monkey Hanger. I'm not sure about chauvinist Capp's legacy given the drift to political correctness over the last decades. As I vaguely remember from the comic strip, his wife Flo always seemed to give as good as she got. Apparently, AC/DC's Brian Johnson modelled his look on Mr Capp. There's quite a lot to see in the Headland area of Hartlepool, but time was progressing and it was time for me to make my way back.

The Return

At the end of the promenade some aged skateboarders were making use of the various promenade gradients. Maybe coincidentally, this was the only place along the length of the promenade that I saw graffiti: 'Smack Heads' it proudly announced. At Steetley Pier two surfers were braving the waves. They were surfing so close to the pier's wooden supports that I fully expected a wave to crash them into it. Back at the golf course, the club swingers were still knocking divots out of the grass. It was about 14:00 when I got back to the car. I did think about extending the walk northwards up the coast, but I had a long drive to Alnwick ahead of me, and so I decided to call it a day.

That was my first beach walk for quite a while and it made a welcome change from the peaks and moors. I'm looking forward to my next one.