Cumberland Basin and Scouring

By shendyNo Comments
Note for those unfamiliar with Bristol: Cumberland Basin is the bit of the Bristol harbour system that sits between the Floating Harbour (where the historical docks are/were) and the tidal River Avon that heads out under Clifton Suspension Bridge and into the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth (where the modern docks are). This is not the same Avon as Stratford-upon-Avon - that joins the Severn at Tewkesbury. Cumberland Basin normally looks like this. A few weeks ago someone at work mentioned that Cumberland Basin was empty, which sounded unusual so I quickly googled to see what was going on - and apparently it's something that happens quite regularly, with a schedule published on the harbourmaster's website.It's all part of the process to stop the Floating Harbour from getting silted up - they let the Cumberland Basin empty with the tide and then open sluice gates to allow water from the Floating Harbour out, which takes silt with it. The process is called "scouring". Given...
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Cumberland Basin

By shendyNo Comments
Today was the first trip out with the full new camera kit - yesterday I traded in the D200 and lenses and picked up a Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 lens to go with the 24-70 f/2.8. I headed down to Cumberland Basin in Bristol and took some pretty industrial stuff - photos that turned out really nicely in black and white. I started off around the Floating Harbour/Avon locks, then headed along the Portway where there are a couple of old jetties that are decaying rather nicely. Finally, just by Bridge Valley Road, there are a couple of old bits of rail tunnel that have been blocked up. There are quite a lot here, but I took 300 shots today and I like what I've got. I'm not sure if it's the D600 or the high-spec lensesthat's made the difference  (probably both) but these shots are really crisp and sharp. Liking the new kit. ...
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