i've been to hull and back

Or to 'ull as they say in Hull. 

[The Humber, Lincs just visible]

Simon spent his formative years on the other side of the massively wide Humber, and he's fond of repeating, 'From Hull, Hell and Halifax, good Lord deliver us!' (from the Beggar's Litany) whenever the subject of Hull and Humberside come up. He was conspicuous by his absence on this trip. 

['Voyage' statue on Victoria Pier - second version]

It's an unforgiving view of Hull, I found. Yes, it's out on a limb, at the end of the line, a place of arrivals and departures and not passings-through, but it has so much more to offer than an exit. 

[The Deep, seen through dereliction and barbed wire - it really is in the wrong place]

It was wildy windy and the sky changed colour every few minutes - some things don't change on the edge of England - but the smell of fish and Needler's confectionery and the sounds of ships and trawlers and ferries have all gone.

[What's left of the Hull Corporation Pier, departure point for the Humber ferries ]

Hull thrived on fish and fruit and people arriving from afar.

Now the cobbled streets that saw so much bustle and trade and commerce are all silent.

But the pubs haven't changed. 

[The Bull on Beverley Road]

These photos may confirm Simon's prejudices to Simon, and it's true that Hull is in dire need of money, but I found it incredibly interesting, a fascinating study in city development. There's a lot more to Hull than fish and old sayings.