Sally Watson
LightNews LightNews
banner
salawatson.bsky.social
Sally Watson
@salawatson.bsky.social
4.6K followers 1.4K following 390 posts
Cities, cycling, planning and play. Often on a bike or in a museum.

Co-host - activetravelcafe.org.uk
Trustee - historictownstrust.uk
Posts Replies Media Videos
salawatson.bsky.social
There’s a small exhibition on the St Cuthbert window and its restoration in York Minster. Worth a visit if you are in York.
Photo of stained glass panel showing St Cuthbert and followers all wearing blue robes. Text reads ‘A Life of Service St Cuthbert followed a Christian life of service and prayer, caring for his community and seeking to help others to come to know Christ. In this scene, he is shown as Prior of Lindisfarne (right), teaching monks about their duties and the rules of monastic life. They hold books, which they discuss. The stained glass makers have placed this scene in a cut-away building, representing the monastery at Lindistome. Ine panel nas sunered damage, and St Cuthbert's head has been replaced in the past with thatore monk, he now lacks the saintly nato which usually identifies him.’
November 1, 2025 at 8:40 PM
salawatson.bsky.social
Gargoyles in waiting.
Photo of two new gargoyles carved from stone sitting on the grass in front of railings. One with head tipped back, a frog in its mouth and a fish in one hand. The other with hand on mouth.
November 1, 2025 at 8:35 PM
salawatson.bsky.social
Dramatic skies.
Blurred photo of green field with trees taken from train window of train
October 31, 2025 at 4:29 PM
salawatson.bsky.social
Arrived just in time for my train journey to York today! @katrinanavickas.bsky.social
Book cover with photo of police in high vis jackets in a wood with figure sitting in a tree. Text reads: CONTESTED COMMONS A HISTORY OF PROTEST AND PUBLIC SPACE IN ENGLAND KATRINA NAVICKAS CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 7 1 COMMONS 19 2 WASTE ss 3 VERGES 83 4 RAILINGS 112 5 PAVEMENTS 147 6 BARRICADES 192 7 NO BALL GAMES 225 8 RECLAIM THE STREETS 273 CONCLUSION 317 REFERENCES 323 FURTHER READING 365 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 369 PHOTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 371 INDEX 373
October 31, 2025 at 4:21 PM
salawatson.bsky.social
Today’s Oxfam bookshop haul. The English Heritage book of games is from 2007.
Book titled: A Short History of the LC C W ERIC JACKSON White background with grey outline of inner London boroughs with blue river Thames running through the middle Book titled: THE GAMES WE PLAYED EDITED BY SUSAN KELLEHER Photo of two girls and a boy from above sitting on the ground playing game of pick ip sticks (pile of sticks in the middle)
October 29, 2025 at 9:07 PM
salawatson.bsky.social
My dad of course whips out his phone and finds a photo of me with Sir Nigel Gresley in Manchester 45 years ago. Must have been after the time I tried to cut my own hair. Only time I ever had a fringe I think.
Photo of little girl with long blond hair and a fringe in a yellow dress holding onto the front of a steam engine with No4498 on the front. It has a black nose and blue body Same train but with a woman with a brown bob standing next to it wearing blue jeans, a grey top, black puffer jacket and black bag and sunglasses.
September 21, 2025 at 6:05 PM
salawatson.bsky.social
Took my dad and the oldest to see the trains at Heaton Depot today.
NORTHERN HEATON 150 HISTORY TO THE TCC Heaton Train CareCentre is located about 2 miles east of the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, between the East Coast Main Line and the Tyneside Metro line to North Shields and Whitley Bay. It carries on a tradition going back 150 years since a motive power depot was established here in 1875 delivering excellent Safety, Quality of vehicle maintenance and Customer service through it's skitful and committed work force. As early as 1847 Heaton was set to develop into a railway centre of major importance. The Newcastle and North Shields Railway had been opened in 1839 and eight years later this was absorbed by the Newcastle and Berwick Railway, with a junction between the two lines at Heaton, and the area between the two lines was destined to be developed for a variety of railway uses, especially motive power provision. In 1875 a motive power depot for steam locomotives was built at Heaton, located in the apex of lines formed by the junction of the ECML and the Coast line. In 1950 the 8 road shed had an allocation of no less than 119 locomotives meeting local needs as well as freight and passengers services on the ECML. Heaton served as a steam depot until it was closed in June 1963, its remaining allocation being transferred to Gateshead depot. However, it was used for the storage and stabling of steam locomotives, more or less as a sub-shed of Gateshead, for another three years. northernraitway.co.uk Find your fun by train Photo of the front of a Deltic train with yellow nose, lime green base and dark green and red on top. Photo of the flat yellow front of a pacer train.
September 21, 2025 at 5:55 PM
salawatson.bsky.social
Signs for rollerskating routes in Switzerland too! We saw a big group of girl tweens enjoying one of these.
Sign post with red and white inverted triangle above two brown and white signs with cycle and rollerskating pictures in front of road with grass and trees alongside. Sign post with no-vehicle signs and a brown sign for cycling and rollerskating in front of a bike path. Train line with houses beyond.
August 15, 2025 at 8:27 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Cycle streets in Austria and Germany in and near Bregenz. Huge painted bike signs here.
Street with large white bicycle painted on the road. Trees in background. Street with white bike sign on blue and red background painted on the road. Trees and a roundabout beyond.
August 15, 2025 at 8:21 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Lots of relatively light touch (and maybe recent?) pedestrianisation in Germany. Lindau again.
Photo of pedestrianised street. Three planters in the foreground with greenery and red flowers. A tower in the background and market in front.
August 15, 2025 at 8:15 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Liechtenstein embracing cycling - impressive given it seems to be a country largely made up of mountain and with many flashy car owners.
Sign with map and information about cycling in Liechtenstein. Photo of signs for cyclists in front of a bike path on the Rhine with mountains in the background.
August 15, 2025 at 8:11 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Lots of rules in Germany! No sitting on the table tennis!
Photo of table tennis table on lakeside promenade under the trees with lake visible beyond. List of rules about how to use the table tennis - in German.
August 15, 2025 at 8:07 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
German towns seem to be big on play now. We found this last year on our Dresden-Berlin trip too. This is Lindau where play spaces and play equipment can be found in squares, on promenades and in left-over spaces.
Sandpit surrounded by logs in front of Lindau town hall. Playground with basketball hoop, climbing frame and table tennis on edge of lake among the trees. Climbing frame made from wood in the trees in front of a block of flats. Small play space with bouncing equipment on grass with restaurant behind.
August 15, 2025 at 8:03 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Swiss playground in the countryside even has a barbeque and public toilets. Not many rules here.
Photo of playground with various play equipment including a climbing frame with a green slide. Grass on the ground, trees in the background. A sign in the foreground with playground rules - no dogs. Photo of same playground but with barbecue and woodstack in front of play equipment and trees behind.
August 15, 2025 at 7:54 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Bikes on trains in Switzerland. Very easy. Eye-wateringly expensive.
Photo of interior of a train with two bikes with black, red and yellow panniers stacked on either side of the central walkway and seating up some steps beyond this.
August 15, 2025 at 7:46 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Some more changing Rhine views - in Switzerland and Liechtenstein and on the German/Austrian border on the Bodensee.
Photo of view of river with green trees on banks, mountains in background and sunshine and white clouds. Photo of bright blue/green river with steep tree-covered hills on either side and cloudy sky with some blue. Photo of blue coloured river with railings in foreground and a signpost with brown and blue cycling signs to different places. Mountains in background. Photo of large blue lake with mountains visible in distance
August 13, 2025 at 7:52 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Only a week and a half since we set off almost from the source on our bikes. Probably the highlight of the trip was seeing this tiny stream that I’ve crossed and cycled along many times further down stream in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Photo of mountains with a small stream in foreground, grass on either side, two peaks in the distance with some trees and scree.
August 13, 2025 at 7:35 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Crossing two of the Rhine’s delta rivers - the Meuse and the Waal - this morning on the night train from Zurich to Amsterdam.
Photo of a river with bridge structure in foreground on a sunny day. Flat green landscape with three trees beyond. Photo of a river with bridge structure in foreground on a sunny day. Flat green landscape beyond. Small boat in distance.
August 13, 2025 at 7:23 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
First time on a new @my-metro.bsky.social - very exciting moment. Thank you to everyone who helped ensure there is space for my bike. Most people will never know the work that went into making this happen.
Photo of green bike inside a new Metro carriage just leaving Whitely Bay with trees just visible through window behind.
July 17, 2025 at 8:04 PM
salawatson.bsky.social
This was dead good. More of this please!
Photo of two men sitting on stools with microphones in front with black background
July 4, 2025 at 9:59 PM
salawatson.bsky.social
Now @simonlightwood.org.uk says case for active travel has never been stronger or more urgent to address the climate emergency, public health crisis, to reclaim streets from traffic congestion, clean up the air and give people more affordable travel options.
Photo of auditorium interior with people sat in front of a stage. Simon Lightwood MP standing at lectern in front of screen with his name on it. Table with four men and one woman alongside.
July 2, 2025 at 9:59 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
@kimmcguinness.bsky.social making the important point that we need to join the dots between child poverty, children’s freedoms, women and girls’ safety and active travel. Active travel should be about increasing opportunity.
Photo of auditorium interior with people sitting in foreground and on stage a woman with blond hair and a table with four men alongside.
July 2, 2025 at 9:29 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Graham Grant @ategov.bsky.social kicking off the Active City York conference by talking about his dad, who was disabled, and his daughters - saying active travel is all about people.
Photo of auditorium interior with people sat around tables in front of a large stage with black backdrop on which stands a white middle aged man with a beard.
July 2, 2025 at 9:06 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
Relatedly, if you’re on your way to Active City York today, or just enjoying a morning coffee, you can read about another failed attempt at creating safer streets for children - 50 years ago - in my article for Highways Magazine.
For full text - https://misc.pagesuite.com/pdfdownload/baee12cb-58e4-427b-9f7a-146a848a1df9.pdf For full text - https://misc.pagesuite.com/pdfdownload/baee12cb-58e4-427b-9f7a-146a848a1df9.pdf
July 2, 2025 at 7:49 AM
salawatson.bsky.social
We can do this for a Sam Fender concert in Newcastle but not for school children.
Photo of street with road closed sign in front of Newcastle football stadium
June 12, 2025 at 3:09 PM