Castle to Coast

 During our trip back to the north east, we managed to grab a couple of hours in Northumberland, driving along the Coastal Route which stretches the length of the Northumbrian coastline.  It would have been nice to have travelled up to Seahouses and Bamburgh Castle but unfortunately time was against us so we had to stay relatively local.  Still, you don't need to travel a great distance to find some nice scenery.

The village of Warkworth is dominated by the castle which dates back to 1157.  It is a ruin, but a relatively complete and interesting one.  Northumberland has more castles than any other county in England.  If you go to school in Northumberland I will guarantee you there will a school trip to a castle.  It's the law.

 The village itself is pretty, with most of the houses made of stone.  Traffic is busier than you would expect, mainly due to the Coastal Route running straight through the village.

Clouds over Warkworth Village

Just a short drive from Warkworth is the coastal village of Alnmouth.  If you have ever driven up the A1 in Northumberland you will have seen it, built into a hillside.  Strangely, for growing up in Northumberland this was the first time that I had actually visited.

The beach is impressive, but then it is Northumberland.

Coquet Island

 

Blog on the Tyne (Sorry!)

This week we spent three days in the north east of England, catching up with family and friends.  It's been a couple of years since I have been back on home ground and walking around the city where I used to work it felt strange to see how much had changed in my absence and was (to my mind at least) a relatively short space of time.

Our base for the visit was the Copthorne Hotel on the Quayside.  With all of the visits we had scheduled we didn't really get time to stray very far from the Quayside itself.  Newcastle was also one of the host city's for the Rugby World Cup which was why we had to go midweek, as the cheapest hotel we could find on a weekend was £300 per night! due to matches being played.

I took the pictures with a combination of my trusty Olympus and my iPhone.  In fact, the pictures that I like best (the Sage at night and the black and white shot of the Millennium Bridge) were taken with the iPhone.

The High Level Bridge

The setting sun on the Tyne Bridges

The Millennium Bridge from The Baltic 

The view from the Millennium Bridge

Bridge and Baltic Arts Centre

The Sage Concert Venue

The Baltic or to give it it's full name, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is an amazing building on the Gateshead Quays that used to be a flour mill.

I do enjoy contemporary art, when it is done well.  This visit disappointed Terry and myself  due to what we perceived to be weak exhibitions. There was however one show stopper of a moment.  Take the lift to the fourth floor and walk around the obscured entrance to the gallery and you are greeted by this.

 It's not what you expect to see 4 floors up.  The 17 tonne truck is part of a exhibition by Fiona Tan.   We spent most of our time wondering how they got the truck up on the fourth floor.

The Sage at night

Runners training outside our hotel window

Sunset from the Quayside

Baywatch

Newbiggin by-the-sea is a fishing village on the south coast of Northumberland.  As a youngster I remember coming here to play on the beach and it seemed to my young eyes to be massive.  In just a few years the beach was all but gone, washed away by the sea.  There are just a handful of fishermen now who still regularly launch their cobles into the bay.

A large regeneration effort led to the man made recreation of the beach, and the village is all the better for it.  It helps bring the day trippers in and the museum on the bay explains Newbiggin's fishing heritage.

I took these pictures on an extremely windy, very cold February.

Saint Bartholomew's church sits at the northern end of the bay in what is not surprisingly called Church Point. From there you get an excellent views across the bay and down the coast towards Blyth and the off shore wind farm.

The large length of giant grey rocks stretching into the bay form part of the sea defence and it was popular with all of the local kids to climb across and do a little crab fishing.

Another aspect of the regeneration was the creation of a new break water as well as an art installation known as "The Couple", a giant sculpture of a man and a woman looking out into the North Sea.

Going Coastal

I grew up in a coastal town in Northumberland.  Until I moved "down south" the sea had always been at the most three miles away from where I lived.  Northumberland has a spectacular slice of coastline. with beaches that can be almost deserted.  I tended to take the coast for granted.  Living in Nottinghamshire I realise just how far from the sea I am.

 I took these pictures during a visit back to the North East and we decided to check out Tynemouth.  the name says it all.  Tynemouth is a sought after location and the house prices reflect that.  There is a villagelike feel to the place and it's nice to see independent shops instead of the usual high street clones.  Walking along the sea wall on a brisk winter's day definitely blows the cobwebs away.

The wall has to be able to withstand a battering from the North Sea.

The remains of Tynemouth Priory and the coastguard Watch House.

If you happen to find yourself in Newcastle, Tynemouth is just a short Metro ride away from the city centre.  Well worth a visit in my opinion, but if it`s Winter make sure you wrap up warm!