Northumbria 2013

Hi everyone!

We've been on Our Birthday Holiday this year to Northumbria.  I can't recommend Barter Books in Alnwick enough, if you love bookshops you'll adore that one! :)

I'll add the photos soon.....enjoy the journal!

Siobhan xxx

Monday 12th October

The morning began with Mathew opening some of his Birthday presents before Breakfast.  We left in very unpleasant weather - lots of drizzle, dull clouds and so much spray on the road!  Traffic was heavy at first but soon sped up to a normal pace.  On the radio they said there had been an overturned vehicle but we saw no evidence of this whatsoever...!

We finally arrived at Wetherby Services at midday when we had some lunch.  When we continued it seemed to be brightening up but when we arrived in Middleham the drizzle had come down again.  Surprisingly we were not the only people deciding to visit Middleham Castle in this weather...!  I took some candid shots of Mathew with Richard III before we continued onward.

We soon arrived at our cottage in Alnmouth which was down some really windy and narrow streets, but the owner was there waiting for us and greeted us as we got out of the car.  He showed us around the place before leaving us to it.  It was a very small cottage, with a nautical theme running throughout.  The kitchen was narrow but had lots of storage space - Mathew felt it was rather like a galley kitchen!  Up the stairs there were two bedrooms which we had the choice of - one was blue and white and had lots of angles and panels in the ceiling.  The doors were quite fun too - probably meant for children but it was a really nice room!  The other one was also quite cosy but the decor more normal.  The bed in the latter of the two was more comfortable, so we chose this one - it also had a wardrobe in whereas the other one had drawers only.

Back in the kitchen, the kettle was put on and we had tea with a slice of cake after we unpacked and Mathew opened the rest of his presents.  We went outside for a little wander around the town centre to have a look at the menus in various places when we wanted to eat out later in the week, before returning to the cottage and settling down to watch Strictly!

Sunday 13th October

We were up at 8am and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before deciding what to do today.  The weather forecast had it overcast in the morning and raining in the afternoon.  Stepping outside, it was fresh!!  We made our way to Craster where we walked to Dunstanburgh Castle along the coast.  It was cold and windy but it was actually quite nice as the sky was rather dramatic and the sea was really choppy.  So much so in fact we saw lots of sea foam and were entertained by the way it wibbled when a wave crashed in!  It was so windy, some of it was blown free and tumbled onto the grass.

Once at Dunstanburgh Castle it was drizzling in the air on and off but we still explored the Castle ruins.  We decided to have lunch here too, I'm sure we looked very British sitting on a bench outside in the drizzle eating our sandwiches...!  We made our way back to Craster using the same route we had arrived by, and popped into the information office where I bought some interesting chocolate - Geranium and Orange.  Then we stopped by the van outside to have a hot drink - I had a hot chocolate whilst Mathew had a tea.  We sat in the car to drink it as the seats outside were wet through.  Finished, we went on to Warkworth Castle which we had been to before for our Birthdays but I couldn't remember it until we were inside.  We decided to go with an audio guide which we don't usually do, but it was free so we thought 'why not?'.  Turns out that the narrator sounded just like Michael Palin - I'm convinced it was!  Eric Idle may have been in there too maybe but Michael Palin was an almost definite.

We enjoyed exploring the keep with its many passages, although I remember last time I went in and out of every doorway and stair case without really thinking about it - our route was much more structured this time!  Still fun!

At the end of the audio guide we stepped out into the sunlight - we couldn't believe how sunny it was now, there must have been so much wind it blew the rain away and left us with a clear sky.  This wasn't forecast...!  Still a cold breeze though.  We returned the audio guides asking if it was Michael Palin and she didn't know - although apparently they get asked this question rather a lot.....so it must be! :)

I bought a pair of gloves as I had decided, foolishly, to bring a white pair with me on holiday (they matched my hat and scarf, okay?).  Back at the cottage, I washed my white gloves and kept the black ones in the car.  We walked around to investigate the menus again before Mathew decided that we would eat in tonight - he would have a belated Birthday meal next week.  It was still useful to have another look to refresh our memories.

We returns to the cottage to chill out and have tea and cake :)

Monday 14th October

 Today we went to Craster again, but walked in the opposite direction to yesterday.  We headed to Howick Hall and Gardens.  The weather was pretty much the same as yesterday, although the wind may have been stronger as we spent a few minutes watching and attempting to take photos of the crashing waves.  Onward we went, lunch included, until we came to where we were planning on getting into th Gardens, but the gate had a notice on it saying they no longer allowed people in this entrance!  We had to double back on ourselves, and after getting in, we stopped to have a hot drink.  Mathew had a pot of Assam tea whilst I had a hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream.  I don't usually go for marshmallows on hot chocolate, but I thought it would prevent me from getting a piece of cake....!  The top part was nice, but unfortunately I could tell this hot chocolate was made with water.  Barely chocolatey!

We walked around the Gardens a bit, although it was more like an arboretum with a bit of landscaping.  To be fair, we didn't explore the eastern side so perhaps this is where it was more picturesque.  Feet aching, we made our way back home, stopping off at Sainsburys to get some chicken for tonight's stir fry.

Tuesday 15th October

My Birthday!  Yeeeeeeey!

I started by opening my presents of course, before having Breakfast.  We went to Barter Books in Alnwick which is the most awesome 2nd hand bookshop in the old train station, and we spent 2 hours there!  Mathew came away with 2 books and I left with 4.  Half way through we had a hot drink and shared a slice of Cranberry and Pistacio Tiffin.  After this, we went into Alnwick itself and had a look around the shops.  As nice as Alnwick is, there aren't many interesting gift shops there really.  We stopped off to have lunch in a cafe before moving on to Alnwick Garden.

The weather today was cloudy but no rain was really forecast, just a few showers.  It was cool but not freezing and the sun was out every now and then. I rather liked the idea of having dinner in the Treehouse Restaurant, but unfortunately it wasn't open onTuesday nights!  I remember having difficulty last time, finding a restaurant which was open on Sunday nights.  BUT - as Mathew was going to have his Birthday meal later in the week, I decided to do the same.  I figured it would be better to go out to a place you really want NEAR your Birthday rather than go to your second or third choice ON your Birthday.  So it was decided - Mathew would have his Birthday meal tonight and I would have mine on Friday night.  We booked a table for two at 7pm on October 18th.

The Garden was as fun as we remembered it, with the addition of a Cherry Orchard and pond which weren't there last time.  The Bamboo Labyrinth was much more overgrown and fun than last time!  This time we did the Poison Garden which was also great fun - the guide we had was a great storyteller :)

After exploring everything, we made our way to the shop which wasn't quite as good as I remember, but I managed to find some biscuits for work colleagues and family.  We made our way to the treehouse once more just to go along the suspended bridges (in a drunken sort of way) before heading back to the car.  Back at home, I skipped cake but still had a cup of tea and tried one of each of the chocolates I had been given for my Birthday :). We then left at 7 and went to The Sun Inn which was just a couple of minutes' walk away where we had dinner.

There was an open fire which we sat near, and the whole place was quite cosy - lots of drift wood art.  I chose the home made burger whilst Mathew had the Steak and Ale Pie.  I was too full to have a dessert afterward, but we left with full bellies and enjoyed Puss In Boots which was one of the DVDs I had for my Birthday.

Wednesday 16th October

Today we made our way to Durham.  It was much smaller than we had anticipated, and most of the shops were typical of nanny towns high street really.  Inside the Cathedral we were unable to take any photos, which is a shame as it was really nice inside!  We climbed the tower which was over 300 steps and when we returned we were rewarded with a sticker saying we'd climbed the tower!  On our way to the gift shop, we came across the Cathedral being built in LEGO which looked rather fun - especially the stained glass windows!  We were told that they were raising money by asking people to pay £1 for a brick in order to build it, which we did - and promptly received another sticker saying we helped build Durham Cathedral in LEGO.  I wonder how much they see it grow in a day?  They have already raised £35,000 - the idea is to create an exhibit of all the things which are currently locked away never to be seen by visitors.


In the shop I bought a Christmas Present, before we left and decided to have some lunch on the cafe not far from the Cathedral instead of the one IN the Cathedral.  We went to the "Cafe on the Green" which had a very nice menu, so it seemed we had chosen well despite not even seeing a menu beforehand.  We both had toasties - mine was Northumberland Cheddar and sun dried tomato, whilst Mathew had roast pork with apple sauce and stuffing.  It came with a side salad and those vegetable crisps which were very nice!  Afterward, we decided on some cake.  I had rich chocolate fudge cake with another decaf cappuccino and Mathew had spiced apple cake with another pot of tea.  DELISH!!  Finished, we left the cafe and headed straight to the car as there was nothing really for us to do in Durham - we were thinking it would have lots of handmade craft shops but it didn't.  We had a quick look in the Market which was very eclectic - I said that three quarters of it was basically like Leicester market selling the usual things markets do, whilst one quarter of it was how I wanted it to be, for example there was an art stall and a place selling Moroccan lamps.

Back to the car we had a slight incident with the pay and display machine as it ate our ticket and announced it was out of order, Mathew went to find someone in the office which turned out to be empty and closed, but he found a number to call which I dialled but had no response.  in the meantime, someone had come out to see the machine on our floor and we just ended up paying him instead as he couldn't fix the machine.  Panic over, we headed back to our cottage for a nice cup of tea after a quick visit to Sainsburys for a few bits.  The rain had set in by this time, and we had heard on the radio that there were lots of delays and everything seemed to be going pear shaped with the trainlines and even Heathrow.  Back in the cottage we had our tea and relaxed in the warm dry cosy cottage for the rest of the day.

Thursday 17th October

Today the weather was being kind, the forecast was to be cloudy and mostly dry.  So this is when we decided that today we would go to Beamish.  Mathew had never been before but I had - we were both looking forward to having Beamish fish and chips and I was hoping there would be some of my favourite sherbet with boiled sweet lollies to dip into it!

We made our way there and the weather got brighter and brighter, the sun coming through and blue sky emerging.  The traffic was a little heavier than expected, but we made reasonably good time and headed straight in.  The first stop was the Pit Village and Colliery where we had a tour of the mine, followed by a demonstration up top in the Colliery itself.  We then had a little look in the Cottages, Chapel and School before we realised that it was lunchtime - and we had already decided we were having fish and chips which have quite the reputation!  We went to Davy's Fish and Chip shop - Mathew had a fish and chips whist I had a dab and chips (a dab being half a fish).  They had been fried in beef dripping and oh....my....goodness it was so incredibly tasty!  Lovely.  Topped off by Mr.Fenwicks Lemonade. Yum!

We made our way to Home Farm and said hello to the piglets before hopping on a tram to make our way into the Town which is comprised of real buildings which have been taken down brick by brick and rebuilt onto a brick paved street.  Everyone who works here is dressed in period costume, and we also noticed that some of the school groups had also dressed up!

Our first visit was to the sweet shop, or rather Confectioners where I bought my favourite sherbet (one orange and one raspberry/cherry) and some ABC letters which are an old favourite of mine.  I was given extra lollipops with the sherbet - bonus!  We continued along the street looking at the houses which were used for businesses such as the Dentist and Solicitor before making our way to the Railway Station which had a fairground next to it.  On our way back into the town we stopped off for an ice cream with raspberry drizzle which was rather nice.  It was still sunny with blue skies - why not have ice cream outside in October while the weather was good?

We continued having a look at the other shops - tha haberdashery, grocers, and hat shop which had a print shop upstairs - in which the guide was a very good storyteller!  We also popped in to the Masonic Hall, Barclays Bank and the Bakery which I don't remember from last time I visited.  I later learned the Bakers only opened earlier this year so that explains that!

We continued on our way to the Georgian Landscape where we explored a house and made our way to the Waggonway where we went on a small and bumpy ride on a steam train which was actually meant more for freight - and we discovered why as it wasn't the most comfortable!

After deciding we had finished exploring the place quite thoroughly, we headed back on foot to the entrance where we had a look in the gift shop before leaving.  Back in Alnmouth the day turned grey and drizzly again, and we weren't sure if it had actually been bright at all while we had been gone.  All in all a good day out with a the best weather of the week!  Back in the cottage we relaxed and had some sausages for dinner which Mathew had bought in Alnwick.

Friday 18th October

Today we started out at Tynemouth Priory and Castle which was more a ruin but had quite large grounds.  It was overcast and windy today but rain was expected later so we thought there was enough time for us to fit in a couple of things today.  We walked along the north pier before returning to the car with empty bellies, ready for lunch.  We made our way to Seaton Delaval Hall, which we later learner was only acquired by theNational Trust in 2010.

 First off we went to the cafe where I had a disappointing Panini which seemed to have half a block of mild cheese in it with half a onion and a couple of slices of tomato.  Well if the soup hadn't been mushroom I would have gone for that...!  Anyway, it filled my stomach and we continued.  We walked into the main hall and......wow.  Nothing like we expected.  The place was barely a shell, but it was really interesting to see the bare bones of the place, the stone and the birch and how it was constructed.  It was very impressive and despite none of the rooms having anything in them and only two of the three floors accessible to visitors, it was pretty impressive and really quite interesting!  I would love to know how they're going to do it all up.  We hope that they will keep the walls as is and fill it with appropriate furniture as if it were a castle, mainly because I think that way it will keep its character.  Painting and covering the walls will make it the same as any old stately home - to keep it as is would make it so much different and interesting.

We went into the west wing of the building which has only recently been opened to the public in full, with new flooring and carpets.  We had to don some plastic covers onto our shoes, not the first time we've had to do it in this sort of place. The west wing was more like a home, and the decor was dated to the 1990s so fairly modern and not very exciting.  But the history of the place was really interesting and the whole thing made up for the unenjoyable Panini I had earlier...!

We learned that there had been a fire at Seaton Delaval Hall which burnt the place really quite severely in 1822 and has since never been occupied. The National Trust opened it to the public pretty much as soon as they acquired it, in order for visitors to see the transition it will be making through its restoration, so it will be really interesting to find out what it might be looking like in 5 years time.  I really hope they don't do it up like the west wing.....

After this, we went outside and explored the gardens which were still just about in flower and we imagined they would probably be even better in the summer or at least on a sunny day.  We visited a little church which was in the grounds - it had two rather nice Norman arches and two stone effigies which were also rather nice, one of which was a crusader (his legs were crossed).

After all this we headed to the car to get back to the cottage.  Seaton Delaval Hall closed at 3pm which was earlier than most places, but as we were going home tomorrow we thought it a good idea to get back early so we could have showers and pack a little before heading out for dinner.  We had booked a table for two at the Treehouse Restaurant which is next to Alnwick Garden.  It was lovely and delicious - a perfect ending to our Birthday Holiday in Northumberland.