Hi there
Firstly thank you for all your kind and supportive messages after my last blog. They were very much appreciated.
I really am missing our travels at the moment. The days seem to be permanently grey and on the brief occasion the sun does come out Garry and I can't get outside quick enough. In our efforts to inject a bit of colour into our daily life I have put together some of the photographs taken of the amazingly colourful flora and fauna we have come across on our recent walks. Taking my special attachable lens for my phone I have been able to photograph some really tiny fungi, apparently it's a good year for fungi this year! Garry spotted some wonderful examples that had me virtually lying on the ground trying to get them in focus. No mean feat when I am not quite as bendy as I used to be.
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Recently we spent a little time testing out toilets! Well I say testing obviously I don't mean testing testing, I mean just sitting on testing, bearing in mind we were in a showroom at the time. Who would have thought that you could chose from so many different toilets. Round, square, flush, coupled, uncoupled - like Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, high level, low level, wall hung, semi recessed - does this mean its in a closet?, close coupled open backed, close coupled comfort height - is there an uncomfortable height? If so why? - Round rimless - close coupled, apparently no rim to clean under. So why have a rim in the first place? Please, I just want a functional toilet! After a bewildering hour we left with a brochure and non the wiser.......
Anyway enough of the chat and back to the blog........
North to South
Up into the Borderlands. Where the Border Reivers reeked havoc for over 400 years and the lands changed hands between the Scots and the English more times than was sensible, laying waste to the towns and villages in the process, but luckily for us now there are some beautiful and historic towns well worth exploring.
We stayed in Berwick on Tweed birth place of my gt gt Grandfather, for four nights, overlooking the sea and the busy estuary. The Tweed Estuary is largely unspoilt. Long and narrow it is a designated area of special conservation and the wildlife fauna and flora are in abundance. You can walk or cycle along its banks and enjoy its peaceful magic, travel beneath Berwick’s famous three bridges, past the ruins of the Castle, where you can picture its tumultuous history and then further into the quiet of the countryside. Wonderful.
Whilst in Berwick we cycled along the Northumberland Coastal Path. Starting in Cresswell at the Southern end of Druridge Bay, the path climbs over the Cheviots, turns back to the coast and Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve before it follows the coast again and ends at Berwick on Tweed. I wish we could have seen it all. The short section we followed from Berwick was amazing. The views, the beaches, particularly Cocklawburn, which is part of the Lindisfarne Area of Special Scientific Interest and the people we met made for a really great day. There were so many travellers cycling or walking the whole route, in groups, couples, or alone, young and old all with interesting stories to tell.
This was our second visit to Berwick and we would return again at the drop of a hat. This time we enjoyed following the history trail through Spittal, following its very varied and interesting history as a working fishing port and the trail following the L S Lowry information boards, apparently he loved to holiday in the area every year. This put me in mind one of my ancestors who lived and grew up at the same time and on the same street in Manchester as this famous artist. I wonder if they went to school together? We also took a day trip up to St Abbs Head. The coast there is spectacular.
Budle Bay. A picnic place to envy. Warkworth Castle
We explored further South, staying at the Nunnykirk Site. Located out in the countryside on the banks of the River Font it is a peaceful and relaxing area just outside Rothbury, itself a wonderful example of an historically wealthy market town. Here we got to revisit Belsay Hall and Brinkburn Priory, both now managed by English Heritage and probably two of my most favourite historic properties to visit. Belsay has such wonderful Quarry Gardens and Brinkburn, tucked away in a narrow valley on the banks of the river, is a peaceful place of contemplation.
Belsay Hall, Castle and Quarry Gardens
Brinkburn Priory
I feel I should spend some time talking about our Journey South to our next port of call, Bridlington, as we passed so many historical monuments, pieces of art, places linked to social reform and of course the views.
We started on the A1 passing Anthony Gormley’s iconic 'Angel of the North' Statue. We drove within a stones through of Jarrow, which instantly reminded me of the Jarrow Crusade of October 1936. A group of men marched to London from Jarrow, with them they carried a petition protesting against poverty and unemployment. At the time they believed that their efforts had failed but it became a defining moment in history and helped spur on the social reforms after WW2. They exemplified the true spirit and pride of the people of the North East.
As we joined the A19 the Penshaw Monument loomed high and proud on the horizon. According to the National Trust, who manage the site, it is Wearside’s most beloved landmark and features on the Sunderland Football Club Badge. Built to commemorate the 1st Earl of Durham it stands 70 feet tall and is a replica of The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens and can be seen from 50 miles away. It is pretty impressive I do have to say.
As the road squeezes between Houghton le Spring and Chester le Street I am reminded of the origins of my (Little Gran’s) family, this is where they relocated to first, coming from Berwick on Tweed before moving for the final time down to Shropshire.
Another snippet of history as we pass the town of Peterlee I was interested to discover that it was a New Town formed in 1948 and named after Peter Lee, miners leader, methodist preacher, (like my Gt Gt Grandfather), local councillor and trade unionist. Peterlee is unique because it is the only new town requested by the people through their MP.
There is only a brief respite from the conurbations of Newcastle and Middlesborough before we turn off the A19 and drive virtually past the front door of the birthplace of Captain Cook, in Marton and we then skirt the bottom of Easby Moor where Captain Cook’s Monument sits at its peak. Cook, of course, was a famous explorer, navigator and cartographer from the 18th century, who on his ship The Endeavour charted New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. The A179 now skirts the top of the North Yorkshire Moors and all those wonderful villages, many made famous by TV programmes such as Heartbeat and popular films like Harry Potter. The views are fantastic.
As we continue in the later part of our journey the road returns to the sea and Whitby Abbey rises in front of us in the distance, atmospheric and majestic even from a few miles away and at this point I can’t help but marvel at the 1000’s of years of British History we have travelled through in two short hours. I feel incredibly lucky to live and be able to explore a Country where every inch of it seems to have a story to tell.
Next time Bridlington, Withernsea and Spurn Head …….
Bye for now
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