Round Britain for the RNLI Blog

With the weather still no good for departure to Scarborough I decided that I would take the day out for a sightseeing trip to Newcastle by train so off to the station at 9.30 i went.

I didn’t know if I could even get a train to Newcastle at that stage but on arrival I was delighted that they were hourly. A 15 min wait and on to the train. I was expecting the ticket price to be ridiculously pricey but again I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was only £7.10 for a day return. Pulling out from Hartlepool station I had a great view of the coastline and it was patently clear that I had made the right decision… the waves were crashing on the shore and boats were partially disappearing out to see below the swell.

50 minutes later we were pulling in to Newcastle station. I have never been to Newcastle before and I had absolutely no idea of what to expect and even before I left the station I was feeling at home there. The city is just wonderful! It is a modern, cosmopolitan metropolis with a super mix of the ultra modern and the historic. I didn’t get any sense other than a city that was making a big effort to be a great place to live and to visit and in my opinion, based on this one day visit, I believe they are succeeding.

I decided to just walk and see where i ended up and so I walked downhill on the basis that it might lead to the river…. it did and I found the Quayside which has a fabulous walkway all along the riverside. The River Tyne is the strangest colour… it is a chocolate brown! I wonder why?

I had seen the Gateshead Millennium Bridge from the train on the way in to the city and seeing it as I approached the river I walked towards it. It is a superb piece of modern bridge design similar in initial appearance to the Millennium Bridge in London but on closer inspection it is very different indeed with a curved deck. I think it is beautiful and took quite a few pics. I stopped at the bar on the Newcastle side for a beer while I admired.

There are many bridges over the River Tyne that are notable one of which was designed by Stevenson and it is still fully functional. It is a superb river to walk alongside and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Returning to the station I noticed the Life Sciences centre and being very interested in all things science I investigate and found an interactive exhibition on human and bio sciences and not being able to resist I went in. The £8 entrance was a bit steep but it was a great museum and exhibition and one I do recommend especially for kids.

So back to the station. Waiting for the train I couldn’t help but feel that Newcastle was a city I wanted to return to so that I could discover it with the time it deserves. One thing I would say though… it is quite expensive to live there as far as I could see. Accommodation is quite pricey and food seemed so too and I think that the city has a slight London feel (only much better in my opinion) and has London prices but if someone has something that people want then I suppose they  can charge for it.

All in all a great day out and the image that Newcastle left with me for one I loved and I want to return.

Click here for pics…

The wave height metre is still showing the wave heights in Hartlepool Bay at 2.5m so it is still too high to go but the forecast is such that I would expect that to be well down tomorrow morning. If it is then I will be leaving for Scarborough at about midday getting there about 5pm or after (the harbour has access 3 hours either side of HW).

The forecast is still showing a high building over the south with is then forecast to drift eastward clearing the UK by the end of the week. I am hoping to have the opportunity to put together several days of consecutive movement and this might be my chance. My fingers are crossed!

More tomorrow before I leave…

Jo and I drove down to the coast today at Portwrinkle, about 10 miles from our home. There’s a lovely beach there, and the South West Coastal Path passes through the village. It’s a beautiful spot. We sat on the beach for a while and then walked a little way up the path. Once back at the car an ice-cream completed the holidaymaker experience. It’s been a wonderfully warm day, lots of sunshine and a gentle breeze to keep you from overheating.

We drove back via Seaton - another nice beach. Wish I’d taken my cossie with me.

While the south of the country enjoys sunshine, gentle winds and high temperatures, in Hartlepool it is cold, very windy and cloudy. In the marina office there is a Wave Height meter, put there to help the construction team of an offshore wind farm. It is showing 3m waves outside the harbour. So Paul is staying put today and has caught a train to Newcastle to spend the day there sightseeing.

Haven’t written for quite a while - sorry. Since I last wrote I have been away staying with friends on the Oxfordshire/Bucks border. I have a group of friends who I have known for 28 years. We meet 3 or 4 times a year and last weekend was one of those meetings. Since I moved down to Cornwall I have tried to attend at least one a year, and so I went up there and stayed for the weekend. We all went out on Saturday to Art in Action at Waterperry which was an extravaganza of art in all its forms - sculture, painting, textiles, etching, storytelling, you name it. I am not heavily into that sort of thing but it was an absolutely amazing day. The artists themselves are there creating their work in front of you, and you can ask them about it and how they do what they do. On every year, so make a day of it one year if you like the sound of it.

Yesterday then on my way home I drove to Reading Station to pick up Jo, my neice. Reading Station is a joy. Multiple exits, no idea where she might emerge, she can’t see any signs that might help me translate where she is! Met by mobile in the end and echosounded our way together. We now have 3 days to enjoy before she sets off to a Summer Camp in Gloucestershire. Girlie night in last night watching The American President together. Great film.

So more anon on our adventures during the next 3 days. Meanwhile Paul is still wind bound in Hartlepool with the rest of us it seems enjoying light winds and high temperatures. How frustrating this is.