The North East of England

[Lat-Literal]

And a couple of other clarifications:

It appears that the Durham Mining Museum is at Spennymoor rather than, as I implied, at Langley Park. I note that the Miners' Art Gallery is at Bishop Auckland. I am guessing that the best museum in Newcastle for the history of its shipbuilding and all other industry is the Discovery Museum. If anyone wishes to add with knowledge to this sort of thinking, please do.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Ah! Spennymoor - where I did my first Teaching Practice (at King Street Junior School) 37 years ago, practically to the month! The idea that those little 10 year-old kids will now be approaching their 50s makes me feel ... astonished!

Sorry - nothing of value to add to Lats' post - there's not even a Blue Plaque (not since the improvements in dentistry, at any rate).

[antongould]

Lat it's been a wonderful thread and now we have reached Spennymoor, way beyond a joy to behold.....

[Lat-Literal]

Lat it's been a wonderful thread and now we have reached Spennymoor, way beyond a joy to behold.....

Oh thank you ever so much, AG, that is very kind of you and I felt supported in my endeavours by your interest in Tynemouth. I did fear that I might have lost you - and others - a bit when I went slightly McAloon but I got back on track and have been doing some enjoyable research along with taking good note of forum members' suggestions. I reckon that I have almost etched out a seven or eight day return to the region in some detail but I also doubt that it will ever happen. Sadly, my personal circumstances are such that I cannot see it as possible. But once it is completed, I will post it as it might give other people some ideas to follow up and also it will be here as a reminder to me of what is still a personal objective.

Ah! Spennymoor - where I did my first Teaching Practice (at King Street Junior School) 37 years ago, practically to the month! The idea that those little 10 year-old kids will now be approaching their 50s makes me feel ... astonished!

Sorry - nothing of value to add to Lats' post - there's not even a Blue Plaque (not since the improvements in dentistry, at any rate).

Interesting and time-wise, yes, how I know only too well, ferney.

Unusually, I have two ex work people visiting Coulsdon on Friday. One who I haven't seen in decades is 64 and the other who I saw for the first time in seven years last year is 63. We were in the same workplace when they were 34 and 33 and I was a mere 25. As another friend, 54, enjoyed saying recently his brother has just turned 52 which seems quite incredible but the most incredible thing to him is that my 57th birthday is due next year. Well, yes, in December 2019. Such are the joys of December birthdays and other people's arithmetic.

[Lat-Literal]

The more I look into this area, the more there seems to be. This says much of the North East. A first part of making the impossible into the possible is to identify a workable structure. Currently I don't have one and perhaps it would be best just to appreciate what I have managed to do. But I will start with what is probably the ideal and then try to work backwards. Notwithstanding that it is far too many nights away and also I wouldn't be doing an urban centre base by preference, it seems to me that all of the following would be very good indeed:

Main base: Gosforth, a quieter area of Newcastle but central.

Day 1, Midweek - London to York: Of the things I have done, I would recommend to other people in the daytime the stroll by the river off Lendal Bridge, MUseum Gardens, the city centre, market place, the walls and the Minster. The main university grounds are to the uninitiated unexpected and not without appeal but not especially meaningful. They are best approached, if at all, outside term time and Heslington Village beyond them is not a bad addition. Plus of course there are the obvious museums - railways, Vikings etc. Knowing what I know now and to some extent always did, I suggest the best location for accommodation is either close to the Ouse near Marygate off Bootham or with a short bus ride, further out towards Clifton Green. A second option for relative quiet is the university side but not as far as the university, ie close to Fishergate, which while less attractive is still fairly central and on a very frequent bus route. Arguably, the key pub in York now for history and ambience is the tiny Blue Bell on Fossgate but do make for it in the day and not in a large group if you try. The Minster Inn just behind Museum Gardens and on Marygate itself is much changed but still oozes character and it may be a good quiet option for the nights after nice strolls.

From my point of view, I would on this day mainly be seeking a final farewell to York City at Bootham Crescent. This is perceived in my mind as being in an evening match although to go on a Saturday for an afternoon match would be in some ways even better. Beforehand, I am aware that the last time I really just poked my head in to York Minster and I would really like to go back in to see the Rose Window once again. I have Googled the churches which it is so easy to take for granted as a part of the overall scenery. I've learnt quite a lot in the process. There are fewer in the centre than it seems. Most are linked and most are often open. So I would probably pick out a couple of the more interesting ones and visit those. On the basis of comments received on this forum, I would consider a visit to the Ackhorne and/or the Golden Ball pubs off Micklegate while choosing my times very carefully. Clearly they are mainly for locals and on tiny thoroughfares but they are just off the main drag. I think the Bay Horse, Gillygate, which is close to the Minster Inn and even closer to the river with river views may now well be worth investigating to see if it has really "gone posh" as the old lady I met advised me. Incidentally, this part of town is now known as Dame Judi Dench Walk.

Day 2 - In York, Southside: For people who do have an interest in seeing the university - its modernism contrasts sharply with York itself and the likes of Durham - and who can walk, I do strongly recommend not taking a bus up but to walk up Heslington Road and immediately after Fairfax House to take a right turn through a gate which leads unexpectedly across fields with cyclists and, if you are lucky, cows. Ultimately bear left towards the campus. Approximately 10-15 minutes. At the risk of sounding overly pub orientated, the oddly named Seahorse Hotel on Fishergate - after all it is a city that is not by the sea - is still an ok option as a brief stop off point before that slight climb but it is not the Shire Horses as it used to be. Beyond the main campus, I suggest the Deramore Arms at the far end of Heslington Village rather than the Charles in that same village - which is not a lot more than one short road - although that distinction is probably debatable. The new campus is a short bus ride or a 15 minute walk further on. It is not for me but do not be put off by its initial appearance. Architecturally it is interesting. It is from an environmentalist's point of view an interesting study into what may be done when expansion involves encroaching on Green Belt. Certainly its lake is of interest to birders - as is the lake on the earlier campus. And there are some smart, somewhat awe inspiring, places where the public can enjoy a cup of coffee and more.

I would not be revisiting these places. Indeed, given constraints, a second day in York seems a little excessive. But I would dearly love to attend the York Music Appreciation Society which is held on the Heslington side of the University at or close to Eden's Court. That also happens to be very close to Halifax College which is the one that was built in the interim and which I am intrigued to see. Otherwise, the interest unlike in Northumberland and Durham is a bit pub-centric. Back at Fishergate, which is between the university and the city centre, I note that both the Woolpack and the Edinboro Arms have somehow survived while being virtually next door to the Seahorse. These appear to have to have been much improved since my day when I wouldn't have even considered them and with frequent live music, possibly folk. Not so far away and again on the outskirts, there is the pub and fish and chips combination that is the Rose and Crown which has been in various states over the decades but generally reasonable enough if mainly for the locals and Jenny's which is the iconic Jimmy's Fish Bar renamed and looks almost the same as it did 36 years ago. I suppose I could mention the Black Swan Inn - full of history - on a slight detour back into town and even the regularly flooded King's Arms but neither has especially fascinated me. They are on the tourist trail and today, as with many years ago, they would not be very high on my agenda.

[Lat-Literal]

Day 3 - To Gosforth and in Newcastle:

From this point onwards, my recommendations in italics to other people become increasingly shorter as I couldn't possibly claim to know a lot. Indeed, I have never knowingly set foot in Gosforth - or Jesmond which it seems to me would be a reasonable alternative - in my life. But - and I accept I am biased - I would strongly recommend Tynemouth for its relaxed ways, its history and its good management. I was pleased to have seen Whitley Bay alongside it but I wouldn't argue for it by preference and believe that it can become a bit rowdy at night. North Shields, just on the other side, is clearly more urban and industrial. I find that hard to picture, being as it is so close, and would not necessarily wish to be aware of that juxtaposition although I would be happy to hear an argument against this. Sadly, I doubt that Tynemouth is a base for much broader exploration. While the Metro on its day is no doubt very good, it is quite a way out if the aim is to travel to Durham and North Northumberland. That aside, I can recommend the experience that is a Newcastle Utd football day out. I feel the Gallowgate end was exactly the right choice although for something even more full on the best option is to be in the left upper corner. I don't know about Newcastle pubs but am happy to have had a few minutes at the Strawberry, immediately below the Gallowgate stand, which is Newcastle Utd to a tee, packed full of friendly supporters with history on its walls and even a terrace with some considerable views. From experience of several decades ago, I can also recommend gigs at the City Hall which I hadn't realised is in the Civic Quarter.

Apart from getting there - and it is only an hour or so from York - the key word for this day in my notes is orientation. Given that I lean towards the rural, this is the main urban centre north of Watford which I have in theory chosen to love - or it has chosen me to love: I am not sure on that point - so the most I can do is enjoy learning where everywhere sits. I'm just blimmin' annoyed that I seem to have a taste for the extremities from a London perspective. It really doesn't make my life easy to have a thing about this region and also Devon and Cornwall but no doubt there is some hidden meaning there. Someone did ask me why I didn't have it on my list of universities in 1982. My answer was that I got there within three months of arriving in York. But the true answers are that I was due to go to King's College, London in 1981 because I couldn't face leaving home; when I delayed and went to York it felt on paper so outlandishly brave it was the Borneo option; I grew up in a little world, to paraphrase Tracey Thorn, who went in parallel to Hull; and while youngsters these days think of the other side of the globe as next door, characters don't substantially change. What was true of then is even truer now. It would be on my list today but I'm happy with what I settled for then and consider that the very tiny perspectives of that time probably led to there being a richer life experience. Imaginative appreciation rarely thrives in know-all but not climates.

Anyhows, the walk from St James' Park to the main station - I now use the apostrophe and no "s" controversially on the basis that, unlike at Exeter's St James's Park, the jury on that point is out -is not long but it isn't short. The walk at 11.30pm on 27 December 1982 from City Hall was slightly longer but I don't recall it at all. There is that feeling, especially now that I have studied maps, that in terms of any centre I have been there or thereabouts. But what I have for this day is Eldon Square, Northumberland Street and the Central Arcade for, ahem, shopping; the Civic Quarter with its university and hospital and other civic buildings, as well as City Hall, the Quayside and Grey's Monument and the Tyne River God and the Castle Keep. Perhaps even the Gateshead Millennium Bridge although that feels somewhat different. It is not just a seeing. It is a mapping via mainly walking. I'm not so sure I can see a night in it other than being locked up in the b and b in awe at convenient distance of the joie de vivre of the night-lifers while feeling simultaneously that is their thing and not mine.

[Lat-Literal]

Days 4 and 5 - Northumberland Coast : I and II

As with the Mormons a year or two ago, I am developing a problem with Jehovah's Witnesses. It has nothing to do with their philosophy about which I choose to know little but the fact that no one other than them ever turns up on my doorstep regularly to say hello. No, actually, it is more than that. As someone who has leanings towards Woodstock but feels that it - and its positive casualness - has all gone with time and been replaced by the chav culture, there is a peculiar mix in me of wariness and admiration about the clean-cut nature of these people. It is like normal people used to be without any need for cults and the woman who, I don't know why, knows a fair amount about York...well, she has been here now on more than half a dozen occasions with almost any member of her family and I can only say that in discussions there is an unusual emotional and possibly even greater electricity.

I found her American husband a bit weird but most recently she had her almost perfect teenage daughter reading out some text and her delivery was impeccable. Somewhere between what the BBC used to be and the National Shakespeare Company was as we used to know it. It turned out that the mother was all a bit blank on Lindisfarne. She thought that it might be in Scotland. Her daughter knew, though. She also knew that the population of the University of York had increased from 3.000 to 18.000. But as always - and not that I do it deliberately - I found that on this occasion it was me who struck the religious blow. There they were telling me God exalts. I said that I was a man who liked words but until they arrived I didn't understand the meaning of "exalt". Plus as a Jeremy in fuller name - they know me simply as Jerry - the derivation not that I could possibly understand it - was "Jehovah Exalteth". "Wow" they said. "Just wow". It wasn't them at all. And rather than me being susceptible to undue influence it was they who went cleanly back down my steps reeling.

I mention this only because I have had some time to consider Lindisfarne after my visit. I cannot deny that in my own peculiar mindset that this was nothing other than a pilgrimage. I am, in principle, in favour of pilgrimages per se. I like the concept and - she would forgive me for saying this and even admire it - the cackly old bird who was my mate and a secretary to that rarity, a pleasant Permanent Secretary. When she retired in 1999 with the view of walking across the north of Spain to Santiago de Compestela, staying in huts along the way, I was not only amazed that she should be doing it but full of admiration and I really loved that woman at that point although she would have thought of me as a silly old sod for doing so and laughed her head off. With this in mind, I am not sure how or why in a normal head how Alan Hull, Ray Jackson, Si Cowe, Rod Clements et al should ever elide or align with Aidan, Cuthbert. Eidfrith and Bede, let alone the gardener Gertrude Jekyll. Somehow they can and they do and because of history I know more about the group that I should know less of.

Being in italics, this section is for other people. I can say two things here. One, spirituality - I would call it a genuine spirituality - probably doesn't need travel because what is inside the person is always different from the place or places where they believe it to be. Two, the Holy Island is a magical place. I would never have left this life content without having visited it. It will strike anyone who ever goes there in an individualistic way. Some will see it as the perfect place to walk their dogs or to go on a charity walk. Others will find that it offers something on a deeper level. Fortunately, it isn't spoilt by over-commercialism. It is just fine as it is and I thoroughly recommend it. But - and this is somewhat ironic given the links of Canewdon in Essex with witchcraft - I found that in each case I didn't allow enough time and in each what I look back on now as wanting to have done is walk by water. In Canewdon's case, the estuary was just a bit too distant. On Lindisfarne, I saw its best beach which is on the far side and only possible through rapid effort but if only I could have walked it.

These days - days 4 and 5 - would involve tackling the mainland Northumbrian coast with its spectacular castles and beaches. The Northumberland Coast is 62 miles, mainly of AONB. There are six stages each of between six and thirteen miles. If I were a younger man with all the time in the world. I would walk it all. I have figured that even in an idealistic "it probably will never happen" way I would now have to be choosy. I see therefore as priorities (a) Stage 3 - Craster to Seahouses including Dunstanburgh Castle and (b) Stage 4 - Seahouses to Belford including Banburgh Castle. Of course, in an absolutely ideal world the base for such walks would be Alnmouth or even perhaps Morpeth rather than Newcastle.

If it is ever to happen, I might have to break my neck on two consecutive days and do it from York, given any need to return home quickly for emergencies, notwithstanding my own health issues. I think it would be apt here to put in a word for Berwick taxis based in Berwick on Tweed. Neither of the guys I met have had life easy but they were utterly helpful to me on getting me onto Lindisfarne and back. The second did say that if people - me in this instance - wished to do both castles and see the beaches in one day they could with prior booking do something tailor made for around £100. While that is an awful lot of money, the distances are considerable and if it is wanted enough I think it is a great option. I trust them and would recommend them. On the downside, I wouldn't personally feel that I had experienced what I wanted to experience simply by seeing these things from a car. I would, therefore, want to know if ambling was built in to the schedule and even then I would probably regret that I hadn't had the opportunity to properly walk. But, alas, beggars can't be choosers.

[Lat-Literal]

York University Campus:

Hot Air Balloons Over Gush, Students in Twilight, Absent:

https://imgur.com/bhQ8Gfq

The Bridge Before Spotlights on the Algorithms:

https://imgur.com/Q42MzUO

Central Hall, Zig-Zagged via Reflective Floaters:

https://imgur.com/rkCOjSR

The Concrete Has Not All Been Concreted Over:

https://imgur.com/M0jFNy4

Spaceship Diminished by Fairly Mid-Size Waters:

https://imgur.com/a/Pnf1L53

Wisps of Lightish, Erroneous - There are no Che Guevaras:

https://imgur.com/u9GJ4X0

[Lat-Literal]

And there's plenty more where those came from, although less oblique, as Tynemouth, for example, had to be done as, well, Tynemouth:

Days 6 and 7: The County of Durham:

A lot of people on Google lament the way in which the main part of the town has fallen into disrepair. I don't disagree with this analysis, never having seen it before, but I suspect that Milburngate will appease the shoppers and the lovers of housing. It's a name. It's a big name in the area. Somehow the aura of Jackie is outweighed by my loathing of Alan. That's just me. I can't help it. That "is he behind it all?". As for constructive comment, I think that Silver Street has merit. Visitors will also no doubt enjoy the cathedral beside the green and the castle if it is open. They might well miss the cobblestoned streets just beyond it which would be a pity and especially the bridge over the river and the Riverwalk which are both lovely.

I see these days in quite distinctive ways. I am not averse to a castle tour but I'm not going to fight for one. I do think that Durham Cathedral needs a second chance because I didn't get to see the shrine to Cuthbert. The university? Well, I'm not sure. It feels like something that should be seen. But given what I now know, I would be minded to take a bus at least in one direction from the station to it. That may or may not save a bit of time. If this is day 6, then I would be tempted to try to get to Langley Park and Witton Gilbert, and that would be presumably by bus too, not only for the Robson and McAloon links but research suggests that there is some lovely walking countryside around them. The Spennymoor Miners' Museum, small, and the miners' art at Bishop Auckland's castle also seem imperative. I say these things as if every place is so close in public transport terms it would be easy. It wouldn't be a doddle. Day 7 would, I think, be that cleaned up Durmam Coast. An amble, perhaps, around Seaham. That in theory would also be an opportunity to return via a bit of proper Wearside - Sunderland? - and Jarrow Hall which on paper looks magnificent. But already this break looks unrealistically long and there are some other moments yet which can't be overlooked.

[Lat-Literal]

Day 8 : Berwick on Tweed, Scotland and, perhaps, Lindisfarne:

No italics here. Somewhere along the line I missed out a return to St James' Park. This would, I guess, be on day 5 or 6 and perhaps 6 and 7 would have to be reversed to incorporate it. This is all pure fantasy, of course. A brain storm but sometimes I happen to happen so no one could ever rule ay of it out. Day 8 as it stands would be a bit of a bits and pieces day. What was Berwick like? Could I walk that beach on Lindisfarne while leaving other Lindisfarne things out? How did I manage to get within two miles of Scotland and still not set foot in it since my one and only time in 1973? I have to say that Lamberton looks pretty good to me as a Scottish place to set my feet in. The guys at Berwick taxis would find it very easy too. I think what I am writing says something about me. But it says huge amounts about the region. It has so many places of interest. Mostly, until now, these have been close to the coast.

[Lat-Literal]

Maybe I shall do my Tynemouth etc ones now.

They are not great but it was just an hour and I was just ecstatic to have got them.

It also proves if it was ever needed I am genuine:

Me in shadow with the sign of the road where my Dad was in the 1940s:

https://imgur.com/DP9hyBC

(I love that one; the head just touches the sign and the sign itself is a bit wobbly...…...I also think the shadow frame to the right complements it)

A very standard sort of shot of the castle remains, albeit with a flying bird:

https://imgur.com/QjPE4JA

These two equate to my parents but my Mum sees them as Dad's parents:

https://imgur.com/IuYRYGh

(It should have been taken just a little higher but I did it in split seconds - you do get the various verticals working there and also the curvature)

This shot - not great but good for having been taken - is of my Dad's road:

https://imgur.com/rLslMjC

I do have some less personalised ones of Tynemouth, just five of which will follow this post for general interest.

[Lat-Literal]

The centre of Tynemouth:

https://imgur.com/x6GfZzt

Clock tower and lamp post:

https://imgur.com/4z2bMzU

The main church:

https://imgur.com/pq32Cmm

The little train:

https://imgur.com/CIAAiw0

The sea and two seagulls:

https://imgur.com/N6isCyX

So there you have it - and busting stereotypes.

On Tyneside; much less than 10 miles from Newcastle City Centre; and there is probably not a lot of countryside in between.

Beyond wartime, I would call it very relaxed and, with grit, not a little refined.

There are, no doubt, slightly sweeter looking seascapes, but I think it is a dear little place.

[Lat-Literal]

Days 9 and 10: Hexham and Kielder Forest:

Most but not all of what I have written leans towards the coast. I am conscious that nothing I have mentioned is in the Northumberland National Park. There should here be a quick admission on my part of having only a concept of Kielder. I am, for example, aware that the forest is both attractive and artificial. Further, what is striking is the sheer scale of what might be called inland Northumbria and how it isn't especially friendly towards public transport travellers. This all represents dilemmas or at least difficulties for me.. I sense that Hexham is a nice and interesting town. Not far beyond it, Haltwhistle sounds as good as place as any as a base from which to investigate what is on offer. But the fact that several days have passed before I have felt able to complete this post suggests that even if I ever did feel I could do what has previously been described these days could well be the ones that are unquestionably impossible. It would be interesting to hear from other people if their view is that having a car for such areas - and logically I should also mention Hadrian's Wall here - is imperative. While this sound like I have really ruled them out, I would also welcome opinions about some of the best key places should anyone wish to tackle such an area in just 48 hours. For example, it does look to me that Rochester might be one such place but I can't convince myself that I know enough of this area for any direct, short-circuit orientation.

Alternative Days 9 and 10: York and/or Home:

(Days 11 and 12 if not applied as an alternative)

What it says on the can really. I would have thought that all but the areas mentioned in this post could be enjoyed not without some depth in 9 or 10 days, with the return journey possibly being broken at York to make it easier. Obviously if inland Northumberland were to be included, then these would become Days 11 and 12. It's still less than two weeks.