Our chauffeur picked us up in Gretna at the beginning of our journey to Northumberland! We were going with 2 friends and one of them was doing all the driving on this trip. We set off in lovely sunshine but the wind was rather chilly.
We headed across country, travelling on the military road rather than the busier A69 and stopping briefly at The Sill for refreshments. On reaching Northumberland we headed for the coast at Blyth. Our chauffeur was also our personal tour guide, having lived in this area for several years. A commentary on the area was therefore forthcoming and very informative, although we did get "that never used to be there! a few times too.
Travelling down the coast, via Whitley Bay, we saw a variety of sights - ships and boats of all sizes, impressive buildings -
and although the sea was a mass of choppy white waves -
there were plenty of people walking - or flying above - the beaches.
Reaching Tynemouth we were ready for another break and on parking the car found the rates were 2p per minute! Never seen it calculated that way before.
Crossing the Tyne bridge and passing the Angel of the North eventually led us to our hotel for the night.
Sat 6th
One of the reasons for coming to Northumberland was to go to Beamish - an open-air museum preserving examples of everyday life in rural and urban areas of the north-east of England. It has areas reflecting life in the 1820's, 1900's and 1940's.
We began with a ride - the museum has buses and trams of various ages travelling around the site all day, so people can hop on and off whenever and wherever they want.
We began in the 1900's town where we found a terrace of houses and several businesses, including a garage, stable, Co-op, printer, bank, chemist and photographer.
The baker was very busy - they had made hot cross buns and huge iced buns for the public to buy- and most people had one or the other in their hands! The sweet shop also make sweets to sell, but they were not quite ready when we visited.
The station is situated at the end of the village so we headed off there next - just as the train was coming in! Although only a short piece of track we couldn't resist having a ride on the train!
After a look round the station and sheds, and a look at Lilian, Marie and Doris (station hens!) we headed off to catch a bus to go to the 1940's farm and the Pit village.
There were plenty of animals to be seen around the farm as well as an authentic farmhouse.
We moved on to the Pit village and Colliery but met a couple asking for directions. Answering their question became more difficult as we stood smelling the poke of chips the lady was holding! A visit to the chip shop became irresistible. The chips are cooked in beef dripping on a coal fired range - and were well worth it!!
Moving on we decided to visit the colliery tomorrow and went back to Town for the Band Concert that was advertised in the Park. It was very pleasant sitting listening to the band playing, and many other people had the same idea.
After the concert we headed back to the entrance and concluded our first day at Beamish.
Sun 7th
We made an early start and went back to Beamish to visit the 1820's with the Waggonway and Pockerley Old Hall.
We began at the wagonway - while inside we began talking to one of the volunteers who was repairing the engine that should have been running today, but wasn't! He took us through into the workshop (where the public were not supposed to go) and told us all about the engine and gave us a really informative talk about the engines, wagons and the history of the shed. A real treat for us and one member of our party in particular.
We finally headed off towards Joe the Quilter's cottage and the church. The volunteers at Beamish are all very friendly and full of information and it was a pleasure to talk to many of them.
Pockerley Hall was the last house to visit in this area -
Revisiting the Town for refreshments we then waited to catch the Daimler bus we had spotted earlier.
We rode around the site and alighted at the Pit Village again. We paid a quick visit yesterday but didn't cover everything there. Today we inspected the miners cottages, the engine shed and the Pit head. Another brilliant volunteer explained the system for raising and lowering the pit cages and gave us a real insight into working in a pit.
As the sun had now come out we opted for an ice-cream - the first of the year for all of us - but the weather didn't last and the sun disappeared very quickly! As we had just about covered everything we wanted to see we headed back to the entrance and subsequently the hotel.
Mon 8th
Having passed the Angel of the North on a few occasions we decided it was time to pay an official visit. A short walk brings you to her feet. Sir Antony Gormley was asked to design a landmark sculpture for the north of England and she appeared in 1997-1998. The angel is made of steel, in 3 sections that were assembled on site in one day. She stands 20 metres high with a wing span of 54 metres. The angel is very securely built and can withstand winds of over 100mph. Seeing her from a distance she has always looked huge but standing at her feet and looking up is quite awe-inspiring.
We drove along the coast pausing at Newbiggin Bay, where we found the UK's first permanent offshore sculpture. Couple, are two figures standing on a pier looking out to sea. They look lifesize at first glance but birds and boats make you realise that they are actually 3 times larger than life. The Newbiggin Maritime Centre provided delicious refreshments to keep us going too.
Tue 9th
Another enjoyable weekend away came to an end. The company was good as usual - especially as we had our own personal tour guide to the area - and we found some stunning places and sights.
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