St Mary's Lighthouse

A short four miles up the road from Tynemouth is St Mary's Lighthouse.  I had read that it is unreachable during high tide, so skipped going over midday and waited to go with David after dinner, while the tide was nearly all the way out.  We drove over and were pleasantly surprised to find plenty of parking (which, conveniently, was free after 8:00 pm).

During high tide, that path, and all of those rocks, are under water:

The tide times changes by nearly an hour day to day, so it is a good idea to check the schedule posted just as you arrive on the island, to find out when you need to leave by.  There is a small museum, which was closed while we were there in the evening, but it is very pretty to just wander around on the rocks and enjoy the little tide pools:

We noticed some signs posted near the front of the "island" with photos of seals and information.  It was a little dark to try to read the small type and we figured our odds of seeing any seals were tiny anyway (our local friends have not seen any).  So, imagine my surprise and delight when I looked to see what was making a flapping noise, fully expecting to see a plastic bag stuck on a rock and blowing in the breeze, and saw this guy tapping his flippers on his chest!

After frantically whispering and motioning to Dave to come back (he had walked on by--they blend in well), I backed off some to give him room and we just enjoyed watching him for a good 10 minutes or so.  

He pretty much stayed right where was, occasionally looking up at us, or flapping his fins a bit.  His face was surprisingly expressive.  

There are not a lot of photos to the post.  It was getting dark and we were only there about 45 minutes--but it was a wonderful 45 minutes.  Certainly a trip highlight.

--Hadley

Castles and books in Alnwick

The town of Alnwick is about 45 minutes north of Tynemouth.

The castle, since it is the first part of Alnwick we visited.  As home to the Percy family (Duke of Northumberland) this is one of the largest inhabited castles in the world.  A good portion of the outer areas, as well as several interior staterooms are open for touring at a cost of 14 pounds plus 3 pounds for parking (children under 16 are 4.40--hurray for that!).  There is also a large gardens area to tour for an additional 14 pounds, but it was very windy and the cost seemed steep so we skipped that.

We started outside:

(I love this view looking out from the castle wall)

If this feels a little familiar to you, it is probably because many films and TV shows are filmed here--most notably, the castle was used for exterior shots of Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter movies:

(image from Harry Potter Wikia:

 http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Rolanda_Hooch )

There were several rooms to visit inside, including a lovely library.  This castle does feel more "homey" and you can tell it is actually lived in.  Little things like a stocked bar and a foosball table, as well as current family photos make that clear.  The wedding dresses of both Percy daughters (married in 2010 and 2013) are also on display, as well as the kids' outfits from one of the weddings, and a short video of the bride and grooms in the carriage in the courtyard.  I wonder what it feels like to live IN a tourist attraction? 

 Anyway, no photos are allowed inside, so I have none to share here, other than this one of the carriage, which was outside:

There was also an area designed for younger kids to dress up and play some games.  It looked like it would be quite fun with a little one:

After our visit (took about 90 minutes at a leisurely pace), we walked down through the town of Alnwick:

to Barter Books.  Barter Books is one of the largest bookstores in England.  They sell used books and have many special or first editions and other collectibles (many displayed in the cases along side walls).  They are perhaps most known for being the shop whose owners found the original "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster and displayed it on the shop, thus spawning a craze.   The shop is in the old train station.

It was a fun shop to wander around in, and they do have a good sized collection.  I couldn't find ANY of the books I wanted though--which is very, very unusual for me.  I am spoiled by the excellent used bookstore in Boulder ( The Bookworm) and the amazing independent Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, so it is hard to totally WOW me in this area I guess.  It was very nice though--certainly worth popping in--and I enjoyed identifying the authors in that mural you can see in that third photo.

--Hadley

Having a grand time in Tynemouth, Englad

After our visit to the Warner Brothers Studio, Making of Harry Potter, we just drove a bit towards our finally destination and stayed a night, on points, at a Novotel in Milton Keys.  We were not particularly impressed, our room (which smelled strongly of stale smoke) had a toilet mounted at little kid height (so odd) and a solid "sheet" of dust hanging from each vent.  Ick.  We were only staying the night and not there much at all, so did not think it was worth making a real complaint, and the lobby and public spaces were nice--perhaps we got the one "off" room, who knows?  We did get an email survey and answered honestly and got a very nice response form the hotel manager, so that was good.  Here is shots of the room in general (which was fine other than the items listed above):

Sunday morning we headed up, nearly to the Scottish border, driving in heavy winds and rain (the remains of hurricane Bertha hot England that day!  We were glad to already be there as many ferry crossings were cancelled on Sunday).  Our destination was the little town of Tynemouth, and The Grand Hotel.  Rahter than go through the rest of the trip day by day, I will do a few posts about each area we visited, starting with the hotel itself and the beach area there in Tynemouth.

The Grand is a perfect hotel for me.  Lovely, and elegant in that bygone era sort of way, but not in the least bit pretentious or overly pricey.  Built as a summer residence for the Duchess of Northerumberland, in the 1870s, the hotel does feel more like a grand home of old, than a hotel and is loaded with charm.  It is quirky in places (the main staircase slants a bit, which feels funny to walk on, there are some minor cosmetic items in the rooms that need repairing, but do not cause any harm, like one cracked tile in our bath, etc) but not in any way that is uncomfortable and that only seems to add to the charm.  Here are a few photos of the exterior and our lovely seaview room for three that I took over the course of a week:

(view from side window--with drinks!)

(view from side window at high tide)

(the hotel as seen from the beach)

(sea view near low tide--it did go out further though)

(don't you just want to slide down that banister?)

All week I kept thinking I would take the camera out and get photos of the lovely breakfast room, drawing room (now a bar and it offers afternoon tea), lobby and staircase, etc.  Somehow, I never did, so you'll have to trust me that it was all very pretty in that British upper class of a hundred years ago kind of way.

I should mention breakfasts at The Grand as well, barbecue they set the tone so nicely for the day.  Room rates include a really hearty breakfast served on tables decked with white linen tablecloths, china and fresh flowers, while overlooking the sea from inside the restaurant.  You can help yourself to a small cold buffet of juices, pastries, cereals, yogurt and fresh fruit to start the meal while you wait on your hot order.  For hot meals, the standard is the "Full English," a calories exposition of eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, grilled tomato, fried toast and beans.  Of course, you can also order any individual components you want, or have eggs Benedict or a "continental" plate of cold cuts and cheeses.  I think the British are on to something with beans and toast and had that for breakfast most days.  Mmmmm.

The little Village of Tynemouth is a short walk away (shorter through town, but there is also a route that goes all along the seafront and it more scenic) and has many shops and restaurants.  You can also wander out and explore the old priory (we did not, as it was always so windy when we were out over there).  Here  are just a few photos from around town:

Exploring the beach during low tide, with little tide pools, and the like is lots of fun:

At the far end of the beach, there is a nice little church to pop into:

On the better weather days, a couple of stands were set up near the beach selling sand toys and the like to tourists:

But with the cold water, and ever present wind, the best way to enjoy the seaside just might be on a surfboard!  There were two surf companies in the area.  Long Sand Surf had a van parked on teh ramp down to the beach and somewhat higher prices than Tynemouth Surf Company who maintains a small building near the life guard stand.  

Rio took part in a three hour long teens and kids surf class (offered in the summer holidays) for the very reasonable price of 15 pounds, including wetsuit and board rental.  

There were lots of staff and all were very nice and worked hard to help the kids and make it fun.  Rio ada great time and had planned to go back and rent a kit for the morning on Friday, but ended up so tired from a busy day the day before he missed out.  

The beginner surfers started their class on land:

They spent a good two hours in the water though.  I stayed up at the Crusoe cafe, trying to keep out of the wind (and not embarrass Rio), so for the most part my view was this:

When other parents showed up near the end, I joined with them to head down towards the water and grab some photos, but by then I had missed any chance to shoot Rio really surfing.  Oh well, I like this shot anyway:

I would highly recommend the Tynemouth Surf Company; it was a great experience.  

I'll write about some of our "field trips" to other places in the next couple of posts.

--Hadley