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