Tapp's Travels

Well, after a week with no significant Internet connection and no phone coverage, we are back in the connected world.  Not that that’s a great advantage in many ways!

We continued our busy time in Northumberland.  One day we visited Delcor in Seaton Delavel before fish and chips lunch with Bruce and Angela at Seaton Sluice.  And toured Delaval Hall in the afternoon …

…where I found the answer to my hair “problem”!

Yes, just to confirm, that is a wig complete with a three-masted, square rigged sailing ship.  Just the thing to wear to Parkstone Yacht Club Summer Ball!

Apparently one of the residents had been a bit of a jester and was renowned for playing tricks on his visitors.  Bruce got a bit carried away in the upside down room!

In days of old, unsuspecting house guests would wake up on the “ceiling” after being drugged to sleep and moved into this room in their slumber.  Allegedly.  Another good story best left un-researched!

Another day we visited the Tyne Valley.  First stop, Hexham with its abbey …

… and Corbridge with its bridge!

While Glenda was bothering the shops, I took the opportunity to visit Hadrian’s Wall.   I remember the first weekend at university (in 1966) (frightening!) (but at least i can still remember) (now, what was i saying?)  Oh, yes, that weekend I cycled the length of the wall and back.  This time I motored a short length.  When I walked to look at the actual wall, all i could see was a bit of a ditch and a sort of much-elongated bank.  Not a brick in sight.  However, I did meet a lady hiker who proudly announced that she was the Vicar from Heaven and was looking for the Bishop who was allegedly “walking the wall”!  I think I must have commented that her’s must be the dream job!  She quietly explained that she’d heard that comment “a few” times before – along with many variants.  I’ve looked her parish up on the map and see that she’s actually the Vicar of St Oswalds in Heavenfield, near Chollerford  But why spoil a good line with the whole truth?  We will re-visit St Oswald later.

Formally recorded as ‘St Oswald in Lee’, her church is more commonly known as Heavenfield. The church has been a place of pilgrimage for many centuries.  Indeed, there is still an annual pilgrimage from Hexham Abbey to Heavenfield on the first Saturday of August to mark St Oswald’s Day (August 5th).  I thought you should know that!

On a related topic, but wildly out of sequence, we did see one of the Heavenly Vicar’s colleagues advertising direct electronic communication with his or her Commander.  This was at St Patrick’s in Patterdale …

Back to the Northeast…  No visit to the county would be complete without a trip to Lindon Hall.

This is where Glenda and her father used to meet with the hounds.  It’s also one of the places we DIDN’T have our wedding reception (the other place apparently ruled out was the White Swan in Alnwick).  Too far up-country was the reason…  so, the Queens Hotel in Morpeth was selected.  We need to re-visit there too.  We knew it was being renovated, but the change was immense.  Out was the old hotel.  In was a new very yuppyish-gin-bar-restaurant establishment with exposed beams and subdued lighting.  Actually, apart from being unrecognisable as the venue for our wedding breakfast, it was done rather well.  It’s been brought forwards a couple of centuries!  And renamed as “Pleased to Meet You, Morpeth” or PTMYM.  With a snappy name like that, it can’t fail!

We did eventually get back to Longhoughton and Low Stead Farm to park in the dunes and walk northwards on the coastal path now renamed as the “England Coast Path”.  Hundreds of new signs have been erected – and not one of them gives any information on the destinations that may be reached, or indeed how far it is in time and distance to these unnamed places!  What a wasted opportunity.  So you still need a map (or a phone with reception) to know where you are, where you are going and whether you will get there before dark!

The coastal scenery in this part of the world is fabulous – cool but fabulous!

The old (and undoubtedly more economical) signs are still in evidence in places …

They indicate that this part of the “Northumberland Coast Path” is also part of St Oswald’s Way.  This walking trail stretches from Lindisfarne (Holy Island) to Heavenfield – a distance of 97 miles.  Before he was a Saint, Oswald was King of Northumbria in the early 7th Century.  He played a major part in bringing Christianity to his people.  And, presumably, he established his walking route so he could visit his girlfriend, the Vicar of Heaven!

We seem to be specialising in walking short (and sometimes very short) parts of long distance trails.  Anyway, the day was nicely rounded off with dinner at the Foxton Golf Course.  Not a bad view!

One final “old haunt” visit was to the Granby Inn at Longframlington for an early supper one evening.  The pub has been in the hands of one family for over half a century – and the food is still good.

The Granby remains the only pub we’ve ever been kicked out of.  Yes, we’ve left others at short notice of our own accord – and, as our friends Sue and Ed will testify, not always for sound and sensible reasons!  It was in 1973.  We had to leave because of “rowdy behaviour”!   Actually it was because we had Jeremy with us – in his carrycot!  In those days it was illegal to have under aged customers in the bar area.  And there was a bar in the dining area.  In fact, the restaurant WAS the bar area!  Jeremy was less than a year old – definitely “underage”, so we had to go!

And, FINALLY, before we leave Northumberland,  Glenda has to have a final fix of the Newcastle shops.  I drop her off at Barker and Stonehouse where we can park outside the door.  After coffee, and a fair bit of agonising about arrangements (I have an awning to take down and rain showers are suddenly forcast)  I decide to head back to camp to get organised.  The awning came down between the showers.  Just!  Then I headed back to meet Glenda.  As I was hurtling down the A1, the warning lights came on.  “Loss of tyre pressure, stop immediately!”  This sounds a bit worryingly like deja vu!  I make to the hard shoulder exactly at the point where the A19 separates for the Tyne Tunnel.  A VERY fast and busy corner.  Traffic is blasting past at 70+ mph.  Very scary.  So up the bank I went.  Called insurance brokers and got a reference code for the RAC.  They told me I wasn’t covered.  BMW emergency assist was no assistance at all.  The RAC came back and said as I was in such a precarious position I was prioritised.  Down from about an hour to eight minutes!  We would discuss liability and payment later.

And 15 minutes later the puncture had been temporarily repaired and I was guided back on the highway by an escort with full flashing yellow lights.   Brilliant work RAC.  Thank you!  And the mechanic wouldn’t charge me anything.  He just wanted to get us both to safety.  He also directed me to a tyre repair shop still open (possibly owned by his brother-in-law!) …

After all this disruption to our busy schedule, I met Glenda off the bus in Morpeth and we drove home for a “few” beers!

The next morning we said a very sad goodbye to Nunnykirk, Northumberland and the Northeast in general as we set off for the Northwest.