Chillingham Castle, Northumberland

Deep in the borderlands of Northumberland is a beautiful castle.  It is famous for it's wild highland cattle, white and ferocious, with horns you wouldn't want to mess with.  It's also had its fair share of notoriety due to the allegedly abundant ghosts that walk its corridors.  Most Haunted, the tv series, visited here some years ago. The castle is the home of Sir Humphry Wakefield and his family.  Since 1246 the castle has been owned by the same bloodline with the Earls Grey building the sinister dungeons as well as the beautiful parklands and gardens.  The current owner, who lives in one wing, has carried out extensive restoration and it's definitely a work in progress.  The rooms that are open to the public include the Armoury, the Dungeons, Mediaeval Courtyard, Great Hall (which was built to entertain James VI of Scotland), Edward 1 Room (he stayed here with his cousins whilst on his way to capture William Wallace, of Brave Heart fame), King James I Room and the Plaque Room.  There is also a Chapel and a Museum.  The whole place is brimming with artefacts that have been found during the restoration process, and they are displayed randomly and abundantly, something to stare at on every surface. I had a great chat with one of the guides, who told me about his own ghostly encounters.  It's certainly not hard to believe they exist in those eerie rooms, with untold shadows that stalk you from corner to corner.  I didn't see any ghostly figures this time, but who knows who may have been watching me from a quiet corner...

 Excuse the quality of the photos, it was very dark inside, and pouring with rain outside!  Good photos it does not make.

A Little bit of Life Lately

 

You know when Life sometimes gets in the way of itself?  When one domino goes and before you know it you're picking up the pieces of the entire line?  That's how life's been for me over the last few months as I've encountered family crisis after crisis, so apologies for such little activity on the blog.  To be honest, life lately has mainly been about hospital appointments, visiting in hospitals, getting results in hospitals but in the midst of that there has been a trip to the beach; a night 'on the toon'; and a trip to a flea market.  Here's hoping that things can only get better...

The Sage, Gateshead, Sir Norman Foster's amazing creation

How I love this bridge 

The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and a wonderful gallery wall at Gusto Newcastle

The fabulous roof at Tynemouth Station, now a listed building and home to one of the most vibrant markets in the North East.

Tynemouth Longsands

Black and White prints from a talented photographer with a stall at Tynemouth market.

Gorgeous teacups, a steal at £10 for 6
(another market find)
 

Getting a perspective

I know! I've been very quiet on the blogging front - apologies!  Just been a bit overwhelmed with other stuff and it's taken up so much time that there's not been much energy or inspiration for anything else...so... I took a week off and went up north; partly to see family and partly to get away from the day-to-dayness of 'stuff'; I really wanted some time to recharge and re-think plans for the next year or so...

Well, I'm not sure I got too far on the planning front, but I definitely got my life into perspective; I mean, who wouldn't when you're on top of a fell, and there's all that majestic beauty around you...here's a glimpse of what I've been up to over the last week or so and what put life into perspective for me.

A wonderful walk up Simonside, past Dove Crag to the top of the escarpment

 A walk from Embleton to Low Newton by the Sea with a fantastic view of Dunstanburgh Castle

'Natural' art beach-style!

There's nothing quite like an amazing sunset to get things into perspective

The top of Dove Crag, Simonside

Bleak moorland

Bony silhouettes

A hopeful foxglove, bravely fighting the winds on the fellside

It was a fantastic week away - if you've never been to Northumberland, off you go and book yourself a holiday; you won't regret it!

Northumberland (2)

I'm back! So sorry for delay in posts - what with the Jubilee celebrations and long weekend I couldn't post as I was away, and then, on my return I discovered my internet connection was down and I had to wait 48 hours for a technician to come and fix it! Anyway, dramas aside, I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend - if you're a UK reader then maybe you've been celebrating?  I headed up North to Newcastle and Northumberland for a family party...so lovely to see everyone and catch up with extended family...it was a feast of festivities with a 70th birthday celebration on Sunday in Holystone and a street party on Monday in Newcastle.  Inbetween I managed some shopping in Newcastle town centre and also a trip to the coast...


The Grainger Market in Newcastle Town Centre gears up for the Jubiliee

Blowsy poppies in the churchyard, Holystone, Northumberland

A fishing boat picking up the lobster pots outside Craster Village, Northumberland

 Craster Village is an unspoilt gem on the Northumberland coastline. Just north of Alnwick, its inhabitants still make a living from the sea and it's famous for it's smoked kippers.  As you walk through the village you pass the harbour and up the hill following the smell of the smoking fish.  There's a little pub that overlooks the harbour and out to sea from where we watched a small fishing vessel picking up its catch.  From Craster, you can do a wonderful walk to the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle which began life in 1313 and saw many fierce battles before falling into decay after the War of the Roses. 

Dunstanburgh Castle, looking north from Craster

We ended our northern jaunt with a ritual visit to the best fish and chip shop in the northeast! (that's my opinion anyway) set right outside the North Shields Fish Quay, it's fish caught and fried within hours of the catch landing.  It was also a chance to reflect on the changes on the Tyne, the boat yards gone, even the fisherman's mission is now home to a growing collection of yuppified pubs and bars, but the fishing industry lives on regardless.

The Tyne, looking downriver and the local fishing boats at North Shields