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Is it really 'Grim up North?'
  • Martin and Debbie Kinally

Is it really 'Grim up North?'

A 10 day trip to the North East England coast starting in Durham and ending up in Leith close by to Edinburgh to see how grim it really is! Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 26, 2024
    Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler
    1

    Durham Cathedral

    April 27, 2024 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    After a good but slow trip up yesterday due to roadworks we arrive safely at Durham Rowing Club. We have a spot right alongside the river.
    We woke to a flurry of activity at the club with boats of all sizes being lowered in to the water.
    After breakfast we walked into town centre along the river. We visited the two markets both inside and outside and bought a slab of Lemon Cake for later.
    We then headed up to the cathedral, wow it's another huge beautiful building that keeps you wondering how they managed to build such magnificent buildings all those years ago.
    Durham is a really nice interesting city dominated by a University presence contributing to a vibrant centre with bars and restaurants and many independent shops, we like it very much. So..... grim rating of zero!
    After the obligatory tea/coffee and cake we head back to the van to watch the Baggies on the TV, Now we are really talking grim!!! shame it wasn't the result we wanted. Never mind the bars open in the van and the sun's shining.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler
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    Cragside House, Morpeth pt 1

    April 29, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    Well yesterday was a complete washout, quite literally. It rained from first thing in the morning until late afternoon. So despite the location it's grim rating is 8.76 😊 But it didn't put the rowers off so at least we had something to watch. A quiet day was spent reading and using our tablets. Martin did manage a bike ride late afternoon for some fresh air. So no post or pictures.

    Today was another day, dry when we woke and for most of the morning. We are visiting Cragside House in Morpeth but on the way we stop off to visit The Angel Of The North statue. I've seen this many times on TV especially when watching 'Vera' but it is quite a sight up close, really huge, if you look at the picture you can just see Martin standing at the bottom.

    Onwards to Cragside, a National Trust property which is well recommended in the Northumbria countryside hidden in the trees high above the river that feeds the turbine engine which used to provide the house with electricity. This was the first 'smart house' back in the late 1800's.

     Three floors of rooms to look around plus gardens and a 6 mile carriage drive through the woodland. We didn't do that as the van was too big. We walked through the rockery garden to get to the house. It is beautifully decorated and I especially liked the use of tiles on the walls in the corridors, very practical if you think about it, hard wearing and easy to wipe down, plus little fingers can't piggle them off.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler
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    Cragside House, Morpeth pt 2

    April 29, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    The house has a beautiful gallery with glass ceiling and an extension which was added in time for the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales- the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and boasts a drawing room which has a stunning 10 tonne marble fireplace and the Owl Suite bedroom.

    The house even boasts a hydraulic lift which together with all the lighting powered by the hydro electric system installed all those years sgo

    The amount of rooms you can see in this house is quite amazing, well worth the £25 entrance fee, thank god for our NT membership.

    So not at all grim today apart from being rained on walking back to the van!

    After the house we stop off for some new supplies before heading to Alnwick for overnight stay.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler
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    Alnwick Castle and Gardens, pt 1

    April 30, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    The weather's taken a turn for the better today. We woke to a beautiful blue sky, lots of sunshine and a lot more pleasant temperature, even if it's a bit windier. Today we're moving on but first we are visiting Alnwick Castle and Gardens,

    Not NT so it's going to cost, but not a bad price at £18,90 but having to pay an extra £3.50 car park charge was a bit steep.

    The first thing you see when you enter the Gardens is the huge stepped fountain reaching up to the formal garden. The water display goes off at regular intervals and it's fun watching all the unsuspecting people getting sprayed with water when it starts up.

    The gardens are symmetrical on both sides of the fountain steps with huge arched frameworks with trees and bushes trained to grow over them. There are smaller fountain displays dotted all around the gardens.

    The Formal Garden is surrounded by high walls and so there are a lot of plants in flower here earlier than at home. The displays are intermingled with flowers and vegetables.

    After this we were going to walk through the cherry blossom trees but this had all gone over so we went and found the 250 year old Sycamore tree instead, before walking back down the steps to the café.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler
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    Alnwick Castle and Gardens, pt 2

    April 30, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    After a rest in the sunshine, might as well make the most of it, and a cuppa and cream tea. We set out to explore the rest of the gardens . Including the bamboo maze.. We did want to visit the Poison Garden but you have to have an escorted tour around these of and we had just missed one so would have had to wait, instead we visited the Lego replica of the gardens instead. It took over 6 weeks to make and cost over £5,000 , and that was just for the Lego bricks.we make our way back to the Motorhome through the café and gift shop watching out for the family of ducks on the way,

    We didn't get to see the castle as that was quite a walk away, and an extra entrance fee, or the country's largest tree house, complete with restaurant.

    The plan next was to visit the beach at Alnmouth, but there's only one place to park and we decided tha £10 to park for what was essentially a stroll around the village and a look at the beach was too much so we carry on to Craster,

    The scenery around here is lovely and the gorse bushes add a lovely spot of colour.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler
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    Craster

    April 30, 2024 in England ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    Craster is a lovely little harbour village with its own smoke House supplying fresh smoked kippers.

    Rolled into the only car park and squeezed width ways into a parking space but sticking out a long way so not really in a space. Decided to risk the parking police and on going to pay at the machine a nice Geordie handed us, a day ticket, Result!!

    The little harbour is central to the village overlooked by the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle. Apparently this is a lovely walk,over the cliff top path, the only way to get there, but too far for me so instead we sit in the garden of The Jolly Fishermen enjoying a pint watching others enjoy the walk.

    After refreshments it's on with the arduous journey of 2 miles to our next overnight stay and a sit outside to enjoy the rest of the day.

    Today's grim eating 1.67 reflecting not being able to park at Alnmouth.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler
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    It Really Is 'Grim Up North'

    May 1, 2024 in England ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Well what a change in the weather. After yesterday's beautiful sunny day, we wake to thick grey clouds and mist.

    We are moving on to Berwick-upon-Tweed today. Driving along the coast road and hoping to pop in to check out a couple of beaches on the way but with the weather like this we change our plans and head straight to the site to catch the bus into town to spend the rest of the day there.

    We drive through Bamburgh with its impressive Castle. We've stayed here once many years ago when Tom was a toddler. An aborted nights camping, the weather was so awful we booked into the towns hotel.

    Onwards to the site, with great views of the small harbour at Spittal, which you can't see today because of the mist! We catch the bus into Berwick-upon-Tweed a walled town on the border with Scotland. Well what else can I tell you about the town, not much, unless you want me to expell the virtues of it's wide range of charity shops and grey stone buildings. Oh it does have an impressive arched bridge carrying trains from one side of the River Tweed to the other, and a very nice tea room.

    Sorry this is a grim place, 8.76 and this is being kind only saved by the great cafe we sheltered from the rain.

    So we decide to make a quick exit. But not even that goes to plan, just about to step on the bus 'and get the hell out of this town ' and we remember Martin has left his rucksack in the cafe, tragically this means we have to find something else do for the next 30 mins until the next bus!

    Back at the site we settle down to watch the local children's football match on the towns pitch, just over the wall from our van. Oh well tomorrow's another day.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler
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    1111

    Dun' With Dunbar

    May 2, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 10 °C

    Well they say everywhere looks better in the sunshine and they're right. We woke up to lovely sunshine today and the view from the window was certainly an improvement.

    Today we're off to Dunbar for an 'off grid' night on the leisure centre or harbour car park.

    First off we stop at Eyemouth for a look around, parking for free on a car park above the harbour only accessible by driving through the golf course. It is a proper road don't worry.

    A lovely little working harbour town complete with fish processing plant. We walked around the harbour and even manage a walk along the beach, no paddle though, before heading back to the van and onwards to the next stop at St Abbs.

    Unfortunately after negotiating our way down to the very tight harbour car park there is nowhere to park, and not a lot to look at so we head off to Dunbar.

    We, that's the Royal we, checked out a couple of places to park up for the night. The first is a little car park by the harbour and lightboat station, not big enough. Next is a car park we can't even get down the road to , thanks to the parked cars and 90 degree bend. So after reversing back up road we try the final destination. The leisure center car park. Built up high on the headland it's very exposed and quite busy, the parking spaces are not very big so we decide to forego our walk around the town and a meal out and head for the Camping and Caravan Site 2 miles outside the town. A lovely open site with views of the sea. As a compensation we order a takeaway Curry for tea.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler
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    North Berwick, Is This History Repeating

    May 3, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    We wake to a fairly descent day again, what's happening no rain for a couple of days?

    Today we are visiting North Berwick, will this be as bad as it's name sake or will it surprise us. We decide to park along the sea road on a spot recommended on one of our camping blogs. It's about a mile outside of the town but if we can get on we are going to bike into town. Well surprisingly enough there's a space and off come the bikes and we set off. We cycle down to the harbour and chain up the bikes ready to explore. So far so good a lovely little harbour and a hut selling fish and chips, well it has to be done, the seaside, blue skies and chips, what more could you want. They are the best chips we've ever had double fried, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, things are looking up.

    We head off to find the High Street, looking for a pub, what's this, the High Street actually has shops in it and they're not charity shops. A nice selection of independent retailers and cafés. We decide against the pub in favour of a cuppa instead before heading back to the van. This is a very nice little town.

    On the way to our site at East Fortune we call into Drem railway station to check out the car park ready for tomorrow. Whilst looking and deciding if its ok a local comes up and recommends the next station down, he says the car park is a lot bigger and it would be a lot easier, its only about 3 miles down road . That decided we head off to pitch up for the night.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler

    The Royal Yacht Britania, pt 1

    May 4, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Up early this morning as we're heading to Edinburgh on the train to visit The Royal Yacht Britania. The weather's not great, cool, cloudy and misty.

    After arriving at Waverly Station we catch the tram out to Leith. Strangely the entrance to the Yacht is through a shopping cente bits well laid out.

    We can stroll round at our own pace with handheld audio devices explaining the whole tour. These are pictures of the crews quarters and recreation areas including the officers dining room, the crews living areas complete with bar. There is a full working laundry on board, a doctors surgery and an operating room.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler

    The Royal Yacht Britannia, pt 2

    May 4, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    These pictures are of the Royal quarters including the Queen's and Duke's bedrooms, the state dining room and the drawing room.

    It's a beautiful yacht and quite cosy as well as being grand enough for entertaining. I can understand why the Queen loved it so much.Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler

    The Royal Yacht Britannia, pt 3

    May 4, 2024 in Scotland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Well it had to be done, we have lunch on The Royal Yacht. On the second deck is a tea room so we join the queue for a table. A treat of sandwiches and cake overlooking the water with a few on a good day which would take in The Forth Bridge in the distance.

    The Yacht had room on board for a Land Rover and occasionally a Rolls Royce for the Royal party too use on trips to foreign countries.

    The engine room was immaculate, gleaming and shiny.

    All in all a lovey visit and well worth the money.    Read more

  • Martin and Debbie KinallyIs it really 'Grim up North?'Traveler

    Homeward Bound

    May 5, 2024 in England ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    After checking the mileage for the journey home, we decided to come all the way back in one go instead of stopping overnight. After all, it's no more mileage than when we used to do the shows on Glasgow.

    So, on a cloudy misty morning, we start back. Martin drove the first part of the way, and then I took over once we hit the Motorway. He's letting me get some practice in ready for our next trip, we also wanted to see how many miles we could easily drive in a day.

    I drove to Shap where Martin took over, not as bad as I thought.

    Good trip home, no holdups, back home with a stop and van unpacked in 7hrs 45mins.

    A great holiday, shame the weather hadn't been a bit better.    Read more

    Trip end
    May 6, 2024
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