Heading North

We set out this morning with fairly grey skies but we arrived at Beamish Living Museum of the North to sun, so when we collected our pre booked picnic lunch from The Sun Inn we were able to take it across to the park and sit by the band stand to eat it.
We came mainly because we were very kindly given tickets as a gift and though we came last summer the tickets are valid  for 12 months so we chose to use them again today. We had a very nice three hours with more exhibits open than on our last visit and the bus was running even though I t was much quieter tha we came last August. Also there has been quite a lot of development on the 1950’s town but it will be a couple of years before that is ready to visit I should think. Thank you again Ron and Ian

Inspired by AMSI’s recent blips we decided to then head to the coast. The Northumbria cast above Newcastle is a very familiar area to us but not so south of the Tyne. The blip is of the Souter Lighthouse owned by the National Trust. It was the first purpose built lighthouse to be built powered buy electricity. Beyond is an area called The Leas also in the ownership of the Nat Trust which is described as the Lost Village as Marsden Colliery existed here till it’s closure in 1968. People from the pit village moved away and the land we reclaimed for nature and leisure. Some of the surrounding land was for miners recreational use any way.

Just off the cliffs are some rock stacks inhabited by nesting seabirds. The cliffs were full of the distinctive sound of nesting Kittiwakes but the stacks mainly housed Cormorants and Guillemots. You can see some the nests and young in the extra on Jack Rock
A delightful place and one I hope we will return to.

A great start to our holiday. Now we’re off for dinner.