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The October break

Travelled down to our holiday cottage just North of Durham. We have great plans to go to Beamish, Diggerland, Go Karting, Durham Cathedral etc, etc.
First hiccup, Diggerland only open at weekends!!
Got settled in and have found the local pub, seems OK.

Monday

After a breakfast of fresh baked croissants we set off to explore Durham, in the rain. We couldn't get up the tower of the cathedral because of maintenance but we wandered around the inside. A mystery tour of Durham eventually ended when we found the Go Karting track!
We don't think Euan liked the Go Karting, He loved it! He only spun a couple of times. The second time after 5 laps of pressure of Daddy trying to overtake. "How wide can a small boy make a Go Kart be?" We lapped Mummy twice during this battle, she sensibly got out the way.
We popped out to Hetton Lyons Country Park, where Daddy used to work. Good to see the place still going. A bite of lunch, in Greggs, was followed by a visit to the Penshaw Monument. We then looked at eating out options in Chester le Street, we might eat at Beamish before travelling home.

Tuesday

Beamish vist planned
and what an excellent day out it was. Can really recomend a visit. You possibly need two days to really do it justice, we might go back!
The best bit of Beamish, according to Euan, was the 1900's Town, complete with a sweet shop.
We headed into Durham for dinner and decided upon a Spanish tapas place. What an excellent choice, 6 dishes, some bread and patas bravas left a small amount of room for a scrummy pudding with fresh churros, almond cake, ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Wednesday

A day out in Newcastle, caught the express bus into town. A short walk in the rain got us to the Hancock Museum, full of school children so we ran away to the Life centre.
On the way Daddy spotted a pub doing "Pies & Pints" so we stopped in for a bite of lunch, very tasty
The Life centre was very good, including the 4D motion ride and the "View from space" film. Euan tried his hand at a scientific experiment and succesfully determined what the mystery powder was!
The main reason for the trip to Newcastle was to visit the "Mog on the Tyne" cat cafe! Euan loved it, live cats wandering around trying to steal your food, nice people and even a chance to try knitting. Not his forte, he was all thumbs! Daddy remembered his knitting, it hasn't improved any.
We caught the bus home, goodness, what a difference to the express service.........

Thursday

A day out to Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum got off to an inauspicious start! Chollerford bridge was closed so we couldn't get along the Roman road. The slight delay meant we arrived at the museum at the same time as a school party, who got the first two sittings off the 3D film but it was worth waiting for.
Vindolanda was very interesting. They have found written notes. Notes about everyday life from Roman times, giving a fascinating insight into life in the fort.
The drive home was via Alston. A brief stop to look at the railway and a museum was completed just in time for the rain to start. The rain got worse so what should have been a scenic run over the moors turned into a bit of a slog.

Friday

A slower day today, starting with a swim in Durham and another visit to Hetton Lyon country park. We then had a bite of lunch at the foot of The Angel of the North.
We then went back to Beamish, to go down the drift mine. None of us fancy being a miner!
We finished the day with a visit to the Arnison Centre, Durham. The purpose of the visit was to visit M&S in order to buy dinner. Meatloaf, potato rosties, peas & carrots, followed by cherry bakewell crumble & custard!

Saturday

A busy couple of hours packing and loading the car was followed by a more liesurely drive North. We went through the Tyne Tunnel and then followed the coastal route. We stopped in at Woodhorn Colliery museum, very interesting and informative, before stopping in Amble to pick up some lunch. We ate lunch a bit further up the coast when we found a picnic table, at Howick Gardens.
We arrived in Berwick to find the restraunt we planned to have dinner in had shut down. A brief walk round town found "The Grill on the Hill", with a table available. We popped out to pick up Aunty Gillian and had a very good dinner. Wendy dropped Aunty Gillian back while Euan and John walked back to the youth hostel.

Sunday

After a brisk walk around the walls, to burn off the cooked breakfast, we popped down to Seahouses to vist Wendy's friend Andrena. After a cup of coffee, and a piece of chocolate cake for Euan, we headed home. That's us been over the new Queensferry crossing twice! A brief stop in Perth got the shopping done and we arrived home about 4pm