Blogs from Northumberland, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 14

We've moved out of the flat, travelled to the folks in Newcastle, via a visit to Hannah and Andy in Nottingham ... it's all pretty exciting and a little bit surreal This entry is more of a test run to get Mummy Jagpal familiar with the world of blogs ! 2 days and counting ... & then there'll be some actual interesting travelling stuff to report Adios till then xx... read more

Super spontaneous weekend!!!! Yeah I went there... Seriously this past weekend was a true roller coaster. Friday we decided to just relax, and hang out all night and just enjoy the atmosphere of Newcastle from our apartment. Granted Mark played xbox and Kaitlyn was in the tub soaking with a box of bubble bath relaxing salts (her new friend). Saturday, Mark got up and did some shopping for Kaitlyn's birthday present (yes he got it picked out and everything) and it looked like a nice day... well warm weather and some what sunny skies... yeah I know our definition of good weather has drastically changed since being here. After picking up Kaitlyn's present, we decided it was time for some lunch and wondering around. First come lunch and there was the ever trusty Subway... (yes we ... read more

Having skipped Scotland we had to cut across the top of England and find somewhere to stay. Our resident ‘Roman History’ buff wanted to see Hadrians wall. The Roman’s built it to separate the area they conquered from the ‘barbaric Scottish’…yawn.…miles and miles of nothing…yawn…stone walls (though slightly wider) just like all over England…yawn…a few wind swept sheep, some rocks and hardly a tree in sight. The hostels are full with walkers (crazy people wandering over barren landscape in the wind and rain!) so we sought out a cheap pub. After dinner we started chatting with a couple of old guys…well we could talk to one but the other had such a strong (Scottish I think)accent I could only pick up a word here and there (Darren had no idea what he was saying). ... read more

Pronounced Anick, how can they keep skipping letters of a word!! I keep having to check words for local pronunciations. We have a hostel in a quiet country lane all to ourselves with the added bonus of an open fire. It’s still not getting above 16-18. But we soldier on and go for some nice walks around the coast discovering a castle here and there and try to warm up on a sheltered beach and watch some crazy kids paddling in the icy water, our kids could only manage dipping in a toe. We’re still really tired and the trip to Edinburgh didn’t win out over staying an extra night here beside the fire. ... read more

Friday 16 May - After a relaxed morning, we left Byrness at 11am to start our big trudge uphill through a conifer plantation and then had a short scramble up a rock ledge. Even though the day was a lot cooler than the previous day, it did feel like we had done a Jane Fonda workout by the time we reached the top of Byrness Hill. Up on the open ridge were views of the magnificent Kielder Forest and Catcleugh Reservoir sparkling in the distance. As the Pennine Way continues, it crosses some of the least-populated parts of England. As we continued on, it was disconcerting to hear gunfire and blasts - the Pennine Way passes through Ministry of Defence property and there are signs everywhere warning walkers not to trespass. One of the signs says: ... read more