Newcastle

With side trips to Lindisfarne and Hadrian's Wall

On the beach at Tynemouth


At the pier




In the town of TynemouthIn the library. I have yet to see a library anywhere near as well-equipped as the ones in Bellevue


The moat at the Tynemouth castleWe were lucky - we visited during a historical re-enactment weekend. The kids got to fight with sword and shield, and also meet many of the re-enactors






A blacksmith


The re-enactors slept in camps like this.


A reenactment of a Viking raid


First aid workers were at hand to deal with injuries


Ruins of the abbey


View from the gatehouseView towards Tynemouth


Hadrian's Wall - the old Roman fort at Vindolanda. This shows the underfloor heating


Remnants of the gutter systemA reproduction of one of the turrets that existed along the wall


Shards, waiting to be sifted throughVery scenic territority


Walking the Hadrian's Wall trail around Steel Rig/Sycamore Gap


Pretty windy!








This is the Sycamore tree, from Sycamore Gap




Peter wanted me to take a picture of him eating desert at the indian buffet in Newcastle. He's eating ice cream soup with M&M candies...At Lindisfarne - Holy Island, north of Newcastle. It's connected to the mainland by a causeway that's flooded at high tide. That's why we're driving right next to seaweed!


The castle at Lindisfarne. It looks deserted, but...


...there were plenty of tourists like us on the island!These birds found the buds of this plant very delicious


I liked the way that rooms were done up in National Trust buildings - just as though people were still living in them, with lots of knick-knacks.By lining up these 2 pyramids, fishing boats could head directly into the harbor


The castle kitchen (remodeled in the early 1900's)These boats made into shelters were typical of the island


The Lime KilnsLots of visitors built cairns


(We didn't build this)


Another castle, visible south of Lindisfarne


In the castle gardens


As the tide gets lower, all the boats are on their sides


Some pilgrim's paths ended at the abbey - St Oswald's Way and St Cuthbert's WayThese poles mark the pedestrian pathway to Lindisfarne


Alnwick Castle, where scenes from Harry Potter were filmedAlong the waterfront in Newcastle


I think I must have been promising the kids extra screen time for good photos, because of all the smiles!