A Reflective and Spooky Visit to Durham

Sometimes I plan things not thinking that my poor feet will take a pounding.  Half term week proved to be very busy!  A heart warming Greenwich trip (my post in case you missed it is here, followed by a spooky trip up North to Co. Durham to visit some of my family.   So, the usual drill - grab yourself a bottle of Newcastle Brown and a hot pork pie, here's a whistle stop tour of the beautiful county of Durham...

Firstly, we visited Seaham to see the atmospheric sculpture of “Tommy”.  Today is Armistice Day and I felt that I should start with this trip and the images I took of this sculpture entitled "1101" which is when the armistice came into effect.

While here, we could hear the refreshing sound of pounding waves against the rocks and walls, a scene straight out of a Catherine Cookson drama.  My uncle was very patient as we waited for the seventh wave to hit the shore.  All we needed was the actors in their costumes with skirts and capes dancing in the wind.

One of the reasons we came up here was to re-visit the Beamish Museum (past posts here).  This time it was going to be dark and spooky for their Halloween weekend.  We knew this was going to be an amazing event to experience with staff in character and in costume, and they didn’t disappoint.  So, enough of the commentary for now, here are some of the shots I managed to get with Big Bertha without shaking too much!

The Beamish Museum is an amazing place whose scale can’t be described in a blog post.  If you are ever in the area/country, this is a MUST see with living history and real buildings full to the rafters with artefacts and people in character, not to mention the ride on trams and old buses from yesteryear.  Me and Miss Teen will be back again next year and will give the Beamish Hall Hotel a try as it is right on the doorstep (if you have been to this Hotel before, let me have your thoughts).

At the end of our trip (and with me having a 1980’s hangover… I know, it’s all my own fault!!), me and Miss Teen decided to forego the trip to Durham Cathedral.  Such a shame, but it will happen another time when I’m sober.  

However, as I sat on a park bench facing the Cathedral with the company of an ex Sunderland footballer from Scotland, who was equally as worse for wear as me… Miss Teen had a wonderful chat with an artist and was allowed to throw paint on his canvas.  To Miss Teen as an art student, this was all her Christmases at once, and, after making sure he was definitely happy, she went ahead and no damage was done.  Infact, he's invited her back to paint with him next time we are up here!

My wonderful uncle moved up to Durham many years ago with his family, it was an incredible wrench as he has always felt like an older brother to me and I miss him terribly.  Years ago, he used to travel down to London and on his way stop over at Sweetbriar Cottage to enjoy its peace and tranquillity, so to meet up with him once again and spend some quality time with the family was very special.

Next week, I am visiting Blenheim Palace with Mumsy for a historical visit along with a bit of Christmas shopping (sorry, I've said the C word!).  Can't wait to see this Palace, a first visit time for me.

Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead.

This week I am sharing with:

Ms Toody Goo Shoes' Best of the Weekend