Tynemouth

Last weekend, Maggie and Doris and I took the day off to go to Tynemouth, which is about a half-hour from Newcastle, out on the coast.

Basically, all I really need to say is that if anyone comes to visit me, this is where I'll take you. It's a short train- and metro-ride away, and even while it was a bit damp and cold, it was spectacularly beautiful. Observe:

This is the ruin of the priory. Just below it are cliffs and a beach that goes straight into the North Sea. It is spectacular and dramatic, and if I was a Romantic poet, I would be writing odes to it.

It's also an odd combination of the old and new, as the priory was built in 11th century, I believe, but the graveyard in the back is at least partially Victorian.

And then there's also a reproduction of a giant cannon-like gun from WWI on the coastal wall, which could apparently shoot bullets six inches in diameter seven miles out to sea. Pretty impressive.

But not nearly as pretty. I mean, really.

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Pretty amazing. The town is gorgeous too, with townhouses that reminded me a bit of Bath, but the coast is rocky and treacherous and fun to navigate (at least for me--I had hiking boots on, and I have a weird liking for hopping around and balancing on rocky outcroppings. I'm getting in touch with my inner mountain goat, or something).

We also went to the local aquarium, which was unfortunately a rip-off, and walked along the coast for about two towns (which sounds impressive, but towns can be tiny, so it was only five miles, maybe). Still, the views were gorgeous, the weather mostly tolerable, and much fun was had. It's definitely a place to go in the summer as well, since a lot of the shops and restaurants were clearly seasonal, and probably due to open in April or May. There were some crazy people who were already surfing, but I get the feeling that everyone probably descends upon the place in June and July. I'll have to go again then.