I first came to Sunderland in Easter 1997. Petrol in Roker was 59.9p a litre, the match with Charlton a sell-out as the move to a new stadium loomed, denying me a vital tick on the way to The 92. It was a year before I made it back to the Stadium of Light. Petrol… Continue reading WHITBURN WINNERS
Tag: Tyne & Wear
FULWELL (NEARING THE) END
Suddenly I was within two (2) ticks of completing Tyne & Wear GBG, and all that was needed was an hour on the metro to north Sunderland and then another hour slog in the biting cold along the coast. See, it’s easy. The hardest part was finding a loo at Monument before I jumped on… Continue reading FULWELL (NEARING THE) END
BYKER TREASURE TROVE
From the Heaton Tap I walked the couple of miles down through Byker to the Tyne for my (checks spreadsheet) 69th Newcastle Brewery Tap. Coincidentally, ’69 was the last time Newcastle United won a trophy. Byker itself, between the metro and the river, is a sharp contrast to the pashmina enclave of the Ouseburn valley… Continue reading BYKER TREASURE TROVE
METRO MAN MAKES IT TO MONKSEATON
Durham in the bag, I reached base camp at 13:30. The Premier Inn just south of Newcastle Airport is your perfect £40 location from which to mop up Tyne & Wear AND that irritating Northumberland straggler a mile over the border in Ponteland. £5.40 for a Metro all-day ticket which will take you from airport… Continue reading METRO MAN MAKES IT TO MONKSEATON
A PERSIAN BREAKFAST AT THE MOULIN ROUGE
Sunday morning in Newcastle. Just time for a local breakfast and then head home to Sheffield, a phrase which still doesn’t quite seem real. The west side along the A186 to Benwell has a touch of Hagley Road or Salford Crescent or ihe Wicker about it; lively, historic, good for lunch and bad for pubs.… Continue reading A PERSIAN BREAKFAST AT THE MOULIN ROUGE
WHITLEY BAY – CHIMPS, CHEEK, CHIPS
Where were we last Saturday ? Oh yes, on the beach at Whitley Bay. Made you a video. Now it was time for my penultimate tick for Tyne & Wear. I was expecting the Split Chimp, wayward cousin of the original Chimp near Newcastle Station, to be quite smart; outside a Champagne bar, next to… Continue reading WHITLEY BAY – CHIMPS, CHEEK, CHIPS
THE BAY
Calm down ! That’s not Mrs RM above (or me). Whitley Bay, the Margate of the North ? Or the new Folkestone ? It’s gone all posh, hasn’t it ? Ever since Mrs RM and I came here 15 years ago, admired the beach and mispronounced Tynmouth, it’s seen an influx of young people with… Continue reading THE BAY
HIT THE TOON
The next diary entry is a bit of a set-up post after the rigours of conquering Hadrian’s Wall. Well, actually we got half-way, but that was 40 odd miles, plenty enough for Mrs RM on this trip. We’ll go back and do Haydon Bridge to Newcastle later in the summer, then think about the bits… Continue reading HIT THE TOON
TOP 10 COUNTIES – No. 1 – TYNE & WEAR
It’s been an emotional run-through the Top 10 Counties. And here’s your winner (well, mine, your views don’t count, obvs). One of the smallest “counties”, but barely a square inch wasted (though the Boldons is a bit dull, unless there’s anyone there reading this, in which case the Black Horse is OK ). Let’s start… Continue reading TOP 10 COUNTIES – No. 1 – TYNE & WEAR
AFTERWORK PERK IN RYHOPE
You’ve joined me on my near week long pre-Christmas crawl round The North (and Wales), getting pubs done before they shut for the whole of January to combat Dry****** or because snow makes them inaccessible. I start on the edge of Sunderland with a confession. Ryhope has a world-renowned Engines Museum that I know you’d… Continue reading AFTERWORK PERK IN RYHOPE
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