Northumberland 30 August - 1 September 2011

We were working out way southward from Scotland heading to Newcastle-upon-Tyne particularly to meet up with Martin and Mary Whitby.  Ray had worked with Martin when he was on sabatical at Lincoln College in the late 1970's.

Mary gave us the opportunity to experience an "allotment", being a plot in a community garden.  Residents can obtain rights to use a given area of land to grow their own vegetables and flowers.  Many people were working in their garden and chatter with others continued.  Work done and we were heading home.

Then off to see the sights.  This garden open to the public - for a fee.  Located west of Newcastle below Hadrian's Wall.

Unfortunately we had missed the best of the rose gardens.

However a few blooms remained.

Including this double yellow rose.

The fox is keeping an eye on things.

Secret views through the hedges.

The official entry in days gone by would have been via a draw bridge.

The formal part of the garden with box hedges, complete with pidgeon house.

A view back to the water feature before we leave.

On the way out we pass, actually went into, the tree house.  It contained a tree top cafe, decks and swing bridges.

Having absorbed the garden it is off to the nearby town of Corbridge.

Window shopping is the order of the day.  Mary expounding the virtues of goods in the shop.

A bit of a woolly feel about it.

The Black Bull not to be outdone by the woolly chap down the street.

The blacksmith's forge, now a gift boutique.

Every town and village has something of particular historic interest.  Even the Vicar was at risk and needed to live in a defended house.

Inside the nearby church.

Taking a break. Kath, Mary & Martin.

After lunch the cleaning team pass through efficiently picking up any crumbs.

...that Mary or Martin may have left.  The next day we head south on our way to London, from...

...a modern variant of terrace housing and ...

the intensive farmland of Northumberland.