Travel to Newcastle & Visiting the Coast at Seaham
Miles walked: 7+
Yesterday I left Durham. It was sad to do so, because I liked it there, felt comfortable, and came to know its layout pretty well. It was home base and felt like it for a bit. I got one last look at the cathedral as the train left the station and wondered when I'd be back.
I was headed toward Newcastle, which is a short 15 minute ride. I don't know of any specific family connections here; mostly I wanted to explore it because it's a good sized city nearby to Durham. There are a few towns very close to Newcastle called Ryton and Tanfield which aren't big enough to visit, but that I do have connections to--my three times great grandparents, Margaret Jewitt and John Dodd, were born in Ryton in 1832/1833. They were married in Tanfield in 1850, where John was a coal miner in the 1861 census. They emigrated to the US and lived, died, and are buried in Blackstone, Illinois.
I dropped my bag off at my AirBnB in Newcastle and went directly back to the rail station to hop a train to Seaham--30 minutes from Newcastle.
Rolling past the sea and seeing it for the first time from the train made my heart soar and I know I made some sort of audible noise haha. There's just something about the water. I swear the air was fresher when I disembarked the train.
I was starving by the time I got there, so stopped at the first place I saw called the Crows Nest, which sounds kind of unique but felt like a chain restaurant like Chili's. I ordered bangers and mash, which I haven't had yet. It was decent; I wonder if a more authentic place would've been better.
I walked to the sea after this, which was essentially across the street from this restaurant, but down a slight slope. There is nothing like walking up to the water after you haven't seen it in years. Hello, friend.
The overall view of the coast from above is magnificent. I wanted to get down there, so after taking it in for a moment, I headed to my left, which has the more dramatic cliffs.
This walk was so enjoyable. What I wasn't expecting were the rocks. Pebbles and stones of all shapes and colors, some tiny and some softball sized. Some are plain in color and others are swirled or two-toned. The rocks are so pretty that it's hard to look up at the waves or cliffs. It's so mesmerizing looking down. There was also sand, which made a nice little beach.
Not too long into my staring at the ground, I gasped and bent down to pick up my first small piece of sea glass. It was opaque white and just sitting there like it was waiting for me. At that moment I vaguely remembered reading somewhere that this beach was known for sea glass. All the more reason that it was difficult to look away from the ground. I couldn't stop searching on my way down the coast. In fact, there were a few women who were purposely there searching for sea glass, equipped with containers to keep what they found.
About forty five minutes in, I was stopped by a sweet older (kinda crazy too) guy named David who wanted to show me the piece of cobalt blue sea glass he had found, which is rare (along with ruby colored). He noticed my accent right away and asked if I was from Canada and when I said, "No, Chicago," he knew it was Illinois without me mentioning the state! He talked about other American people he had met and how Americans just seem to love it here. Duh! The town itself is super cute and that close to a beautiful beach? Count me in. The temperature was about 60, but with the sun and my jacket and scarf, it was perfect.
I continued walking the beach for another hour at least, finding more opaque seaglass, but also a few little pieces of green and blue. I shrieked with delight when I found blue! Anyone listening to me on the beach would've thought I was crazy. I was thinking of you all and wishing you were here; I kept saying, "You guys!"
At some point I figured I should head back because there was a specific train to Newcastle that I had to catch. It was hard to leave. I bid the sea adieu as we rode off. (Side note: the train to Seaham from Newcastle goes through Sunderland where my four times great grandfather William Dodd is buried.)
Once back in Newcastle, I went to the AirBnB to officially check-in so that I could lighten my purse and get keys. This place is very near to the rail station, just a four minute walk. There are also shops and restaurants all around, so it's convenient to be in the middle of everything this time, instead of a 15+ minute walk.
I sat around my room for about an hour or so, just relaxing after walking so much. This room is like quadruple the size of the last place, but the whole apartment is not clean at all. I'm glad I'm only here for two nights. It's tidy, but grimy--to the point where it grosses me out.
I researched where to get dinner nearby and landed on a place called The Old George Inn, which I just found out is the oldest pub in Newcastle, dating from 1582. I ordered margherita pizza and a half pint of an ale that I randomly pointed at on the tap. The bartender said it was made especially for this pub only. "There's a little culture for ya, love. Ya can't get that anywhere else."
Yesterday I left Durham. It was sad to do so, because I liked it there, felt comfortable, and came to know its layout pretty well. It was home base and felt like it for a bit. I got one last look at the cathedral as the train left the station and wondered when I'd be back.
I was headed toward Newcastle, which is a short 15 minute ride. I don't know of any specific family connections here; mostly I wanted to explore it because it's a good sized city nearby to Durham. There are a few towns very close to Newcastle called Ryton and Tanfield which aren't big enough to visit, but that I do have connections to--my three times great grandparents, Margaret Jewitt and John Dodd, were born in Ryton in 1832/1833. They were married in Tanfield in 1850, where John was a coal miner in the 1861 census. They emigrated to the US and lived, died, and are buried in Blackstone, Illinois.
I dropped my bag off at my AirBnB in Newcastle and went directly back to the rail station to hop a train to Seaham--30 minutes from Newcastle.
Rolling past the sea and seeing it for the first time from the train made my heart soar and I know I made some sort of audible noise haha. There's just something about the water. I swear the air was fresher when I disembarked the train.
I was starving by the time I got there, so stopped at the first place I saw called the Crows Nest, which sounds kind of unique but felt like a chain restaurant like Chili's. I ordered bangers and mash, which I haven't had yet. It was decent; I wonder if a more authentic place would've been better.
I walked to the sea after this, which was essentially across the street from this restaurant, but down a slight slope. There is nothing like walking up to the water after you haven't seen it in years. Hello, friend.
The overall view of the coast from above is magnificent. I wanted to get down there, so after taking it in for a moment, I headed to my left, which has the more dramatic cliffs.
This walk was so enjoyable. What I wasn't expecting were the rocks. Pebbles and stones of all shapes and colors, some tiny and some softball sized. Some are plain in color and others are swirled or two-toned. The rocks are so pretty that it's hard to look up at the waves or cliffs. It's so mesmerizing looking down. There was also sand, which made a nice little beach.
Not too long into my staring at the ground, I gasped and bent down to pick up my first small piece of sea glass. It was opaque white and just sitting there like it was waiting for me. At that moment I vaguely remembered reading somewhere that this beach was known for sea glass. All the more reason that it was difficult to look away from the ground. I couldn't stop searching on my way down the coast. In fact, there were a few women who were purposely there searching for sea glass, equipped with containers to keep what they found.
About forty five minutes in, I was stopped by a sweet older (kinda crazy too) guy named David who wanted to show me the piece of cobalt blue sea glass he had found, which is rare (along with ruby colored). He noticed my accent right away and asked if I was from Canada and when I said, "No, Chicago," he knew it was Illinois without me mentioning the state! He talked about other American people he had met and how Americans just seem to love it here. Duh! The town itself is super cute and that close to a beautiful beach? Count me in. The temperature was about 60, but with the sun and my jacket and scarf, it was perfect.
I continued walking the beach for another hour at least, finding more opaque seaglass, but also a few little pieces of green and blue. I shrieked with delight when I found blue! Anyone listening to me on the beach would've thought I was crazy. I was thinking of you all and wishing you were here; I kept saying, "You guys!"
At some point I figured I should head back because there was a specific train to Newcastle that I had to catch. It was hard to leave. I bid the sea adieu as we rode off. (Side note: the train to Seaham from Newcastle goes through Sunderland where my four times great grandfather William Dodd is buried.)
Once back in Newcastle, I went to the AirBnB to officially check-in so that I could lighten my purse and get keys. This place is very near to the rail station, just a four minute walk. There are also shops and restaurants all around, so it's convenient to be in the middle of everything this time, instead of a 15+ minute walk.
I sat around my room for about an hour or so, just relaxing after walking so much. This room is like quadruple the size of the last place, but the whole apartment is not clean at all. I'm glad I'm only here for two nights. It's tidy, but grimy--to the point where it grosses me out.
I researched where to get dinner nearby and landed on a place called The Old George Inn, which I just found out is the oldest pub in Newcastle, dating from 1582. I ordered margherita pizza and a half pint of an ale that I randomly pointed at on the tap. The bartender said it was made especially for this pub only. "There's a little culture for ya, love. Ya can't get that anywhere else."
