28 Jul 2016

Northumberland at last 25 July 2016

For many years I have thought about a trip to Northumberland but never actually managed to get there, so when chatting to Brian and Andy earlier this year about suitable coach trips this seemed somewhere to explore as a possible destination that would not take to long to get to. so off to the travel agent and our furst obstacle of finding 3 single rooms, eventually we found a suitable hotel with coach travel and excursions included for july this year so booked it there and then. At that time I had no plans to buy the caravan so it seemed a good time and price for a pleasant few days away.

Before the trip we met up to discuss the last minute details such as transport to the coach pick up and as far as we were aware that we would be enjoying pleasant weather. Despite this i still went into overkill with a , mixture of clothes to suit hot or cold conditions. Unfortunately my back bad been playing up for weeks and I had been having a mixture of physio and painkillers to cope, so was more than a little worried about how I would manage but determined to go. On the day the taxi was early the coach was on time and only one more pick up before we arrived at the transfer point which was at a motorway service area. It seemed to take a long time before we were finally loaded and on our way. The driver was not very chatty, which seems typical these days. We stopped once on the way for a snack and toilet break.

Finally we arrived at our destination the caledonian hotel in Newcastle, the staff took our cases to the rooms which saved my back from any further pia or stress.  The room was a decent size, well laid out, with a range of drinks including water crisps and biscuits. There was limited storage space which seems to be the norm these days with most people leaving most of their belongings in their cases. The bathroom was spacious with both bath and a very powerful shower and large soft towels and even a flannel, so I made full use of these to help get over the trip.

Soon it was time for our evening meal and we were in a separate section to the rest of the hotel sharing a table with another couple who seemed quite pleasant.  We were given both the menu for that evening and asked to make our choices for the following night as well. The food was good with decent choices finished off with a cup if coffee.  Then we decided to return to our rooms as we had an early start the next day. I then decided to watch tv for a while before testing out the large comfortable bed and a drink of hot chocolate. Unfortunately due to the pain despite taking painkillers I did not sleep well but this was no reflection on the room or bed.

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