After leaving Edinburgh, our next stopover would be Newcastle. The drive was beautiful and was on roads that meandered through green countryside...not the normal motor ways.
This scene caused us to stop to enjoy...a viaduct near Leaderfoot...
And what about this gorgeous scene...? A highland cattle calf...so sweet!
It would be a short stay in Newcastle...an afternoon and the evening.
The name of this very old bridge is High Level Bridge...over the years there has been restoration work on it. DH and I walked across and back...the wind was so strong and cold...brrr...but the view was great!
The bridge in front of the Tyne Bridge is the famous Swing Bridge...
Our hotel was called the Angel of the North Inn...
The statue is made of steel which has weathered to a red-brown colour. There is more information at this site... apparently this piece has not been without its share of controversy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_of_the_North
We went for a walk around some of the historical district...in the photo the castle can be seen rising above the railway bridge...
The Black Gate which used to be the entry to the old city of Newcastle...
I've walked through the Black Gate here and this walkway will take me toward the castle...
In the next photo the repairs and renovations to the castle can easily be seen...
Then we came to this very old bridge which stated it was a 'Weak Bridge' and only taxis and buses could use it...and pedestrians. The plaque we found on the bridge showed the year and the contractors...note that famous name!
A familiar looking bridge came onto view as we walked across the High Level Bridge...
That greeny looking bridge looks just like the Sydney Harbour Bridge...and that is no coincidence as the Tyne Bridge plans was based on the Sydney bridge's design. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/topics/misc-work/tyne-bridge-construction-building.shtml
Continuing on our walk back across the High Level Bridge we noticed locks clipped on to the mesh...apparently 'love locks' with messages on each lock.
Another view from the bridge...
One of the restored lights on the bridge...
An old church in the old part of the town...
Then we headed off to our hotel...as we drove up the hill we saw the huge sculpture, 'Angel of the North'....the photo below was taken from the carpark of our hotel and the people in the photo give an idea of the size of the statue. When we were on the 8 day bus tour of the UK in 2008, our bus 'flew' past this sculpture as all the passengers craned necks to catch a glimpse...
Our hotel was called the Angel of the North Inn...
Our room was in the Stables Block...
Next day we worked out which road to take to get closer to the statue...
That's me beside the Angel's left leg...
The statue is made of steel which has weathered to a red-brown colour. There is more information at this site... apparently this piece has not been without its share of controversy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_of_the_North
6 comments:
An interesting place, Maria, I hadn't thought of Newcastle as having all those wonderful historical buildings, I just imagined ship yards and industrial areas. Thanks for a greattour.
Such an interesting post Maria,thankyou for sharing.xx
Our time in Newcastle was much briefer than yours. A 5 minute train delay....LOL! Was the castle worth visiting? and I love the photo of the bus on the bridge but I have to say, I am not taken with the Angel of the North statue. Still loving your travels!
Cath @ Bits 'n Bobs
I was just thinking that both of you must be so fit with all the walking - those great bridges are quite long!
Beaut photos once more and good on you going back to that Angel of the North. You standing next to it really shows how big it is :D)
I'm a bit worried about the buses on the WEAK bridge! I thought a bus was pretty heavy.
More wonderful photos to see! The angel was really huge!
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