Roadtrip Day 1: Newcastle to York

Well after Newcastle I go on a road trip for a week... Starting in Newcastle on the 4th Oct and ending in Bath on the 11th.

So I had booked a rental car online. The website said they would pick me up from my hotel for free and bring me to the branch which kinda sold me... that and the price which was nearly half the Hertz price. (I have a hertz gold club card which gives me some discounts but basically means they do look after me... but i spose i pay for the service!). Anyway, you're meant to ring 24 hrs before to confirm pickup but they werent open Sunday and i forgot to call on fri and sat. So i called at 8am that morning and they had no idea. The reservation was there but it had gotten lost in the system. So the guy said he would call me back as soon as he can find a car for me (i cant drive manual)... you can imagine how worried i was. It also meant that i was losing time and i had some plans for the day...

All good in the end and i eventually ended up getting this medium sized car that's very similar to my mazda actually... except a little gutless on the accelerator. Actually it's quite nice cos it has cruise control and leather seats...

First stop was the Tynemouth priory which is actually near where i did the course. Walked around a bit...
The priory is in a prime location looking out to the sea which is why it was later used as a fort and cannons added to the outer perimeter of the old castle. It's seen a lot since the war and so now lies in ruins.

Tynemouth Priory

Visited a nearby factory outlet cos i just couldnt help myself... when you add the words "Gap" and "factory outlet" i just cant resist. Lurve Gap! but i didnt manage to get any jeans... just a couple of hoodies.

Started the drive to Scarborough which is where i booked to stay mon night. Thought i would take the scenic route via Whitby to see the abbey there. But i'd left too late to be able to visit as they closed. Walked around for a bit before driving to Scarborough.

Whitby Abbey (ruins)

 Was absolutely perfect driving into Scarborough around 6pm... sunset... the sun setting over the waters was so beautiful. Its a little seaside town. The beaches arent as great as Australian beaches but i can understand why it's such a popular uk summer getaway place. And driving along the coastline with the beach on one side and the sun setting was just so nice...

I booked a room at a little b&b... actually there's whole streets of b&b's which i'm guessing would be very popular in the summertime. The proprietors were really really nice... actually was funny cos despite being really nice, the owner John is somebody i probably wouldnt want to run into in a dark alley... He's got lots of tats and is obviously into martial arts judging by the wall hangings and his bruce lee t-shirt. but put a pony tail on him and a leather jacket and he could be some mean biker dude. Anyway he was really nice and kept calling me 'my love' which was a bit weird...

Decided to go for a wander for some dinner. Remember the tune "are you going to Scarborough fair..."?
Well fair is right... down by the beach there are a heap of neon light games arcades. The funny thing is nobody was in them but i guess in summer it would be different... just like there would be lots of people buying gelato from the little hotdog/ice cream vendors.

Roadtrip photos Part #1 are here...