After sixteen very enjoyable days in Ireland, it was time to fly back to Blighty. The itinerary was to fly to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, then motor through North Yorkshire, and across to Liverpool. Then down to Oxford and finally, our Airbnb at Buckland St Mary, Somerset. By a miracle, our budget flight on Ryanair was on time, and the security delays at Dublin airport, not too bad!
The night before leaving Dublin, Blair started to fell a bit ”ropey”. The next day in Newcastle, he felt worse, did a Covid test and .. positive! Two days later, Sue is positive also. So this is to put a dent in the OldPharts plans for the next few days.
Despite their ailments, the struggling tourists are still able to take in a lot Newcastle, and are most impressed with the architecture, and also the Quayside area.
After a comfortable night in The Vermont Hotel (an old classic), we crossed the Tyne into Gateshead, and visited the Angel of the North.
Our destination is to be Whitby, on the North Yorkshire coast. A certain James Cook spent his formative years there, and developed his love for the sea.
However, we wanted to make a couple of stops on the way. Firstly Chester-le-Street and the Riverside Cricket Ground, home of Durham cricket. Then on to Durham itself, with its University, Castle and Cathedral.
