The plan for Monday on Sunday night was to leave for Newcastle at 12:00 as Tracy (my other half) had an online meeting in the morning. At least, that was the plan when I went to bed. Monday morning arrived, and the plans had changed. There was no morning meeting (it seems that I’d be told telepathically). So we could leave earlier than we had initially intended, and we did. Sort of.
Let me explain our concept of time is way different to Tracy’s. Tracy lives on what she calls Herefordian time (personally, I call it something else that rhymes with bullocks) and she swears by it after living there for a while some years back. Now knowing my other half as I do, I’ve learned to compensate for Herefordian time (I don’t even know if such a thing exists).
Compensating for Herefordian time is easy. Take the time that Tracy says we are leaving and add at least 90 minutes, sometimes 180 minutes, so for example, an 09:00 departure time falls in a window between 10:30 and 12:30. We eventually departed for Newcastle at 11:30, which fit perfectly with Tracy’s stated new departure time of 10:00.
We had an evening stopover at Aycliffe Village to make, so I wasn’t going to push the drive too hard. After getting caught in traffic at Coryton as we left the A470 to join the M4, we made steady progress until hitting traffic at High Cross, this soon sorted itself, and soon we were on our way towards Monmouth, Ross-on-Wye and the M5.
Apart from a slight holdup on the M5, the journey North was uneventful and were soon heading up the M1 towards our destination for the day. I couldn’t believe how smoothly things were going until Tracy spotted a sign for Sherwood Forest. ‘Can we go? Can we go and see the Major Oak’?
In the last year of Tracy’s BA, she did a project on ‘Ancient & Vintage trees’. Unfortunately, she never got around to the ‘Major Oak’. Knowing how much it meant to her, I left the motorway and headed to Edwinstowe, home of Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest.
I had always assumed that Sherwood Forest was huge, and it is, just not as huge as it once was. The walk to the ‘Major Oak’ only took fifteen minutes. We took photos as we made our way towards our destination. I have to say I was a little underwhelmed by what I saw. I’m not being disrespectful, but it looked tired. Then again, it has every right to look tired at 1000 years old.
The County - Aycliffe Village
Arriving in Aycliffe village, after the sat nav tried taking us to Newton Aycliffe two completely different places, we checked in to The County. This place is nice a restaurant with rooms it bills itself as, what they fail to tell you is that the rooms are in a separate 3-storey building next door. And what rooms they are, spacious, sumptuous, tastefully decorated, you couldn’t ask for more.
The restaurant itself has a fine selection of beers at the bar, I can’t remember what I had but it was very good and I could have stayed and supped it all night, if I weren’t so tired I would have done it. Tracy settled for a glass of red wine. We ordered nothing out of the ordinary a Rib Eye with Beef-dripping chips for me and a Sirloin with new potatoes for Tracy. We also ordered a bread platter with houmus and Balsamic glaze, the star of this platter was the turmeric-flavoured bread. Our steaks arrived cooked by a chef who not only knows how to treat meat but how to cook it to perfection.
Breakfast the following morning was rather leisurely as we were the only guests the previous night we were given the option of a late breakfast. We gladly took this letting the chef lie in. Now I love a cooked breakfast and an integral part of that is Black (blood) Pudding. On the menu was Stornoway Black Pudding, I’d never had this before, oh what I’d been missing, I’m going to have to order some online.
Newcastle Here We Come
We left the County around 11:30 and made our way to Newcastle via Peterlee, not my choice there was something there that Tracy wanted to see, which I’m not saying. After a 3-hour stop off we finally headed to our final destination of the day- Newcastle. It’s a long time since I’ve been here about 43 years to be exact, I was nowt but a lad (I’d like to tell you that I was about 5 but I’d be lying . I was 18. I hope you’re all rubbish at maths).
Where were we off to? We were going to see Michael Buble (yeah, Mr Bubble) at the Utlita Arena. I can’t say either of us was a fan (I like some of his stuff), we are now though. Bloody hell can that man belt out a tune, what a set of pipes. We’ve both seen him on talk shows and know that he has a sense of humour, you can’t help but like the guy. The only downside to this trip is that Tracy has to be in Cheltenham for university at 09:00 Wednesday morning, so after the concert muggins here is driving through the night to get her there.
Cotswolds Explorer
I’ve dropped Tracy at Uni and gone off to explore and take photos. The drive down from Newcastle was uneventful. we stopped off for sleep I think I’ve had two hours. We got to Cheltenham in time to go for breakfast at the local Beefeater, I like the breakfast here normally, but I’ve been spoiled by the Stornoway Black Pudding we had at the County. Still, brekkie is brekkie and I’m sat down with a mug of Earl Grey. Tracy chuckled the first time she saw me drinking Earl Grey saying ‘Scousers can’t drink that!’ We can and I do.
Breakfast over with Tray in Uni I’m off to Stow-on-the-Wold, or I should say I was. I got diverted by steam and ended up at GWSR’s Toddington station to see living breathing metal. I have a vague memory of travelling on a steam train to see my sister in the hospital when I was a kid. I had to go and have a look, I just couldn’t resist Stow can wait a little longer.
Getting my fill of steam I left for Stow only I’ve just seen a sign that spoke to me, it mentioned water. If water is involved I’m all over it like a rash, I’m heading for Bourton-on-the-Water. Oh my, what a stunning place, I could live here, I really could. The River Windrush runs right through the centre of town, crystal clear water that looks so inviting. I really am tempted to get in the and wade down the middle of the river although I don’t think the locals would be impressed. It really is a stunning village, I’ve walked the river up as far as ‘Birdland’ and then headed back the way I came taking in the shops and the side streets along with ‘Brum’s’ home at the Cotswold Motoring and Toy Museum.
Walking on I follow the river back through the village and get photos as I go. Before departing for Stow only to be distracted by the name ‘Upper Slaughter’ and then as I’m driving towards it I see a sign for ‘Lower Slaughter’. I have to go and see them both Stow can wait in fact if I don’t get to Stow I don’t care. I visited the Slaughter’s along with Swell before going to Stow and leaving as quickly as I arrived, it wasn’t for me.
On the way back to Cheltenham to pick up the other half I stopped for lunch in Naunton having lunch in the Black Horse. I didn’t have anything fancy just a sandwich and a pint of some local beer both of which were very good.
We got home around 19:00, it’s been a great few days but I’m getting too old for this. Up at 06:00 Tuesday morning and bed at 21:30 Wednesday night with about 2 hours kip in between, I’m not burning the candle at both ends, I’m burning it in the middle as well. Up next music-wise is Nile Rogers in Warwick and Tom Jones in Cardiff. I can honestly say that I am ‘Donald Ducked’. You work it out I’m too tired and am going to bed.