Friday, January 6, 2017

2017 New Year in Newcastle

We nearly didn't get away this year, to celebrate throwing 2017 into the sea,  had to wait in for a parcel delivery. I decided it might be a good idea to get a dehumidifier for Helga, to keep dampness out. Amazon were offering a really good one, so it had to be done. Turns out, it has drawn about 5 litres of water from the atmosphere in as many days.
It's a bit like the air con unit we bought at the start, a couple of folk said it was a waste of money, but last summer when it was thirty something in Croatia, it was definitely not a waste of time. Seriously, after sitting out sunbathing it was a real treat to go into the cool van for a wee siesta.

But enough of that drivel. We made it to Newcastle and were more than surprised when our favourite spot had one tight wee space left. It was getting late, or past three anyway, after we got parked up, so we decided since it was NYE it would be good to go on a pub crawl.
Newcastle is a small town, with only nine pubs and a couple or three hotels. They are all completely different, with their own uniqueness, and charm. If we had to choose a favourite, it would be The Donard Hotel . Very sports orientated, and yummy Guinness.


By the time we reached The Avoca Hotel all thoughts of cooking had disappeared like gin and tonic out of a frosted glass! We had dinner here, and it was truly like something out of the seventies. The food was good, the manageress was a stern harassed looking lady, and the barman was a Newcastle version of "Manuel".


Needless to say, we slept well after seeing in 2017 with some fizz which we couldn't even finish.
A nice walk down to Newcastle harbour, miraculously blew the hangovers away. the seas were heavy,  the wind was strong. The sun was out, and all was well in the world.
Monday morning saw us catch the bus to Kilkeel.  We were the only two on the bus so we sat up top in the front seats like two school kids. It's the simple things, you know.We like this wee fishing town, and always walk all around it. The fleet was in and so was the wind, so a quick call into The Whistle stop for their delicious coffee, would bring us up to bus time.

We were originally going to stay out till Tuesday, but it was to cold to go walkabout, considering I had left my warm winter coat at home. We just packed up and went home.
That's the fabulous thing about our passion, do whatever, whenever.




Anyway, after getting home and getting the van sorted, I started trawling for a ferry. After comparing prices and calculating mileages, I opted for a change of plan and booked with Stena to go Rosslare Cherbourg. This year is different, I'm going out on my own and six weeks later Margaret will fly out to Vilnius in Lithuania, where I will meet up with her, and we'll have a further six weeks touring. Can't wait.

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