UK Tour 05 - Boulmer Beach, Zamorins

(The links to all the parts of this series are given at the end of the post)

June 07, Friday

We left Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum around 3 p.m. We thought of having dinner at Zamorins at Whitley Bay.

But there was a lot of time left in the day. So, we decided to stop by at Boulmer Beach.

Boulmer (pronounced Boomer) is a traditional fishing village. But there is no harbour. Cobles (fishing boats in northeast England) are hauled directly onto the beach with tractors.

When we reached there around 3:30 p.m., we found just a couple of other people — no crowds. I was told that this is not a place where many people flock. There are quite a few houses alongside the coast.

ROCK FORMATIONS

The beach was tranquil. We walked along on the sand with a cold breeze blowing against us. We reached a point where quite a lot of seaweed had washed ashore, giving the place a shabby look.

Along the coast, we discovered captivating rock formations, each with its own story to tell. Most of them appear to be 'whin sill' (a type of dolerite rock) and limestone, adding a geological twist to our adventure. 

Henry has a keen interest in geology, and some of the small pieces of rocks caught his attention.

The entire place was quiet and serene except for the gentle laps of the waves on the shore. While Henry and I went for a walk, Sreerekha found a rock to sit on and meditate!

The village of Boulmer was infamous for its smuggling activities in the 18th and 19th centuries. Apparently, smugglers and pirates from across the coast and Scotland used to converge here, dealing in illicit goods such as spirits, salt, and tobacco. 

Boulmer is now also known for the Royal Air Force base, which was established during the Second World War.

DUCKS ON THE COAST

One of the most surprising moments was seeing ducks and ducklings along the sea coast. It was a unique experience that I had never encountered before!

I did some quick web searches and learned that these could be sea ducks. A few species are commonly found on the Northumberland coast. 

One of these is the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), which has striking black-and-white plumage. It looks like the ones we saw were these.

We also spent some time sitting on a bench and enjoying the view of the vast expanse of the sea.

A 1 min 20 sec video of the ducks and ducklings, the vast expanse of the North Sea, the rock formations, and the panoramic view of the coastal area can be viewed here.

ZAMORINS

We left for Zamorins restaurant in Whitley Bay around 4:45 p.m. On the way, we saw some beautiful landscapes.

It took us a little over an hour to get there. Zamorins is a South Indian restaurant run by three friends from the state of Kerala in South India. 

It's very unusual to find an Indian restaurant run by Indians, especially one from my home state! Most of the 'Indian restaurants' in the UK are run by people from Bangladesh.

Just to clarify, it wasn't my choice to go there for dinner! Zarmorins is a favourite of Henry, who relishes Indian food as much as native British dishes.

Zamorin is the Anglicised version of the Malayalam Samoothiri, the title of the erstwhile monarch of the kingdom of Kozhikode (Calicut), which is now a city and district in the state of Kerala in south India. They ruled from 1124 CE to 1806 CE.

The restaurant, which opened in November 2018, is the realisation of the dream of three friends who were inspired by the Zamorins' rich contribution to South India's art, culture, and cuisine.

I am not a foodie, so I can't make any detailed comments on their menu except that they have a wide variety of dishes, and what we had was exceptionally tasty.

It was no wonder that the place was nearly full. This is easily a popular restaurant in the town!

The sumptuous meal rounded off a long and delightful first full day of our tour, which started at Cresswell.

(To be continued)

Links to all the posts in the series

01 - Departure (June 05, Wednesday)

02 - Dockwray Square, Tynemouth (June 06, Thursday)

03 - Cresswell Pele Tower (June 07, Friday)

04 - Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum (June 07, Friday)

05 - Boulmer Beach, Zamorins (June 07, Friday)

06 - Beamish Museum (June 08, Saturday) 

07 - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne (June 09, Sunday)

08 - Linhope Spout Waterfall (June 10, Monday)

09 - London, Wanstead (June 11, Tuesday)

10 - London City (June 12, Tuesday)

11 - BBC (June 12, Tuesday)

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UK Tour 04 - Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum

(The links to all parts of the series are given at the end of this post)

June 07, Friday

After spending about an hour at Cresswell, we headed to Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum. This is a haven for history buffs, nature enthusiasts, and tea aficionados. 

This sprawling estate, ancestral home to the Earl Grey since 1319, has meticulously designed gardens, woodlands, a diverse arboretum, and a tea house.

We reached Howick around 10:15 a.m. At the reception, while getting the tickets, we learned that at 11 a.m., there would be a two-hour walking tour of the gardens and the arboretum. 

That meant there was enough time for us to taste the famous Earl Grey tea! 

GREY FAMILY

Howick is a village in Alnwick, Northumberland, northeast England. (Alnwick is pronounced Anik)

The most famous name and family in this area was the Grey family, which owned the land at Howick from 1319. 

They are an ancient English noble family from Creully in Normandy founded in the 11th century by Anchetil de Greye.

The earliest building here was a tower house (a castle-like structure that served as a defence against invaders), which was demolished in 1780.

What we now know as Howick Hall was built in 1782.

The Howick Hall

This was the home of the most distinguished member of the Grey family, Charles, 2nd Earl Grey. 

He was Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834, during which time the Great Reform Bill of 1832 was passed, which eventually led to our modern democracy. (The Reform Act 1832)

Slavery was also abolished during his tenure.

The Howick Hall underwent multiple renovations, the most significant one in 1928, after a big fire destroyed the interior of the main house in 1926. 

The home of the Greys

The family moved out of the main house in 1963 and now lives in the west wing, which was developed into a family home.

The ground floor of the Howick Hall is open to the public. The exhibitions there tell us a lot about the family, the gardens and the arboretum. We visited this after the tour of the gardens.

I found this quite nice. A place to just relax or have some tea and snacks.

EARL GREY TEA

Since the walking tour was about half an hour away, we headed straight to the Earl Grey Tea House for a cup of tea.

The origin of this now-world-famous tea is not at all clear. But the most popular one, as mentioned on the Howick Hall website, is that it was first blended by a Chinese mandarin for Charles, the 2nd Earl Grey. 

It says that Lady Grey used it in London when entertaining as a political hostess. It proved so popular that Twinnings marketed it, and it is now sold worldwide.

Sadly, the Greys, being unbusinesslike, failed to register the trade mark, and as a result, we were told they have never received a penny in royalties.

At the Tea House, we ordered, obviously, Earl Grey Tea and scones. They were delightful, and we enjoyed the break. 

Earl Grey tea is a blend of black tea infused with the fragrant oil of bergamot, a citrus fruit. The oil gives Earl Grey its unique flavour. Traditionally, Earl Grey tea was made from Chinese Keemun black tea and intended to be served without milk. However, nowadays, many Earl Grey teas use artificial bergamot flavour. Some variations include green or oolong tea as the base.

Scone is a traditional British baked food popular in the UK and Ireland. It is usually made of either wheat flour or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans.

THE GARDENS

There has been a long tradition in the Grey family as gardeners and tree planters. Howick Hall Gardens are primarily the work of Charles, 5th Earl Grey and his wife Mabel, and later their daughter Lady Mary Howick between 1920 and 2001. 

Between April and October, volunteers usually lead guided tours of the gardens every Monday and Friday. We were lucky to be there on a Friday.

We were a group of about 15 people. During the nearly two-hour tour, we saw a wide variety of plants and trees. They are from all parts of the world and burst into life depending on the season.

The different parts of the garden are Bulbs, Silverwood, The Bog Garden, The Borders and Rockery Garden, The Sensory Garden, and the Trees. (All these links are to the official website of Howick Hall.)

Howick Hall Arboretum opened in 2006. It has almost virtually been grown from seed collected in the wild from 1985 and there are about 11,000 trees and shrubs from about 1,800 taxa.

The walking tour ended around 1 p.m. 

At 2 p.m., Howick Hall hosted a cello and piano concert. We listened to the recital for about half an hour and then walked around the Hall.

The exhibition tells the story of how the gardens and arboretum evolved through generations of passionate gardeners and plantsmen. 

There are also a lot of displays that tell the story of Earl Grey and his family members and their contribution to the gardens. 

The write-ups tell us interesting facts about unusual trees and plants growing at Howick and tales from plant-hunting expeditions abroad.

The amount of effort that has gone into developing this over all these years is mind-boggling, and it must easily be one of a kind.

We left around 3 p.m. for Boulmer Beach.

(To be continued)

Links to all the posts in the series

01 - Departure (June 05, Wednesday)

02 - Dockwray Square, Tynemouth (June 06, Thursday)

03 - Cresswell Pele Tower (June 07, Friday)

04 - Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum (June 07, Friday)

05 - Boulmer Beach, Zamorins (June 07, Friday)

06 - Beamish Museum (June 08, Saturday) 

07 - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne (June 09, Sunday)

08 - Linhope Spout Waterfall (June 10, Monday)

09 - London, Wanstead (June 11, Tuesday)

10 - London City (June 12, Tuesday)

11 - BBC (June 12, Tuesday)

UK Tour 03 - Cresswell Pele Tower

(The links to all parts of the series are given at the end of this post)

We got back to our home in Bengaluru on the 15th after an eight-day tour of the UK. I gave up the idea of posting updates while on the trip for several reasons. 

One, each day was so hectic that I had very little time to open the Blogger app and put up posts. I was keeping a rough daily diary, though.  

Two, we were walking a lot, nearly 8 to 10 km (5 to 7 miles) each day. We discovered that by chance when we looked at the Google Fit app on the phone! I used to be so tired, and posting updates was the last thing on my mind!

Three, the Blogger app for Android is not among the best. The photos have to be horizontal because vertical photos turn 90 degrees and appear horizontally! Also, there is no way of giving captions and hyperlinks.

I will write about the trip and post photos (and short videos, too) in the coming days and weeks.

The tour (a long-pending one) was exciting, enjoyable, and educative. I learned a lot about many places, monuments, and historical events. I hope to share some of them here.

The previous two posts (Departure and Dockwray Square, Tynemouth) have been updated after fixing a few typos and adding more photos.

June 07, Friday

Off to Cresswell

We -- Henry, my wife, and I -- started the day at 8:30 a.m., heading to the coastal village of Cresswell in Northumberland in northeast England, roughly half an hour's drive north of Newcastle.

On the way, we could see so many wind turbines. I was told that there has been a significant investment in wind power research and development in Northumberland, especially near Blyth.

Wind turbines

Cresswell is a highly picturesque coastal village. It is soaked in natural beauty and rich history, with beautiful beaches and historical landmarks.

During World War II, the Royal Air Force had two radar sites in this village. They have since been disbanded, and there are no indications of them now.

In addition to the beach, parks, and birdwatching centres, the Cresswell Pele Tower is one of the main attractions.

The entrance to Cresswell Pele Tower premises

Pele (also spelt peel) towers are miniature castles built between the 14th and 17th centuries along the Anglo-Scottish borders. These fortified structures served as a vital line of defence against the Border Reivers, who were robbers (from both sides of the divide) who stole anything they could find, mainly cattle.

The three-storey Cresswell Pele Tower, also known as the Cresswell Castle, was constructed in the 14th century by the Cresswell family. There are around 175 such structures in Northumberland. Many of them have succumbed to the vagaries of nature over time or are in a very bad state. This is one of the best-preserved peels in Northumberland.

Cresswell Pele Tower

The original entrance to the tower was on the first floor reached either by a ladder or wooden staircase. The ground floor was used mainly for storage. A narrow, defensive, winding staircase leads to the first floor. The first and 2nd floors had kitchen, bedrooms, toilet etc.

In addition to its natural beauty and historical significance, the Cresswell village and its surroundings offer several other attractions and activities. 

The beach at Cresswell

The nearby Druridge Bay Country Park has a large lake, woodlands, and meadows. It also offers facilities for picnics, birdwatching, and water sports.

There is also the Cresswell Ices, a family-run ice cream parlour that has been serving delicious homemade ice cream for generations.

There is also in the nearby town of Morpeth a range of historical sites, including the remains of Morpeth Castle and the gardens of Carlisle Park.

Alas, there is only so much one can see in a day. We had to give all these a miss. 

Here is a 1m 42s video that was shot near the Cresswell beach, showing the surrounding areas. There was a very strong breeze, and my apologies for its sound in the video. Since there is no voiceover, you may watch it on mute.

After a good look at the Cresswell Pele Towers and some time on the beach, we headed to Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum in Alnwick, about a half-hour drive north of Cresswell.

I will write about that in the next post. 

(To be continued)

Links to all the posts in the series

01 - Departure (June 05, Wednesday)

02 - Dockwray Square, Tynemouth (June 06, Thursday)

03 - Cresswell Pele Tower (June 07, Friday)

04 - Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum (June 07, Friday)

05 - Boulmer Beach, Zamorins (June 07, Friday)

06 - Beamish Museum (June 08, Saturday) 

07 - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne (June 09, Sunday)

08 - Linhope Spout Waterfall (June 10, Monday)

09 - London, Wanstead (June 11, Tuesday)

10 - London City (June 12, Tuesday)

11 - BBC (June 12, Tuesday)

UK Tour 02 - Dockwray Square, Tynemouth

(The links to all parts of the series are given at the end of this post)

June 06, Thursday 

Newcastle International Airport

We had a pleasant flight from Dubai to Newcastle, where we landed at 1220. Our friend Henry and his friend, Don, were kind enough to come to the airport.

 

After checking into a hotel and having a late lunch, we headed to Dockwray Square in North Shields in the evening.

This is not quite a touristy place, but I included it in the places to visit list after reading an article in The Guardian.

From this article - How Tyneside Inspired a Laurel and Hardy Classic - published in 2003, which I stumbled upon by sheer accident while doing some reading up on northeast England, I learned about the association of Stan Laurel (of Laurel and Hardy movies) with North Shields.

The park in memory of Stan Laurel.

In my school, during those days, every month on a Saturday, a Laurel and Hardy movie used to be screened on a 16 mm projector. And I instantly became a Laurel and Hardy fan. Even today, I enjoy watching them.

From that Guardian article, I learned that Laurel had spent his childhood there, and in Dockwray Square, there is a park named after him and a statue of him as well. This was a surprise. 

The statue of Stan Laurel at the Laurel Park.

But the bigger surprise was that a flight of stairs in Fish Quay is said to have inspired the 1935 movie The Music Box.

 

There are now many places where steps are running down to the Fish Quay, and it's not clear which one was the real inspiration. 

One of the steps leading to Fish Quay
that is said to be an inspiration for The Music Box 

The film is about how Laurel and Hardy carry a piano up a flight of stairs to deliver it to a lady. The short 25-minute comedy is available for free on YouTube.

The Highlights

A plaque on the Highlights

We saw the Highlights and Lowlights. They are basically lighthouses dating back to the early 18th century. We also had a look at the Fish Quay, a fishing port which was built in 1225. (Photo below) 

The Fish Quay

From there, we went to see the Collingwood Monument in Tynemouth. 

The Collingwood Monument

River Tyne

The 7-metre-tall structure overlooks the River Tyne and is dedicated to Vice Admiral Lord Cuthbert Collingwood, second-in-command to Admiral Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar, the naval engagement in 1805 between Britain and France-Spain combined.

(To be continued)

Links to all the posts in the series

01 - Departure (June 05, Wednesday)

02 - Dockwray Square, Tynemouth (June 06, Thursday)

03 - Cresswell Pele Tower (June 07, Friday)

04 - Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum (June 07, Friday)

05 - Boulmer Beach, Zamorins (June 07, Friday)

06 - Beamish Museum (June 08, Saturday) 

07 - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne (June 09, Sunday)

08 - Linhope Spout Waterfall (June 10, Monday)

09 - London, Wanstead (June 11, Tuesday)

10 - London City (June 12, Tuesday)

11 - BBC (June 12, Tuesday)

UK Tour 01 - Departure

June 05, Wednesday

The distance from my home to Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru is around 40 km. Normally, it should take about a little over an hour by cab, even when there is traffic. But on the way, there was a sudden downpour, not quite unexpected. 

Seeing the intensity of the rain, my wife and I were a bit worried that we would be stuck on flooded roads. But mercifully, it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. Though it took us nearly two hours, since we had started early, we were well within time. 

Terminal 2 of Bengaluru airport.

This was the first time we were at Terminal 2, the swanky addition inaugurated in December 2022. The architecture is unique and unlike what one would expect from an airport. The interiors are crafted with engineered bamboo and have an indoor garden, waterfalls, and hanging planted bells. It's huge, with scores of check-in and security counters.

Terminal 2 of Bengaluru airport

The Emirates flight to Dubai took off at 2050. Usually, I keep the seat belt fastened only when the seat belt sign is on. But this time, I made sure the seat belt was fastened throughout the flight, thanks to the two recent incidents of very major turbulence flights encountered.

On the flight, I talked to an elderly gentleman, originally from Bengaluru but who works in Washington. He asked me if I had an onward flight from Dubai. 

When I said yes, and it was to Newcastle, he asked me if Newcastle was in Canada? I said no, it's in the UK. He was quite surprised that there was a direct flight to Newcastle in the UK from Dubai.

I can fully relate to his surprise because I have myself been surprised to see direct international flights from Bengaluru to many cities that one wouldn't expect. 

We reached Dubai at 2330. Since there was a layover of around 8 hours, we looked for a place to sleep. There are lounges. But we found the reclining chairs near one of the gates quite okay.

There was a crowd, but most of them were sleeping or watching mobiles. A few children seemed to have lots of energy to run around and play at that unearthly hour. But that was only for some time, and we got nearly five hours of good sleep.

(To be continued)

Links to all the posts in the series

01 - Departure (June 05, Wednesday)

02 - Dockwray Square, Tynemouth (June 06, Thursday)

03 - Cresswell Pele Tower (June 07, Friday)

04 - Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum (June 07, Friday)

05 - Boulmer Beach, Zamorins (June 07, Friday)

06 - Beamish Museum (June 08, Saturday) 

07 - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne (June 09, Sunday)

08 - Linhope Spout Waterfall (June 10, Monday)

09 - London, Wanstead (June 11, Tuesday)

10 - London City (June 12, Tuesday)

11 - BBC (June 12, Tuesday)

Lok Sabha election results

The 2024 elections to the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) will be remembered for many reasons. 

The party (or rather the alliance) that won feels that it has lost, and the one that lost feels that it has won. 

The ruling NDA alliance had set an ambitious target of getting at least 400 seats. That's 73.7% of the strength of the House of 543. But it fell way short getting only 293, that's is 53.9%.

On the other side, the Opposition alliance which didn't give itself (privately, of course) not more than 200 seats, got 232.

Many regional parties also fared much better than expected, giving widely an impression that everyone had something to celebrate.

This election also proved again that in India no party can take the electorate for granted. People have a mind of their own and think independently, not caring for the overarching perceptions and dominant narratives.

Politicians who had given themselves the aura invincibility have been cut down to size and those who had been lampooned have been elected. 

How the reduced majority for the ruling alliance will impact government policy decisions will be worth watching.