By the numbers
14974 steps
11.11 kms
Compared with every other day rthis is an easy day so far. I
was heading to Newcastle Upon Tyne by train and would be there til around
Friday where I would then head to York. The last of my full on trip away that
has been an adventure to the extremes. So long as I have access to limited
funds then it should be alright and we shall see what happens when my cards do
arrive. Nearly a week in Newcastle and we shall see what happens. The good
thing about the Baxter hostel in Edinburgh was they cooked you scrambled eggs
and toast, which is helpful to the extreme and a free breakfast especially when
you want a full belly. That and coffee too. Coffee is always good especially
when heading to a new destination.
I had to go find my train and I went to the station early
and I knew before I reached the station which platform I was leaving from as I
had sorted out the departures online. The train started in Edinburgh and
finished in Penzance at around 8pm at night. No idea who would be on the train
for that long. The train hadn’t yet arrived when I turned up and while I waited
other people turned up too who were getting the train. They all had to wait for
the signs in the door to light up to tell us which carriage we were meant to be
on and the seat. I was lucky as I had coach D, but I was standing in front of
coach C when that came up. From there it was just sit in the seat and go from
there. The conductor came along and checked tickets and mine were fine and
there was even a guy rolling a trolley down with food and drinks. I wasn’t
expecting them to be doing that, but it was good they were.
The arrival into Newcastle did bring back some memories of
when I was last here, but I still needed a map to find where I was going. Still
I somehow got my main bag caught in my earring, I have no idea how, but luckily
it let go or else I would have a hole. I was able to walk right into the hostel
to the service desk and the reception guy had no idea how I did as it was meant
to be locked. I was early for checkin, but I could leave my bags and then come
back later. I had a dinosaur to see and once I navigated my way to the Great
Eastern Museum where the dinosaur Dippy was being housed, I soon found the time
slot I had booked, was alright as I could enter whenever I liked. I had to find
the right floor after getting lost down stairs. I thought Dippy the diplodocus
was the real thing until it said cast as it had been found in the US when
railroads were bring built in Montana. I took my pictures and wandered off as
it was a weekend and Fathers Day too, so families were out and about doing
their thing. I did explore where the fossils were and some of them were casts
like the ones I had seen the originals of in Berlin or Frankfurt. I thought
myself as lucky. I do like it when museums tell you if its real or a copy. The
section I found great was the part about the Roman soldiers in the Roman fort
and building Hadrians wall. They marked the stones apparently with their names.
There were more finds than I had realised from around the wall. I then walked
back to the hostel after I looked at what I wanted.
The checkin was fine as everything was paid for and the key
deposit was either your ID aka passport or 5 pounds. I chose the money as I
don’t want to part with my only form of ID. I was in a 12 bed dorm with one
other who seemed to be sleeping or isn’t well, I havnt spoken to him yet so have
no idea. I found that one bed was where the powerpoints were so I parked myself
there. The internet only works in the back part of the building and you can
guess where I am. Not near the back part, which is fine with me. I can sort
things out and move. I explored the hostel to see what was around and to find
the loos as well. The good thing is that its all paid for. I hung around the
hostel, before moving on as I wanted to find the archives. I found them alright
and they had only just closed, which was part of a museum too. They were
actually open on a Sunday. I started wandering when I thought I better get back
as it had started raining, luckily I had my brolly with me and I made it to the
train station again as I had tried to head to the swing bridge Instead I ended
up at the Norman tower as it had been part of the wall, but the train line went
through the area. The castle keep and the gate thing are both museums where you
can get a ticket. If I have time then I might. I did walk partly across a
bridge to find the swing bridge was below me. This bridge swings instead of
going up when a boat passes through. Also it is part of a roman road that was
used as some of the defences were where the train station is now.
Tomorrow I want to be up early so that I can get the bus to
Alnwick Castle and hopefully it will be a nice day without any more rain. I
seem to be getting some wet weather on this trip or even cold weather.
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