Back in 2018 when we were last in Northumberland, we spent a memorable evening in Seaton Sluice, on the coast.  We were there for midweek orienteering (as is our custom when in the UK), but the evening’s highlight was our dinner – and dessert – at the Kings Arms Hotel.  The owner is coeliac and they have a separate gluten free menu.  The food is excellent and the servings generous.

Today being Wednesday, it was orienteering day again.  So we decided to stick with tradition and eat at the same pub, but this time we had lunch there.  It was every bit as good as we remembered, but sadly no room for dessert.

Afterward we went for a shakedown stroll.  Seaton Sluice is a place of Vikings and Mermaids.  And a lot of holiday makers enjoying Northumberland’s proper sandy beaches.  It was not the quiet village of memory, but a town bustling with beachgoers on a warm summer day.  It has expansive views of Whitley Bay, and is a great place for plane spotting and bird watching – apparently on the flight paths for both. 

With time to kill before the orienteering, we left the seaside behind and headed for Northumberlandia, an old coal mine recently converted into a park.  Although not apparent from below, the sculpted hillsides form the outline of a woman lying on her back.  You can see the face at least.  To our eyes, it looked like the perfect educational tool for teaching kids about contour features!  Indeed, there is a permanent course in the adjoining woodland.  Ian climbed up to the lookout while I meandered around the lakes below.

Orienteering was in Leazes Park, just a bit north of the centre of Newcastle. It was described as an ornamental park, with some open grassland, patches of woodland, and moorland with cattle grazing on it.  All of those things were accurate.  We had line courses with small control flags and plates bearing codes – no Maprun here.  We had to record the code each time on an old style control card, juggling map, compass, card and pen.  One of the controls was unfortunately badly misplaced, and I wasted several minutes on it.  Another control was in the middle of a small hedge maze!  It was great fun and like last week’s event, very good practice for detailed map reading.  Ian was midfield on the Long course of 5.5 km, and I was third (of 3) on the medium 3.5 km course. Here are our maps: