Nice places to stop off at.....

[CitroJim]

That looks a lovely spot Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Alnmouth, The Old Schoolhouse Gallery and coffee shop, and now pizza from a Peugeot J7

Its a J7..final answer!

is a nice place to stop off at. I dont think many travellers up and down the A1 will though. Its about a 8 mile detour there and back from the A1 down to a beautiful spot on the coast, but most travellers will just either plough on to an anonymous motorway services, or grab a supermarket picnic. For the smell the flowers traveller, a nice detour.

Its a J7..final answer!

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

North Berwick in East Lothian has had a mention on the thread before, and SteamPunk Coffee Roasters is an excellent refreshment stop....

...but for location, location, location the Drift Coffeehouse perched high on the cliffs at Canty Bay a couple of miles down the coast, gazing across the Firth of Forth to the kingdom of Fife and the Bass Rock is hard to beat.

the Drift Coffeehouse Canty Bay
North Berwick East Lothian

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

On our weekly club bike ride today we visited Stoke Bruerne, the location of a very nice pub and lots of canal interest, including a museum and the south portal of the lengthy Blisworth tunnel on the Grand Union...

The Grand Union at Stoke Bruerne

Another view...

Another bit...

The pub, rather appropriately named The Boat, was superb... Covid 19 precautions second to none, excellent food and fantastically helpful staff!

Well worth a visit but not at a weekend as it gets rammed...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Well worth a visit but not at a weekend as it gets rammed...

Northumberland is rarely "rammed" but today, possibly a pre-restrictions fiesta, the carparks at Craster on the coast were full, and cars were parked on the verges outside the village where the double yellow lines ended. For a midweek day at the end of September it was pretty exceptional. I get the impression that the holiday homes were pretty fully occupied too, as was the Jolly Fisherman, and Craster Kippers both doing a roaring trade.

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

That's amazing given the kids are back at school and the weather is not magical - not down here anyway...

Stoke Bruerne was almost deserted and just one other 'bubble' was in the pub whilst we were in residence

[NewcastleFalcon]

This afternoon the weather was excellent, all day really. It was clear and fresh this morning and sunny and pretty warm this afternoon.

Craster this afternoon

The Coast

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Craster looks a lovely spot

You were lucky with the weather Neil, it's been horrible down here. Rainy and chilly...

Not that it's mattered much as today I said my final farewells to a dear old friend at her funeral... Sadly, due to Covid, numbers were limited to just 17 mourners and there could be no wake...

[NewcastleFalcon]

I like a scenic car park! Lovely view from Spittal Point, South Side of the River Tweed as it enters th North Sea Berwick upon Tweed with its Elizabethan (I) walls, Bridges and prominent told Town Hall over the other side and the long breakwater and lighthouse gently herding the Tweed into the North Sea. Loads of driftwood and knarled tree stumps and branches brought down the Tweed by the recent spate.

Sptiial Point1

Spital Point2

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

SWMBO has just told me about her "Afternoon Tea Special" she had for lunch at Morrison's. A cheese and tomato sandwich, a scone with jam and cream and a pot of tea, and the bill? £2.50!!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

If you fancy a double gloucester fix while on one of your strolls Mick and you are passing close to Preston

you could try the only Morrisons in the Country with a lighthouse.

geograph stamped image

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Which begs the question, which came first the lighthouse or the shop? My money's on the lighthouse which I seem to remember passing on the September Stroll as well as a light ship on a roundabout just down the road from there!! Unfortunately I cannot check the route we took, only the route I'd planned because Bob was driving and knew the area well so took us round Preston the easiest way!!

[CitroJim]

SWMBO has just told me about her "Afternoon Tea Special" she had for lunch at Morrison's. A cheese and tomato sandwich, a scone with jam and cream and a pot of tea, and the bill? £2.50!!!

Morrisons in Devizes has a cafe I've patronised it a few times in the past with pleasing results

[NewcastleFalcon]

Wiki has a piece about the lighthouse in its article on Preston Dock

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Dock

Lighthouse: while various navigation aids were located around the Preston Docks and along the Ribble, the lighthouse that stands in the Riversway Retail Park in front of the Morrisons supermarket is not a preserved feature of the old docks; it is a replica, built in 1986 after the docks closed to shipping. It was built by Morrison's to "guide shoppers to their new supermarket and to mark Preston's maritime past"

REgards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

That is interesting Neil and certainly confirms my suspicions were wrong, however it still leaves the actual question: Which came first?