Berwick-Upon-Tweed

We did get out and about yesterday. We took the train up to Berwick-upon-Tweed (said Bear-ick) and our plan was to take a bus to Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island. Because it is on an island you can only get over (and back) at low tide. Unfortunately the tides were not with us yesterday and there were no buses to take us there by the time we arrived in Berwick. So, our plan quickly changed but we still had a lovely day.

We walked around the city on the Elizabethan wall that was built to fortify the city from the Scots in the mid-1500s. (Berwick is the most northern English city on the east coast -- just miles from the Scottish border.) It was a beautiful walk with gorgeous views of the North Sea and then the River Tweed. We tried to visit the Berwick Barracks military museum but it was closed (seems to be a theme for this trip). Grandpa and Grandma treated us to a nice lunch at a little bistro and we even ran into Santa while we were walking through the city...the boys each got a little bag of goodies from him. We walked along the riverside and came upon Berwick Castle -- it is in complete ruins now...some due to the railroad. Under Queen Victoria in the mid-1800s much of the castle was torn down to allow for the Royal Border Bridge that crosses the Tweed.

We returned home tired. Ben and I went out to a Fish and Chips shop just around the corner from our house and picked up "take-away" dinner for all of us. It all felt like a very English sort of day!

Durham Rail Station -- the boys with Grandma and Grandpa in an English phonebooth

Elam on the Elizabethan wall

a view of the North sea from the wall

a portion of the wall

the boys in front of the Berwick Barracks

Silas enjoying a fruit scone

Elam exploring the castle ruins

at the castle

the railway bridge on the Tweed