the south. NewcastleGateshead is the brand name for joint
promotion of culture, business and tourism in the two cities. Art
collections, weekly bazaars, shopping for all budgets and tastes,
the finest of restaurants and cafes, events and festivals—it all
happens here.
Go to the indoor Grainger Market, and you will find one of
the original Marks and Spencer’s Penny Bazaar still in business
(though you might not even get thoughts for a penny any more
there.) Look up the Grey’s Monument in the centre of town—
it’s got a statue of the reformist British Prime Minister Earl Grey
atop a 130-foot column. Yes, that’s who the world famous tea is
named after.
Head out a few miles out of town, and you will be on the
coastline. I loved the pretty town of Tynemouth with cafes such
as Dil & the Bear and lovely boutique stores. The castle and
the beaches where it stands are a picture of calm; it is tough to
imagine this being one of the first landing points of the Vikings.
One love-at-first-sight spot
The villages of the Cotswolds, dotted with homes and
buildings made of honey-hued Cotswolds stone. Manicured
lawns, rippling streams, rolling hills, dense forests, happy
cattle, bustling bazaars and cool cafes compose the Cotswolds.
You cannot be blamed for thinking you have walked into a
fairy tale book.
One shop you fell in love with
Razzberry Bazaar in Tynemouth, a small coastal town a few
miles outside Newcastle. My guide, Tom, had recommended I
visit it. When I asked him what they sell, he said, “Everything.”
He was not wrong. It is a pretty pink shop selling… almost
everything you could want to do up your home. Signs, picture
frames, hangings, lights, tea cups, clocks—the list is endless, and
baggage space limited to 23 kilos. Sigh!
The best thing you bought on the trip
A big wall clock from a weekly riverside bazaar in Newcastle
for five pounds (Rs. 500)—yes, you heard that right. I asked
the vendor if it works; he said, wryly, “Yes, as long as you put
batteries in it.”
Best meal
I had freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream, a pot
of English breakfast tea, and cream cheese and cucumber
sandwiches for lunch in the Cotswolds at the Tisanes Tea Room
in Broadway village, on a table in the backyard. While I had
many other delicious meals including at highly rated restaurants,
what I had in the Cotswolds is not something you can replicate
outside the UK.
One truly unique experience
A visit to The Beatles Story. At this Liverpool museum, you
walk through the life of the city’s most famous sons. On display
44 Travel Secrets September-October 2015