{"id":13055,"date":"2014-07-09T16:39:13","date_gmt":"2014-07-09T20:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=13055"},"modified":"2014-07-10T16:21:42","modified_gmt":"2014-07-10T20:21:42","slug":"day-13-thursday-july-10-hartlepool-to-newcastle-upon-tyne-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=13055","title":{"rendered":"Day 13. Thursday, July 10 – Hartlepool to Newcastle Upon Tyne, England"},"content":{"rendered":"

No sun to warm the morning, so the constant wind made the 57\u00b0 feel frigid. \u00a0Since we had missed the marina last night, we took a quick trip down to see the sights; rather disappointing.\u00a0 \"DSCN8405\"<\/a>We followed the coastal road, totally exposed to the bruising wind\"DSCN8411\"<\/a> and continuous up and down, down and up roads. \u00a0No flowers graced the homes or stores that lined the road; an occasional field softened the ride. \"DSCN8412\"<\/a>Not sure if there was little to see, or our struggle up and down the hills into the onslaught of wind kept us from seeing anything. \u00a0Tried to get a shot of a flag straightened by the wind, but this is all we could find.\"DSCN8415\"<\/a> After a couple of hours, we turned slightly inland for a bit of countryside;\"DSCN8420\"<\/a>\u00a0we gained the sun, but\u00a0were not able to loose the hills or hide from the wind. \u00a0It seemed as if we climbed twice what we went down, but nothing was flat\"DSCN8425\"<\/a>or particularly interesting, except the “Angel of the North”.\"DSCN8430\"<\/a>Our approach through the suburbs of \u00a0Newcastle offered a couple of churches\"DSCN8435\"<\/a> tightly tucked among the rows of homes (and hills).\"DSCN8437\"<\/a>On the banks of the River Tyne,\"DSCN8439\"<\/a> we dropped down to the waterfront. \"DSCN8443\"<\/a>\u00a0Hoping to stay in the city for the evening, we found two college graduations made it impossible. \u00a0Managed a few pictures along the\u00a0waterfront and the Millennium Bridge.\"DSCN8446\"<\/a>As we pedaled\u00a0away from the city, we were diverted off our path for a “police incident”, further complicating our uncharted course. \u00a0Checking the computer, we found a hotel eight miles away. \u00a0Halfway into our quest for a shower and a bit confused as how to get there, we were rescued by John,\"DSCN8451\"<\/a> who led us three miles through twists and turns we would have had difficulty finding our way through. \u00a0Eleven miles later and 49 miles done, we finally checked in shortly before Happy Hour (5:00 p.m.). \u00a0Somewhere north of York the dialect had gotten thick (Geordie) and we are both having difficulty understanding even the simplest of questions\/answers. \u00a0As our “posh” waitress explained to us over our overflowing bowls of pasta, it was only going to get worse as we headed north….UH OH!<\/p>\n\n\t\t