Tynemouth Tales

We woke on May Day to beautiful clear skies and a visible warm sun.  In the UK that only means one thing - you put on some Summer appropriate clothing, grab your nearest and dearest and leg it out of the front door before the sun goes!

As it had been a while since our last visit we decided to catch the Metro to the coast and get some late lunch in Tynemouth, our favourite Metro destination.  

Like any social media savvy lady I checked with my followers on Twitter for food recommendations and we were pointed in the direction of Allard's Lounge.  Somewhere I'd walked past a fair few times but had never visited.

Despite it being gone 2:00 pm the Café Bar was busy but we spotted a small table at the very back so quickly scurried over to claim it.  

Allards seems to be the place to try tapas.  The extensive list on the walls looked very appetising but as we'd got ourselves a low table, trying to eat little dishes that would end up sloshed all over our Summer clothes seemed like a bad idea.   We definitely need to return during a quieter time though to try some of the small bites.  The choices looked amazing.

Instead we opted for the safer choices of paninis - I went with Roasted Vegetable and Goats Cheese and Simon Chorizo.   The food was delicious and we managed to eat the whole lot carefully balanced on our laps without too much problem (I dropped a crisp into my sandal but no harm done!)

The streets of Tynemouth were buzzing with al fresco drinkers, dog walkers and families all battling down the small pavements.  It was a little too busy for a relaxing stroll so we raced to the end of Front Street for the gorgeous view of Tynemouth Priory before heading off for our coastal walk.

The walk from Tynemouth to Cullercoats is beautiful and one of our most walked routes.  You get fantastic views across the sea and it's a great place to people watch.

I took a risk with my outfit choice in the morning, opting to wear sandals for the first time this year.  It's all very well looking out of your bedroom window and seeing sun but you can never be quite sure if your feet will end up getting very cold.  Luckily I'd made the right decision this time and I loved getting a bit of sun on my very pale feet.

The nice weather encouraged me to take my ripped jeans out for their first spin and they were perfect for a warm Spring day.  Simon was very daring and went for short sleeves but I decided on a long sleeved shirt instead.

With toes out and a dash of freckles across my nose, Summer is definitely approaching!

No Metro trip to the coast would be right without a trip to our old favourite "Beaches and Cream", a cute tea room and ice-cream parlour on the seafront.   The beautiful day meant that it was busy but luck was definitely on our side as yet again we managed to find ourselves a seat.

Simon is a very big fan of Beaches and Cream and always orders the Toffee Sundae (I dread to think what he'd do if he ever went in and they couldn't make it for some reason!), this trip was no different.

His mammoth glass of toffee, Mars Bars, Daim and Cream appeared before him and his face lit up into a massive grin.   I think he'd only be happier if it came in a bowl large enough for him to dunk his face head first in.

I'm not usually so bothered about ice-cream but as we'd arrived pretty late in the day and earlier customers had pinched all of my favourite cakes I decided to join Simon and partake in some ice-cream.

I chose the Cookie Cup Sundae - Cookies and Cream ice cream, smashed Oreo Cookies and Vanilla Pod ice-cream.  Was I a little miffed when it turned up and was smaller than Simon's?  Yes possibly!  Did I pinch some of the cream on his to put on top of mine?  What do you think?

Beaches and Cream never fail to make us smile, our little gem at the coast.  

With ice-cream moustaches and sunny smiles it was time to get the Metro back home.  If only all Mondays could be this good!