Climbing Penshaw Monument

Penshaw Monument is a half scale replica of the Greek Temple of Hephaestus standing on Penshaw Hill. I’ve written a post about visiting Penshaw before, which you can find here, where I said that you can go up to the top of the monument via a staircase in one of the pillars. When we visited this time, I had no intention of climbing to the top but eventually decided I would even though I’m not good with heights!

The climb to the top is free for National Trust members otherwise it’s £5 each. We were given a torch each to wear on our heads because inside the pillar is too dark to see where you’re going. The spiral staircase goes up 446ft and I’m sure it got narrower near the top – though this might just have been me being scared. 

Once you’ve reached the top the views are worth the climb, you can see for miles around and you can even see the Stadium of Light in the distance.

Seaham Beach

I’ve written a post from Seaham before, but when I walked along the beach the other day, there were pools that were bright red so I thought I’d share these photos.

It was such a hot day when we visited, although the beach was fairly empty. A quick Google showed that the now beautiful stretch of coastline was once used as a dumping ground for 4 nearby mines. The mines closed in the 1980s, but the coal pollution from back then causes the red water. During the past decade though, the beach has undergone a huge clean-up operation and it is much better than it once was.

The beach isn’t very far from Penshaw, which is where we stopped off at on our way home.

Sudbury Hall, Derbyshire

We were in Derby the other week for a wedding and I couldn’t waste the opportunity while we were there to visit a couple of places in Derbyshire. Unfortunately, it was pouring down with rain and the first place we headed to, Kedleston Hall, was closed the day we were visiting. I didn’t fancy walking round the grounds in the rain so we drove to nearby Sudbury Hall instead.

Arriving at Sudbury the rain showed no signs of easing off so we had a look around inside the house first. The long gallery (pictured below) which is 51m long features stunning plasterwork and was one of my favourite rooms in the hall. Sudbury Hall is a grade I listed building in Sudbury, Derbyshire; it was built between 1660 and 1680. The National museum of childhood is housed in the 19^th century servants’ wing.

Finally the rain stopped and we were able to wander round the grounds which include a 17^th century fountain.