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 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 above picture is available to buy as a greetings card in my Etsy shop.
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 see the Stadium of Light in
the distance.
