Aimee Howarth brings you an interview with The Yorker directors on the final day of the advent articles
Aimee Howarth speaks to YUSU's sabbatical officers about their Christmas Day routine for day 17 of the advent calendar
For the final time this term, Vicky Morris updates you on this weeks film news
50 years after the publication of 'James and the Giant Peach', the works of Roald Dahl continue to celebrate success.
"I’ve been on holiday to the Caribbean and I’ve been on holiday to Scarborough; and the Caribbean was better…" said Jeremy Clarkson at this year’s Hay Festival. But for those of us students who aren’t rich enough to jet off to the Caribbean, or for those of us who worry a little more than Jeremy does about our carbon footprint, Scarborough offers a lovely trip for a sunny day, when duck-free water is in need!
Travel: A last minute decision to make a break for the seaside on a sunny day will cost £11.05 with a Young Persons Railcard. Booking in advance with specified trains will reduce the cost. Trains run once an hour and take about 45 minutes.
Attractions: The best incentives to head to Scarborough are the two bays; large crescents of as-gleaming-yellow-as-you-get-in-England sand topped by gently lapping waves. Most day trippers will only get as far as the South Bay, reached from the railway station through a steep formal garden dominated by an enormous semi-gothic hotel (looking rather like the hotel in “The Witches”).
Along this bay are shops selling all you need to enjoy a day at the seaside: buckets and spades, ice-cream, beach blankets, windbreaks (this is England). There are also some rarer seaside attractions, namely the donkeys tramping dolefully up and down the beach; there is a strict height and age limit for the donkey rides meaning most uni students will simply have to watch wistfully.
There are also some rarer seaside attractions, namely the donkeys tramping dolefully up and down the beach.
If you are unlucky enough, as we were, to coincide your visit with a rainy day there is also a wonderfully tacky arcade and funfair. Or if you are of a more historical bent there is a National Trust preserved medieval castle perched on the headland offering amazing views of Scarborough and the sea.
Shopping: Every other shop in Scarborough is a rock shop and the ones in between are antique shops. So Scarborough doesn’t exactly offer glamorous boutiques (although there is a TK Max for those who miss bargain hunting in York). However, hunting through the antiques and second hand books offer some interesting diversions. The Market Hall and Vaults are a warren of small shops selling antiques, toys, jewellery, and fortunes (palm readers, card readers and tea-leaf readers aplenty).
Eating Out: A traditional choice between fish and chip shops and tea rooms; they cluster around the seafront and winding streets leading up the steep hill into town. Take your pick from the plethora offering ‘the best fish and chips in town’. For culinary adventurers there are also small fishermen huts, along the small harbour, selling fresh fish and seafood which can be experimented with at home.
Travel: To ensure a sandcastle filled ice-cream fuelled day, it is best to catch an early bus from York Rail Station. Monday to Friday the X40 Yorkshire Coastliner leaves York Station at 9.56am and the 840 Coastliner at 11.22am.
On a Saturday you can either catch the 840 at 10.22am and on a Sunday at 9.17am. The journey will take approximately 3 hours and is punctuated with many a stop in many a quaint village with rolling hills and sweeping fields dominating the landscape. A day return is a well spent £10, with the last bus back to York at 5.31pm( X40).
Attractions: A refreshingly inexpensive and sophisticated day can be spent in Whitby easily. The winding cobbled streets and the stretches of golden sands dominated by spectacular cliffs offer scenic routes for jolly rambles. Ice cream stalls and other seaside-esque huts selling all kinds of seaside paraphernalia ensure that the ultimate beach activities can be had.
Perhaps Whitby’s most famous venue is St Hilda’s Abbey, a 13th century Abbey located on the top of an especially ominous cliff overlooking the seaside town. Founded in 657AD by St Hilda, the Abbey has been used as a meeting point between Celtic and Roman clerics whilst also being the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula’. An adult entry is £5 and is open from Monday to Sunday, 10am until 6pm.
Other places of interest might be the Captain Cook Memorial Museum; the Whitby Museum; the Victorian Jet Works and Pannett Park (a haven of all things natural and beautiful). Whitby is a lovely place to casually saunter through, enjoying the sea air and the undulating landscape.
Shopping: Like Scarborough, Whitby is somewhat detached from ‘haute-couture’ and big fashion labels, exhibiting only the most modest clothes shops. The 199 steps that lead down from the Abbey into the old town, present an abundance of jewellery shops (using famous Whitby Jet), most of it handmade. Really beautiful, ornate accessories can be found along with plenty of maritime memorabilia and antiques. Like all old seaside towns, there are plenty of interesting shops tucked away in narrowing streets and hidden side alleys. It is worth a scout about for these mysterious outcasts!
Eating Out: Fish and chips. There are no excuses. Head to the ‘Royal Fisheries’ eat-in or take-away shop near to the bus stop, for world famous; utterly gorgeous freshly caught, lightly battered, melt in your mouth fish and chips. Season to taste, head to the cliff top bench beside the Captain Cook statue overlooking the town, feel the cold sea air upon your skin and immerse your senses in the best greasy food of your life.
Tynemouth is a picturesque coastal village 6 miles outside Newcastle. This coastline is amazing; walk along Tynemouth Longsands, past Cullercoats fishing village, and up to the old seaside resort of Whitley Bay to get a great view of St Mary’s lighthouse. Candy floss, ice creams, amusements, and fish & chips – what more could you ask for?
Travel: Newcastle is only an hour away on the train, and you can get to the coast in 20 minutes on the Metro line. With a Young Person’s Railcard, you can get each way fares from York starting at £5.30.
Attractions: The remains of Tynemouth Castle and Priory, where three kings of Northumbria are buried, sit on the headland overlooking the mouth of the River Tyne. It’s a beautiful site, and the view is fantastic.
The Blue Reef Aquarium is a fun trip; they’ve got sharks, otters, a giant octopus and seahorses, to name a few. You get to feed them, and you can take the “undersea safari” through a glass tunnel.
For the more adventurous among you, water sports are becoming increasingly popular in Tynemouth: surfing, sailing, kite surfing, wind surfing, jet skiing, and canoeing. Surfing especially is a regular occurrence at the weekends. If you fancy a go, don’t let the freezing water put you off. Tynemouth Surf Co offers a lesson, board and wetsuit hire for only £20.
Shopping:The city centre has all the usual high street brands, but in Tynemouth the shops are more geared towards arts & crafts and antiques. The Land of Green Ginger shopping mall, a converted church, has several crafts stores, including The Celtic Path, which has some gorgeous hand-made jewellery and glassware. Every weekend Tynemouth Market sets up in the restored Victorian train station; it’s always packed and you can get some real bargains, especially if you’re willing to haggle. Books, CDs, prints, jewellery, accessories – all the usual suspects, as well as some real old-school gems, like cassettes of any 80s artist imaginable for 20p, or the entire video box set of the old Doctor Who episodes for £1.
Eating Out: Tynemouth Front Street has plenty of cafés and coffee shops, or you can walk up the coast a little way to The Boardwalk café where you can drink your coffee right on the beach while watching the waves.
There are some good restaurants; Sydney’s specializes in seafood and vegetarian dishes, Georgio’s Pizzeria serves great Italian, or there’s Lui’s Wine Bar, a recent addition serving authentic tapas and a selection of fine wines. Naturally, you can get great fish and chips as well; Marshall’s is place to be.
Nightlife: Tynemouth has some great places to drink, even for those on a budget. There are several more traditional pubs, like The Turk’s Head and Fitzpatrick’s. Cheap and with plenty of character, these places are very popular. There’s also several bars along Front Street, including Sammy Jack’s and Bertie’s Bar. There isn’t really a clubbing scene in Tynemouth, but if you’re willing to go slightly down-market, Whitley Bay just up the coast has several nightclubs.
Blatently should go to Torquay!
Nah, Eastbourne all the way.
Bridlington! It's Scarborough, but smaller and with less people.
Sorry Ruth.
I went to school in Tynemouth and can officially say it's awesome.
So there.
Whitley Bay though? Eww.
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