Sunderland and More, More, More…

The first of our 2024 cat sitting ventures, this time coupled with a meet up with friends in Nottinghamshire on the way back (of which more later). As usual, we made our customary overnight stopover at the Wentbridge Hotel on the way up to Sunderland; not sure if our expectations have changed but whilst perfectly fine, it no longer appears to be the special treat delivered by previous visits. Anyone else feel the same? No. Just me then 🙂

This trip was just over two weeks because of the meet up extension at the end but we spent the first section in Sunderland as usual, cat sitting for ten nights on this occasion whilst S&G spent their break on the Isle of Arran. The weather was mixed (that’s ‘Yorkshire speak’ for freezing) but we still took a few trips out over the course of the stay. An unlikely highlight was the visit to……..

Ushaw House, Chapel & Gardens

It’s a former Catholic seminary near the village of Ushaw Moor, County Durham, England, which is now a heritage and cultural tourist attraction. The college is known for its Georgian and Victorian Gothic architecture and listed nineteenth-century chapels. We thought it a delightful place to visit, with the whole ground floor open for viewing and illustrating a little of the life that the Catholic scholars were facing when training for a life in the priesthood. Still hard to believe that it ceased operations as a Catholic college as late as 2011, although much easier to accept that the reason for closure was a shortage of vocations in the Catholic church. As mentioned, the Chapels were particularly ornate with St. Cuthbert’s Chapel the most sacred – it, unsurprisingly, celebrates the life of St Cuthbert, an iconic Northern Saint, whose remains lie in Durham Cathedral. It’s still a a working Chapel and holds Friday Mass but although everyone is welcome I’d be intrigued to know how many actually attend. The House also had a café, which was pleasant enough for us to make two visits, before and after our self guided trip. We also had the added attraction of a “Century of Wedding Dresses“, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship and evolving trends that have defined one of the most memorable days in countless lives, showcasing a celebration of bridal fashion that spans several centuries. Definitely one for Mrs. No Name, but even I found it a little illuminating. The exhibition includes original gowns and it was nice to see the range, including one from the 1970s based on a pattern from the Woman’s Weekly (remember that esteemed magazine, my Mum’s favourite)

On the Thursday night we went to see Mark Watson at the Fire Station. First time attendees and we thought it was a lovely venue. Watson is a comedian I’ve always enjoyed and in many ways he didn’t disappoint. However, the advertising blurb did suggest that the overall theme was that ‘Mark Watson’s 12-year-old son has just got a phone. His 70-year-old dad has been through the most frightening experience of his life…..’. We got the son/phone thing but unless I fell asleep his dad was missing in action. He was funny and his adlibs were always inventive but it appears that tonight we majored on the side dishes whereas the main course felt a little side-lined. Guess that’s live comedy – and while he jests about all and sundry, he approaches it with a level of endearing vulnerability that has long been his trademark.

I also got browbeaten into attending the King Ink Spoken Word event on the Friday evening. This is a regular event for S&G (published poets don’t you know) and we kind of enjoyed it. A lot of the ‘performers’ were somewhat inaudible, possibly not that confident with a microphone, but there were a few gems to be heard. Sadly, we left at the interval, but good to report that the beer was excellent. Usually held on a Thursday night but moved to Friday just so we could attend he says ironically!!

Thoresby Hall, Nottinghamshire

We then moved on to Thoresby Hall to meet up with our friends (both wheelchair users) and our first experience of a Warners Leisure Hotel. Lovely room (we opted for an historic room in the beautiful main hall), fantastic interiors and almost entirely friendly and excellent staff. We found the Market Garden a little like a glorified canteen but the food was usually good with particularly fine breakfasts and plenty of choice for evening meal. We thought it was a tad expensive but, other than drinks it was all inclusive and you will see from the list below there were a lot of activities. You really could keep busy and active all day. The list is purely informative and is in no way meant to be entertaining, unlike the rest of the blog, which is I’m sure you’ll agree a laugh out loud riot!! This is just what we did between us; not everyone did everything. Asterisk against anything done by both Mrs. No Name and me.