North Of the Angel

North of the Angel

Seeing the Angel of the North for the first time is a defining moment.
Looming beyond
the window of your gliding train it is a real symbol of many
contemporary trends. Yes, the North is really different from the South,
yes we do live in a post industrial age, and yes the past is connected
to the future. It is essentially an optimistic angel.

From the window of our GNER express the effect is similar to observing
a feature from an aircraft: the angel is ethereal and solid at the same
time. In many other ways express train travel is becoming more like an
airline experience. We are travelling
" first " from York north to Alnmouth, Northumbria. There is more
legroom than on a jet, it is quieter, and the ticket arrangements are
as complicated.. The steward serves continuous supplies of stewed tea.
The complementary biscuits are made of the same material as the angel.
Constant announcements from the " cabin crew leader " remind us of
further delights readily available in the adjacent buffet car.

We regard this train journey as an integral part of our weekend visit
to the countryside north of the angel. Momentarily stunned, like
parachutists landing in a strange environment, we watch from the
platform as the express pulls away continuing on its mission to connect
cities. We instantly commandeer the only taxi to take us to our base
for the weekend. Minutes from Alnmouth station, High Buston Hall is a
country house hotel. Its exterior is Austenesque, elegant, reassuringly
symmetrical. Inside we are met warmly by the hotel's assistant, an
intrepid Aussie, smiling at the incongruity of it all.

Walking straight out of the hotel entrance hall we roll downhill
towards the dunes of Buston Links. This is different to most other
National Trust sites primarily because of the immediate feeling of
space; there are half as many other people on the beach as on Robinson
Crusoe's island. The space, the light, the endless white beach have a
tropical aspect. The Northern cities linked by GNER /Virgin: Sheffield,
Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow -seem thousands of miles
away; a calming feeling.

Alnmouth itself has this remote but warm feeling special to this area.
After exploring the seafront we dine early at Beaches restaurant. The
fish (plaice) is excellent although the atmosphere is as soggy as the
broccoli. The tables are so close together they make people whisper.
The chef's attempt to stir things up by blasting the clientele with
Chris de Burgh tapes are counter-productive.

The following morning our spacious room is flooded by the light which
now seems special to this area. Breakfast at High Buston Hall is
cheerful and full. Over the " full English " or wholemeal toast which
would even meet Delia Smith's approval we chatter with our fellow
guests. The huntin', shootin' fishin' chap from the South East
is lined up for the trout fishing. The software engineer from Leeds is
on good form despite a hangover incurred in the line of duty as best
man at a wedding reception in nearby Alnwick (" it was carnage ! "
).

Horror stories about the A1 are exchanged, with queue lengths
indicated in the way fishermen brag about the size of their catch, but
we top it all by explaining we travelled by train and are doing our
exploring car-less.

On the beach again we walk the 3 miles south to Warkworth. It is aptly
named. An unspoilt village of rugged stone, sweeping up towards the
Castle which features in Shakespeare's Henry IV plays. Bookshops and
art galleries abound. At the Dial Gallery we enjoy the exhibition of
painting and sculpture by Yorkshire artist R.W. Bumby then cross the
road to the trendy Greenhouse restaurant for afternoon tea. We like the
atmosphere so much we try to make a reservation for dinner; everybody
else likes it so much we are politely informed we might get a place
there sometime next century.

The Greenhouse effect is later to lead us from the trendiest restaurant
in the area to the best. Midway between the River Coquet and Warkworth
Castle is the Jackdaw Restaurant. The decor is plain, there is no
muzak, the service attentive but unobtrusive. Our host, the manager, is
rightly confident that the food speaks for itself. Again the local
fresh fish (sole) is excellent, but here everything is superb not just
the main course. The vegetables are crisp and colourful, the home-made
soup original and fresh and the maple pancakes a masterpiece.

The last bus looms out of the Autumn night and drops us off near the
hotel. In the morning we remark again on the magic light and look out
across the bay to the brightly coloured houses of Alnmouth.
As the blue express deigns to stop at the village station we feel
content now to rejoin the world of cities south of the Angel.

John F King travelled direct to Alnmouth by GNER
2001

FACTFILE

John F King travelled by East Coast service direct
from
York to Alnmouth
Information: EastCoast

Beaches Restaurant, Alnmouth 01665 830443

Greenhouse Restaurant, Warkworth 01665 712322

Jackdaw Restaurant and Gallery, Warkworth 01665 711488
Les Routiers. Dinner for two (including wine) ?40

High Buston Hall Country House Hotel, near Alnmouth 01665 830341
2 nights B&;B ?100 for two

Dial Gallery, Warkworth 01665 710822

Warkworth Castle. English Heritage 01665 711423

Northumbria Tourist Board 0191 375 3000
www.ntb.org.uk

J.F. King is a freelance travel writer based in York
2002