We are in an area that is sometimes referred to as Heaton and sometimes Byker (we are kind of on the border between a couple of areas). Even our mail is split between the different names.
Our little corner of Newcastle Upon Tyne is close to all the services I need (and some I had no idea existed), but far enough from the city centre so it doesn't feel overwhelmingly big. We are 0.4 miles from the Molineux Street NHS centre that has my GP (General Practioner), Psych, and pharmacy all in one building (the building also houses a Walk-In Centre, Dentist, Physio, Pain management and a whole list of other things I'm probably forgetting).
Google estimates an 8 minute long walk and I would say that's about average. If I'm walking with David it doesn't take nearly that long, and if I'm by myself it's probably closer to 10 minutes to get there. The art studio (Chilli Studio) is just a bit farther at 0.5 miles but tends to take longer to get there (I average 12-15 minutes to get there).
These two are in opposite directions from each other, so that I take a left turn for the studio and a right turn for the medical building. Both walks are relatively easy with not much in the way of hills between here and there. The worst part of the walk to the studio is having to cross a bridge that is very busy, so it's really noisy, but even that isn't too bad.
Looking right, up the road
Looking left
The next great thing in this area, that we visit a couple of times a week, is our local grocers. For most of our weekly shopping we use the local Morrison's, which is also about 0.4 miles from our flat, so when traveling empty-handed its about 8-10 minutes to get there. On the return with our bags full, it does take a little longer, but still not more than 15 minutes at our slowest. Our Morrisons is huge, at about the size of the Walmart where we lived before, but this is almost all food stuff.
David will also stop on his way between campus and home at smaller stores to pick up something essential for that evening's dinner. We both carry bags with us at all times just in case we need to pop in and get something so we don't have to pay for a bag (single-use plastic bags are not used in larger stores and there is a nominal charge for reusable bags depending on size) just to get something home.
As a quick run in, run out and to get a very random assortment of products, Wilko can't be beaten. It's kind of like a high-end dollar store. The prices are very reasonable, and while the quality isn't top shelf, it's decent, and you never know what you'll find if you spend any sort of time wandering the aisles. So far Wilko is the main shop I can handle on my own without having a huge panic attack, because it's not as crowded and not as big, but I have my eye on Morrisons and I will conquer it.
Something I didn't imagine we would come to claim but this is our go-to pub, that serves decent food, has vegetarian options for David, and is quite reasonable. It is basically next door to Wilko and not even a parking lot away from the GP surgery, meaning it's perfect. It's called The High Main, but it is part of a chain called Wetherspoons, so there are lots of them with each having unique characteristics but being basically the same.
There are multiple historical markers throughout our area mainly marking spots that relate to the coal mining that was done right under our feet early on in Newcastle's history.
Most neighborhoods we travel through have play areas for kids that can be used for multiple sports (but my guess is they are mostly used for football practice). The one closest to us has basketball hoops as well. There are more traditional playgrounds for younger kids that have some very cool activities beyond just basic swings and slides.
The park we walk through to get to the city centre has exercise equipment along the walking path with things like an elliptical machine and multiple ways to work out your abs. Down along Quayside they have a similar set of equipment, but their equipment looks much newer. I keep telling myself that I will go check it out, but for now walking through the neighbourhood is plenty.
This gate is at the very end of our street, and is closed most of the time, but if we leave the flat at just the right time we will find groups of mums (and dads too) dropping off their children to the school that is through there. Such a beautiful schoolyard and during the day you can see lots of blue dots running around in the field (bright blue is the colour of the jumpers the kids wear as part of their uniforms).
If you exit the flat via the backdoor our gate opens into an alley, this lineup is what you will find. We are amazed at how much easier and accessible recycling is here, and this group shows that. The little blue bins are for glass, the big black bin with the multi-colour sticker on it is for recycling everything else (cans, aluminium, plastic bottles, etc), and the next big bin is for all of the things that don't seem to fit in any of the other categories. This makes keeping up with and taking care of the recycling so easy; other nations need to get on top of this too.
At the end of our row of houses these pretty little flowers are already growing so well. It's hard to believe that February is not over yet, but new growth is coming through.
This ring of flowers is in the green space around a high-rise set of flats and I can't wait for it to finish coming in, it will be beautiful.
Coming up the path from the studio at the end of the row of houses directly behind ours this famous face will greet you. I haven't been able to find out a whole lot about Mr. Shakespeare and how he came to oversee our area, but you have to admit he is pretty cool looking and some serious work went into arranging the bricks into his likeness. I've been told that during the Summer there are people who gather in the grassy area here and do yoga at least once a week, so I'll keep my eyes open for that.
In one of my earlier posts I talked about one of the reasons for not being interested in driving is all of the roundabouts. This one here is outside of the Morrisons and is the smaller of the 2 that seem to be right on top of each other. I had hoped to catch a shot of when the multiple busses will work their way around this at the same time with cars weaving in and out, but this is what I got. Even without busses coming through there is way too much going on and I'm thoroughly impressed by anyone who can drive these things on a daily basis.
There is so much more I could show you all within an easy walk of our flat. We have all of these amazing things at our disposal and we aren't even in the middle of the city. We have found our perfect little nook of Newcastle Upon Tyne and we will stay here for as long as possible.
More to come soon. Cheers!
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