Seaham - County Durham

A mild case of writer's block

A bit of an unusual way to start a blog post, particularly if it's about a lovely little town next to the sea (hence Seaham I guess). I'd planned to write about Seaham ever since I got back from it Friday a fortnight ago ('twas the start to my little travelling weekend). But, for some reason, words failed me and no matter how hard I tried, there were no melodious sentences coming together nor could I streamline on with what I had already written (trying to relate a quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to my description of Seaham was a lot more difficult than I'd imagined).I decided then that I'd take a couple of days off from it and get back to it eventually.

Arrival in Seaham

Perhaps it's because of a (or several) good night's sleep, or because the gloomy, dark and mysterious weather today reflects the atmosphere on the day I'd visited Seaham, but I woke up feeling really inspired. Maybe, I thought, it's time for a change of tactics - rather than describing simply the view, perhaps it's time to base my view of Seaham on my feelings. And that, my dear readers, is how this blog post will (hopefully/ maybe/ should be/ fingers-crossed-nothing-bad-happens!) roll.

The one-way passage to paradise

Great Expectations

They're totally normal - they help us prepare for the unexpected (obvious but yes, that's what they do). The schema I'd developed through my visits to other seaside towns in England (think Whitby, Brighton, Saltburn etc.) had me (I'd thought) well-prepared for whatever Seaham had to offer. Perhaps it was the quirky sign that I'd seen at the train station, or because the route I'd taken to the town's centre was a hidden passageway sheltered by the strong arms of trees that pushed the apex to meet the sky (an absolute visual feast that I gorged on immediately), that slowly, I got the feeling that expecting the usual (e.g. amusements, cliff lift etc.) was unnecessary and in fact, would divert me from enjoying Seaham to its ultimate potential. I abandoned my assumptions and prior thoughts about what to expected, and began my adventure.

One of the many quirky sculptures at Seaham

The feeling I’d use to describe my first impression of Seaham’s high street is homely. It was comforting to see the signs of familiar shops like Asda, Gregg’s, The Salvation Army etc. – its similarity to home made it easy for me to fit in. At the same time, the amount of independent retailers set off sparks of happiness inside me (I am definitely all for independent shops). The combination of types of shops was perhaps the most satisfying feeling in the most subtle way, something of which definitely had me starting to resume my bubbly and happy-self.

Seaham's own little art gallery - revamped from an old public toilet

But the satisfying feeling didn’t end there – oh no. If you arrive at the end of the high street and take a left from the art gallery (which itself was another satisfying find – not only because of the quality and uniqueness of the art displayed inside, but because of the genius behind the construction of the gallery itself – who would have guessed that such a colorful and beautiful place had been transformed out of an old and unused public toilet?), you’ll be standing in the middle of a long road stretching faraway into the distance, in the direction of (I think) Sunderland. At the same time, the sea and beach themselves quietly behind the road, waiting patiently for those to venture towards them. But if I were you, I’d delay this gratification and spend time exploring what lies ahead of you beside the road itself.

Wicked temptations - sweets from Tutti Frutti, The Sweet Shop

The Lamp Room cafe @ 20 North Terrace, Seaham

Whether you’re looking for interesting architecture, buildings oozing with history, a spot of tea, or simply a little bit more time to reunite yourself with a bit of materialistic luxury, everything was laid out neatly for the family, couple or lone traveler (i.e. myself – in a good way of course!) to utilize, all in one perfectly formed line (technically road). Who’d had thought that this little town by the sea would actually share similar features to what I’d witnessed and thoroughly enjoyed at Yarm?

The different shades of the rainbow - products from the shop, Leaf Bark and Berries

Humbles - another cute cafe at Seaham

The edible rainbow - sweets from Tutti Frutti, The Sweet Shop

The Black Truffle

If you do end up in Seaham for lunch, I suggest going to The Black Truffle – their scones are absolutely irresistible (luckily I don’t actually live in Seaham – otherwise I would undoubtedly gain quite a few pounds!) and they also have a small boutique selling designer-styled clothing with a touch of vintage, hidden behind the tables and chairs forming their cute café.

The Black Truffle - an eclectic clothing boutique and cafe; a girl's ultimate getaway

I absolutely loved the retro-ey (I don’t care if this isn’t a word!) feel of their café’s design, and was really surprised to find out that the place had been revamped out of an old phsyio’s clinic (when see a shower standing proudly in an unusually big bathroom, you know you just have to find out the story behind the place – or maybe I’m just a very nosey person in general ß probably the case).

Examples of the quirky design of The Black Truffle cafe

Perfect solitude

The lone traveller

I'm often recognized as quite a talkative person...hmmm...probably an understatement of how much of a chatterbox I really am. The point is, the gift of the gab can't flourish without contact with others. I'm comfortable with chatting to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. But sometimes, I like to spend some time being alone - seeing others that I know during that period would kind of tick me off (so stay back!!). It's not like I find solace in loneliness, but simply tranquility in solitude. Its a way for me to remind myself that not matter how many time life puts you off living, you can always do things to make yourself happy. And, THAT is perhaps the best and most satisfying feeling anyone could EVER feel in life.

Normally, my perfect solitude would be walking through a huge forest or at least somewhere with a lot of trees - it gives me time to imagine and think. In Seaham, I was left with the beach. I was a bit reluctant at first seeing as the weather was a bit rough. I soon fell in love with the ambiance there - waves crashing onto the rocky surface that formed the basis of the beach, gray clouds lingering just above keeping us hidden from the sun whilst visually contrasting with the multicolored rocks, pebbles and stones (excuse my lack of knowledge in geological terms), the sounds of dogs barking to their owners sounding more like a faint echo as I moved further down the coastline... All of these things might be less preferred to most - people often envision beaches with golden, soft sand, ice-cream trucks, colorful deckchairs etc. But for some reason, I absolutely LOVED it - Seaham offered a chance for me to be alone (and to go rock shopping - I seriously went home with a bag of rocks, no joke) without being near the hustle and bustle of daily life, and crowds of people.

Rocks - hours of fun produced by mother nature

To be charming results from, in my opinion, two key ingredients - 1) genes and 2) someone to fall for it, someone out of everyone else to notice it. Seaham may not necessarily be the ideal beach in everyone's mind, but I challenge you to give it just a little bit of time. For it's said that the patient one is often rewarded with great treasures. And THAT is undoubtedly applicable to this little town by the sea - you'll be longing to go back for many times more once you're, quite simply, charmed by Seaham.

Seaham's beach - the place for personal rejuvenation and thinking

Yarm - North Yorkshire

One word: FINALLY

No need to translate the meaning of that. I've heard a lot about how "nice" and "beautiful" Yarm, a little town near my place, was from a couple of my friends but I'd never gotten the chance to go there. Behold Thursday, a relatively sunny day and one of which I was fortunate to have as a one of my "off-from work" days. Given that I had an appointment back at home at about 5pm, I figured I had enough time to finish off my morning chores, head to Yarm for taking photos and a spot of lunch, AND make it back in time for my appointment. The train to Yarm only comes every one hour so, even though I wanted to relax, my time was somewhat limited.

Pathway towards a shopper's paradise

A journey worth the walk

On my arrival at Yarm station, I was surprised to find that my iphone was claiming that Yarm high street (i.e. town centre) was a good 20-25 minutes walk away. Although this isn't the first time I've been to a station that's a fair but definitely walkable distance away from the town's centre (e.g. Northallerton), I always assumed that Yarm's one would be no less than 10 minutes away from the high street. Probably because I couldn't see over the hedges that surround Yarm station; the train from my place to York is the one that stops at Yarm and so I every time I did pass it, I was on the train and so always assumed that the town centre lay just over the hedges. Nevertheless, the helpful signs and my iphone were both incredibly helpful and I soon found myself heading, in the right direction, towards the town centre. It was an absolutely wonderful walk too.

Yarm town centre

Passing by the grand houses of Yarm often composed of neatly arranged plants or flowers, a simple pebbled yard with all sorts of dog-friendly gizmos and gadgets and, on certain occasions, a posh and brightly colored car, one can really get a feel of how the inhabitants of this picturesque town thrive. I was particularly jealous of the presence of the nice little nearby park otherwise known as Wiley Flats; the lush green had been suitably paired with some common playground equipment but was also given a funky modern twist with a three dimensional sculpture (at least that's what it looked like to me from afar!). Unfortunately I didn't have time to explore Wiley Flats, let alone take many pictures of it, so I'll have to do that when I next go to Yarm for lunch.

Yellow car in Yarm: perfection in simplicity captured

Romantic lighting on Wiley Flats Park

Chic and Stylish: Boutique-Mania 

You'd be crazy not to notice the sheer amount of boutiques and independent retailers there are in Yarm. From designer-branded pret-a-porter outfits to tailor-made designs, from delicately hand-crafted or picked creations to locally-produced delights, Yarm was certainly a classy place to shop in for all fashionistas or in general shop-a-holics (like myself). The sleek and slender, multicolored wooden frames that supported the glass forming the shops' windows helped to further reinforce its prim and proper nature. You can even find restaurants hidden inside these boutiques serving classic English delicacies; staying in a shop for the whole day is definitely an option. At the same time, there were more commonly heard of stores like Sainsbury's and Costa Coffee.

Brightly colored shops with an eclectic range of products - Yarm's high street at its best

Little cafes providing food cooked to perfection - characteristic of Yarm

The combination of boutiques and large company managed shops was, for me, a perfect balance. Whether you're looking for the perfect d wedding or prom dress, a quirky tea set or even some simple but vital groceries, it was just the matter of going from one shop to, literally, the next to find all of the above. What really did it for me were the tiny, independent cafes. A simple grilled panini with a bit of salad and some homemade nachos had my stomach grinning from ear to ear, and being able to enjoy it whilst listening and watching people chat away about what was going on in their life truly had me giving the atmosphere a five star rating.

The quirky boutiques of Yarm

It was the epitome of a shopper's paradise

And, to a certain extent, a big contrast to the place where I'm living which is jam-packed with charity shops (very ideal for a student budget like mine in my opinion though). The cars were also interestingly parked on a cobbled path that lay directly in between the road and the pedestrian's path. If you go during the academic year, like now, you'd also witness the shadows of Yarm's finest secondary school students, strolling casually on the high street during lunchtime in crisp and clean suits. I felt like I'd entered a parallel world only a stop or two by train away from my place.

Dresses from the family-run business, Strickland & Holt, established since 1854

From beyond the looking glass windows of the cafe

There were some similarities however. The atmosphere was just as lively and friendly, and the town hall/ clock tower was pretty much identical architecturally. The differences were what made Yarm a special place for me, along with the good weather. It's officially my little getaway when I feel like indulging myself in the materialistic world after a stressful week at uni, without a doubt.

The perfect lunch for a glorious day in Yarm