A North East Coastal Tour

If there is one thing for certain in the North East it is that we have an extremely rich history and heritage worthy of celebration. If the musical, film and television history of our region is something that interests you then we have just the ticket for you, guaranteed to fill you with North East pride.

We met for our excursion in glorious unbroken sunshine just outside the Gibralter Rock restaurant, the tempting smells of the Sunday carvery couldn’t stop us boarding the bus. It was a bit of a For The Love Of The North excursion as Lucy and I were also joined by our very own Debra and Jonathan (also of @jcbtourismsolutions).

“All Aboard” and we were off on our way. Now for the purposes of this blog it is a spoiler free zone as we have no desire to ruin the fabulous experience for others.
Ray guides us along the North Tyneside coastline with a plethora of stories and facts about some of the most well known figures in North East music, film and television and some of the stories that all occurred along our beautiful coastline. Obviously given our guide there is music to enjoy and with everyone in such happy spirits, ourselves and our fellow passengers joined in with the odd sing-a-long.
Our trusty bus received a mystery coastal hero guest who regaled us with some tales of their affinity of living right on our coastline and how it has influenced their work. On such a beautiful afternoon there were a couple of very welcome stop offs to enjoy a cooling libation and each pit stop an experience to enjoy into the bargain.

It wasn’t quite over as after the tour, included in the £10 per person ticket price was a free gig at North Shields Magnesia Bank which showcased our musical talent and a very special guest on drums. We were all in great spirits after our wonderful afternoon and the experience stays with you for a good while after.
If you fancy giving one of the many Tyne Idols tours a go please visit www.tyneidols.com , email Julie Clay at julie@tyneidols.com and you can book tours direct from our Whitley Bay shop.
With such a fabulous ambassador for the North East as Ray Laidlaw in our presence we asked him why he loves living in the North East and a tourist tip of his own:

Well, we have beautiful countryside, coastline and fantastic buildings. We’re awash with good music, theatre and events but if i had to single out one thing it would be the people.
Where would you go on a spare day?
I’m usually happy enough to stay put in Tynemouth but the other special place for me is the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. I’ve been going since I was a small boy and regularly took my kids up there too. Lesley and I had our honeymoon and celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on the island. I’ve made films and played music there on many occasions so I really look forward to visiting for any reason at all, Lindisfarne has an atmosphere and magic all of its own and I love it.