Monday 16 June 2014

Quayside Seaside

I love nothing more than spending a lovely warm afternoon sitting on a deck chair with my feet snuggled deep into the sand.  Sometimes I'll take a bit of a nana nap, just opening my eyes every now and again to admire the tropical palm trees or glance up at the clear blue sky.


Where am I?   LA?  Miami?  Nope, the Quayside in Newcastle!   What do you mean the Tyne Bridge in the background gave it away?!

This might not be LA but we do have our own version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the recent installation of our "Local Heroes" spread across the pavement of the Quayside.  The plaques are much smaller than the ones you'll find on Hollywood Boulevard but if you keep your eyes to the ground you'll easily spot tributes to Alan Shearer, Sting and Ant & Dec along with many others (although I am a little miffed that my favourite famous Geordie Cheryl is nowhere to be seen).
  
Every Summer a small area of the Quayside is transformed into the Quayside Seaside, a little bit of staycation heaven in the city centre.

Overnight 260 tonnes of sand is delivered and a fully functioning beach complete with deckchairs, buckets and spades, palm trees and a volleyball net appears alongside the Tyne.

Simon showed me the pop up beach when I first visited Newcastle and it is one of the many things that I love about the city.  It's such a fantastic idea and hugely popular with locals and tourists alike. 



During the week you'll find the sand covered in kids enjoying a school outing, people relaxing on their lunch hour or local businesses partaking in some competitive volleyball.  The weekend sees families and friends spending hours relaxing in the sunshine, I've even see a few brave people lying on the beach in their bikinis.



People seem to think that it's always miserable and cold in the North but this is my third Summer enjoying the Quayside Seaside, and my second as a resident of Newcastle and I've loved spending many hours sitting in the hot sunshine on a deckchair.  

With so many fantastic local businesses on the Quayside, my favourite thing to do is get a huge slab of cake from the Great British Cupcakery and take it to the seaside (obviously being very careful not to get it covered in sand) for a bit of deckchair lounging!   Even better if you visit on Sunday Market day you'll have your pick of the food stalls and can enjoy a hot dog, an ice-cream or a tray of donuts.



The  Quayside Seaside will be in Toon until the end of September so make sure you get yourselves down there to enjoy the Summer sunshine.
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18 comments

  1. You've made me want to be home even more, now! The pop up beach is still more beach than I get here. The photos are so pretty, I'm dyinggggg.

    x Nicole Isabella

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  2. This is so cool! I'm one of those people who doesn't really like the feeling of sand between my toes, but the novelty of a beach in a city would definitely be something I would love! I love how you're introducing us all to the wonders of Newcastle which we may not have expected before, I've always (shamefully) just had an image of it as a party town, due to my friends being at uni there!

    Imogen // imogenscribbles

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    1. Ah but the good thing about this sand is it's not near the sea so you don't get sand stuck to your wet toes :D You can easily just shake it off and carry on!

      Many, many people have the wrong idea about Newcastle, myself included until I first visited. There's more to Toon than Geordie Shore and Stags/Hens x

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  3. I love this so much! I didn't even know they did this! I was to go to Quayside Seaside! :(
    Add it to my list for you to take me to! ;) I'll nana nap with you..lol


    Caroline.x
    notesfromcaroline.com

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    1. Did you not? OMG it's so good, really beautiful when the weather is nice!

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  4. This looks so lovely! I want to be here on a sunny day with a cupcake!

    www.gingerbreadsmiles.co.uk
    xox

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    1. Unsurprisingly I have sat in one of those deckchairs before eating a cupcake :p

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  5. this is such a fun idea! i wish they could do something like that in London, though i'm pretty sure people would go crazy for it and the crowds would put me off ;) x

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    1. Yeah anything in London tends to get a little rammed :s

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  6. What a brilliant idea they do similar by the Thames but not sure that I would want to swim in either. But I am with you on the deck chair, cocktail and nana nap perfect afternoon. Ooh maybe a mr whippy too Lucy x

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    1. Do they?! I never knew that!

      OMG someone needs to build a Quayside Seaside cocktail bar :D Loving that idea!

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  7. I love the little Quayside beach, I just wish they had a little ice cream van next to it so you can cool off with a cold drink or Fab lolly :)

    Gems x
    Fashion, Well Done

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    1. Ah, well! There were a couple of lunch hours last year when an ice-cream did appear right next to the Seaside! VERY EXCITING! Not sure why it's not out there permanently though, it'd do a great trade!

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  8. These photos look so lovely, cant wait for the sun to come back out!

    Charlotte // www.thegoodowl.co.uk

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  9. Pop up beach? Lovely stuff! And looks like a gorgeous sunny day to make the most of it :-)
    M x Life Outside London

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    Replies
    1. Definitely one of my favourite parts of Newcastle :)

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