ROBIN HOODS BAY

Tumbling down hill like a pack of badly stacked cards, picture postcard in the extreme. Most of the cottages and lanes are only accessible to those on a diet of lettuce and mineral water. Visitors with a liking for McDonalds should be aware of the narrow lanes.
Red roofs abound as do trinket shops leading down to the sandy/rocky/sandy/pooly/rocky beach.
Found the crazy stone on the beach in a pool – which has this inscription written on it on it in black permanent ink…"If you were here to see me speed writing on stone watching ink dry, waiting for the joke that's never told, would you speak or try to read? Look under and wonder where I've gone?

WHITBY

Fantastic town, very historic and upbeat.

Piers, bridges spanning the river Esk, reconstructed Cpt Cook ships, the best fish n chips ever, arcades, fabulous beaches, jet…

The home of Captain James Cook, olde worlde photographer Frank Sutcliffe and Dracula (temporary home).

I only saw one charity shop and at least 274 pubs, 169 restaurants and 4 fish n chip shops, 3 quays, 4 piers, 3 lighthouses…

Tiny alleyways with cobbles and jewellers, little archways to hidden courtyards, a marina, a proper well used fishing harbour with a great fish market, a fantastic iron bridge...

Whitby is like a giant Dartmouth with arcades, the beaches of Newquay and the charm of St Ives with cherries on.

STAITHES

Beautiful town, very olde worlde.
Great looking pubs, restaurants and galleries.
Superb, perfectly proportioned harbour with loads of cobles, (the small fishing boats particular to the North East).

Most houses have the second home look to them with Farrow & Ball doors and wooden decoys in the windows, but don't let that put you off, Staithes is still a working fishing village, well, one full time working fishing boat, instead of the 80 boats working 100 years ago.

Staithes was also the original home of Captain James Cook before he did a runner to Whitby after being accused of having his hand in the till at the local grocers.

I'm in good company painting at Staithes as the beauty of the village was home to a small group of twenty to thirty artists known as the "Staithes Group". The group contained renowned artists such as Edward Anderson, Joseph Bagshawe, Thomas Barrett and James Booth... no I'd never heard of them either, great work though!

The old Post Office woman is a bit grumpy, must be sitting in the shop all day with just me as a customer buying a giant Marathon (sorry, Snickers).

HARTLEPOOL

Hartlepool is famous for allegedly executing a monkey during the Napoleonic Wars. According to legend, fishermen from Hartlepool watched a French warship founder off the coast, and the only survivor was a monkey, which was dressed in French military uniform, presumably to amuse the officers on the ship. The unsophisticated fishermen assumed that this must be what Frenchmen looked like, and after a brief trial, summarily executed the monkey.

Now in 2010 for the first time Hartlepool will host the Tall Ships Race, so beware all French tall ships.

My study is of the big old harbour in the sun, chug, chug, chug of the boats, the smell of diesel and tar.

SUNDERLAND

For a description of Sunderland see 'Newcastle' below and simply change the names.
Also change the football shirts from Black and White to Red and White.
Don't tell anyone from Sunderland I said that though, or anyone from Newcastle for that matter...

NEWCASTLE

Newcastle is awesome, specially when it gets dark, well, actually, it's just a little scary when it gets dark.
When I'm sitting on the quayside with my paints, dressed like a tramp, painting the amazing bridges, I seem to attract all the nutters; funny that!
Completely full of character, the city, the bridges and the people, a fantastic tonic to make up for my time spent at Amble. (see below). Just discovered the Bigg Market, but as I'm covered in paint and carrying a couple of Tesco carrier bags full of acrylics with pockets full of brushes, I feel that I don't quite fit in?
Anyway enough ramblings...Newcastle deserved two studies, one in the evening on the banks of the Tyne reflecting the neon and street lights and the other in the morning from further down the river.

ALNMOUTH and AMBLE

ALNMOUTH viewed from the other side of the river looks very picturesque – like a scruffy Balamory, yachts, bright houses, restaurants n pubs but I need to get to....

...AMBLE, a large town at the mouth of the river, looking up towards the very impressive Warkworth castle. I found a sign that states 'friendliest town in the UK', not much sign of that!?
Large marina, small harbour and fearless seagulls watch me paint the fishing boats.

Note to self: Don’t bother coming back.