Breakfast in the Vermont was as excellent as usual, although the arrangements had changed since our previous visits. There is still the buffet arrangement for cold breakfast items but all cooked food is prepared fresh to order. We were pleased to find there was the perfect table with five chairs so we were all able to sit together.

After breakfast we set off for Cragside in light drizzle, which wasn’t too worrying because I knew it would be sunny in the afternoon. My companions, however were not convinced and there were a few grumbles about the rain. On arrival at the  Cragside Estate we headed to the cafe for a cup of tea before taking a tour of the house. Whilst we made our way around the house the rain stopped and the sun came out. When we finished the house tour, it was time for lunch where the five of us discussed what we would do next.

The sun was shining brightly as we followed the leisure drive, stopping off at Nelly’s Moss and The Labyrinth along the way before finishing up at the formal garden. My brother and his fiancée were impressed with Cragside; they had never been before and the leisure drive had won them over. The formal garden looks different again at this time of year. Both the leisure drive and the garden visit made my mum’s day, she had not been able to do either of these before because her previous visits had all been coach trips. We drove back to Newcastle via Alnwick taking in a view of the castle and The Percy Lion (who’s tail is still broken) to be able to fill up the car up with petrol.

That evening we dined in a Peruvian restaurant which was a first for me. My brother’s lady is Peruvian and she had spotted the restaurant as they arrived in Newcastle the previous evening and was excited about trying it out. I was quite adventurous and chose fish with sweet potato which is raw marinaded fish. It was light and refreshing and also delicious. To follow, I chose sliced pineapple soaked in rum. The restaurant is called Solano’s after the Newcastle footballer. Interestingly there were three other English and Peruvian couples dining in the bar that evening (which the proprietress told us was unusual). The Peruvian cook came out to chat to my brother’s lady and later in the evening, Solano’s brother came into the restaurant and she also had a chat with him. There is a connection with the restaurant although I couldn’t quite follow what it was because part of the conversation was in Spanish

We returned to the hotel for a nightcap before retiring to our rooms for a well earned rest.