Monday just like Sunday turned into another one of those two adventures in a day kind of days. (If you managed to make any sense of that I applaud you.) So myself and my best mate Nic decided to go on a little adventure in the car. Like I said a few posts ago, I don’t usually drive places I don’t know how to get to, but we thought we’d throw caution to the wind and go somewhere different for a change.

We decided on Penshaw Monument for the first stop. The Earl of Durham’s Monument as it is also known, sits on the top of Penshaw Hill. It is a replica of a temple in Athens. (If you want to know more Google it.) You could see it coming a mile off, well after we went the right way. We had the sat nav on in the car and what was supposed to be a quick 19 minute journey turned into a bit longer. We got there in the end though and it was very impressive.

We had Poppy with us too, so after the initial dragging us half way up the steep steps, she calmed down a bit and we managed to catch our breath. There were people actually running up the steps, going back down and then back up again. We were walking up a couple and feeling like we were having heart attacks. (If you ever want to know if you’re fit or not, try walking the steps at Penshaw Monument) We did and came to the conclusion that our fitness could do with a bit of work. (Ever so slightly)

When you get to the top you can actually climb up onto the Monument. It was amazing. The grand columns and the open roof, the view of the countryside below was extraordinary. We sat for a good while just taking it all in. The sun was shining too which is always a plus. We took picture upon picture as you can imagine.

Afterwards we walked behind and found a nice little path. It took us all around and you could see the Monument from different angles. There were various trees and canyons. I've been to Penshaw before and never even knew about it so that was a bonus. It wasn't a case of just trekking up to the top and going straight back down again. We got to just take the dog for a nice little stroll too.

The next stop on the road was South Shields for a bit of sand action. (That's the beach, I don't know why I didn't just say the beach.) That's another adventure for another time though.

Penshaw Monument is definitely worth a little gander. You have to see it just once. Who knows you might fall in love with the view from the top. If not at least you can get a bit of exercise if nothing else.

Have any of you been to Penshaw Monument?