I realise I’m probably a bit late to the bandwagon on this
one but ever since I heard about the beach that had been placed in Newcastle’s
Quayside area I've been dying to go and check it out. After I took a little trip to the Baltic with my friend Nic
we decided to have a little peek.
The Quayside Seaside as it is known is a pop up beach now in it's 3rd year. (Which I only just found out.) Think mighty
boxed palm trees decorating the side of the river Tyne. There’s cute stripey
beach huts, sand, deck chairs and even a net to play volleyball if you’re feeling
a bit adventurous.
We had passed it when we went to the Baltic but being the
middle of the day and the kids’ holidays it was rammed. Being me, I knew I
wanted to take photos and get to sit in a beach hut (you have to dream right) I
didn't want to seem like a weirdo going around taking pictures. So we waited until about six o’clock and we managed to
get a couple of deck chairs in a comfy little spot.
The sun was still shining, it was warm and there were still
quite a few people at the beach. We just parked our butts down and talked for a
bit. I loved the attention to detail. I thought it was really well done. It’s
just amazing having a beach in the middle of the city. Seeing the palm trees
with the Millennium bridge in the background, and sand with the Sage Gateshead
hovering above it was amazing and strange at the same time.
We had seats right next to the volleyball court. When we
were there a few drunken people decided it would be fun to play. One man in
particular was ruthless with the ball. I saw it hit a small girl in the head,
it went over the beach and next to the fencing above the Tyne. It was all in
good humour though. He seemed like a really canny bloke (bit of Geordie slang
for you there) the little girl was unharmed, her family laughed it off.
He also
just seemed like he was really keen and eager to learn the rules of
volleyball. It made the experience that much more fun for us. We were hiding
behind our copies of the crack magazine we had picked up from the Baltic and
laughing. Then in the next minute we were moving our heads in case the ball was
coming our way.
It was definitely a laugh, a good way to end the day.
I absolutely love going to the beach. The fact it was in the middle of the
Quayside made it even better.
I love that it had lots of elements
to it. There were wooden boats standing in a line, barrels that wouldn't look out of place on a pirate ship. All of the materials are recycled and revamped from previous years. It's just making something new and different out of an already amazing space.
It's better than your
average beach and next time I go back I might even try a spot of volleyball.
Not sure about the drunkenness part though.
The Quayside Seaside will remain open until Monday 30th September. So if you haven't been yet, there's still time.
What do those of you that have been make of it?
Does it float your boat?
