Travels in the North – Yarm

It’s the last leg of our road trip, and we’re heading south, leaving Northumberland behind and driving down to Yorkshire. On the way, there’s something I want to see. The Angel of the North, designed by Anthony Gormley, stands 20 metres high and 54 metres wide just off the A1 in Gateshead. It’s hard to miss as you drive past, in fact it almost wasn’t built for fear of causing road accidents, but I’ve never stopped before, and it’s even more impressive at close quarters.

Britain’s largest sculpture has stood here since 1998. It was commissioned to provide the northeast with an iconic landmark, and is now considered the most famous piece of public art in the UK. Job done then! Typically though, visiting the Angel isn’t as pleasant as it could and should be, as someone has fouled up a bit on the signage. It’s clear how to get to the Angel, but when you want to get back to the A1, you’re on your own. Exiting the car park, visitors end up speeding off down a dual carriageway in the wrong direction with no signs and no turning options. As a nation, why are we so bad at those all important details?

Finally back on the right road, our last destination of this northern roadtrip is the market town of Yarm, which sits on the southern bank of the River Tees. We’ve been here before in pre-blogging days to see friends Helen, James and Alistair, but I’m looking forward to having a proper look around today, especially when I consult the map and see there’s a castle hidden away down the back streets. I had no idea!

Yarm is a small and bustling market town (my favourite kind of place) first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. King John granted a charter to hold a market here back in 1207. The ancient settlement sits in a loop of the river with the historic Yarm Bridge (built in 1400) spanning the Tees to the north. Today, it’s part of Stockton-on-Tees District, but the town is proud of its historic links to the North Riding of Yorkshire. Well, as a Yorkshire lass I can understand that…

Historically, Yarm was an important staging post on the route between York and Newcastle, and hence it became very wealthy. In the town centre are a plethora of listed buildings dating mainly from the 18th century, so the Georgian character of the town is protected for the future. It’s small and easily strollable, with cobbled lanes known as ‘wynds’ and attractive vistas everywhere you look. But where is that castle?

We walk in what we think is the right direction, but end up on the banks of the river Tees without spotting any castle-like structures. The walk along the water is lovely, but there are no fortifications of any kind to be seen, although we do get a great view of the old bridge as we pass underneath and skirt the eastern side of town. Honestly, this is like the search for the Scarlet Pimpernel!

Another circuit it is then. I’m determined to find this elusive castle. The husband is getting impatient, are you sure it’s here? It’s on Google Maps, for goodness sake! At last we find it, and have to laugh. Like many visitors here, we’ve been duped – the ‘castle’ is actually a model built in the 1880s by the owner of the property where it stands. Why on earth would you build a miniature fortress on top of your garden wall? How very British, I love this kind of thing!

Yarm is a good place for a pub crawl and always has been – in 1890 there were 12 inns listed in the town and many of them are still standing, so not much has changed really. On a Friday and Saturday evening, expect to see a lot of tanned flesh on display, regardless of the weather. This is the northeast, pet, and they don’t feel the cold. You won’t be too surprised to hear that we’ve visited a few of the pubs before, but not tonight.

We’re having a night in with Helen’s excellent cooking, but first we pop into the Fourteen Drops wine bar and deli for a glass of vino, and pick up some gourmet cheese for later. How very civilised. Our hosts laugh when we ask about ‘Yarm Castle’ – we’re not the first to go off on this particular wild goose chase, and we won’t be the last. It’s a useful reminder that the Internet isn’t always our best friend…

As usual, I can thank my blogging habit for encouraging me to get to know somewhere better. Scratching below the surface really does make you appreciate places you thought you knew. Obviously, there are going to be some disappointments too – I really wanted Yarm to have a castle – but on the whole it’s positives all the way. A bit of research is highly recommended. Just don’t get overexcited and start to write about your trips, I have enough competition thanks!