Day 5 No Tyne for Fog only Sunshine

Barry the Badger outside Durham cathedral

Geoff and Barry clamber into Durham cathedral – and get hit by some architectural holiness.

An Anglo Saxon (or is it a Norman?) knight mounts the tandem and Barry the badger does too. A small dose of the surreal land that awaits in Tinsel town. Hip hip hooray.

Barry and Geoff meet a Norman knight-

We find a young busker called Jay Preston playing his first song of his first ever busking gig – he knows how to pick a spot. He tells them to keep their hearts. And perhaps their kidneys too Hal thinks.

Geoff chats to Jay Preston on his first song of his first busk ever

Back in the van and off to hit the Tyne. Newcastle is bathed in sunshine – ahhh welcome Sunday break. Fat chance. Geoff and Hal railroad their way into the Biscuit factory – who’s ukuele band never showed so they take their place- drilling their irreverant songs in a stunningly lit space filled with original local art. From smart cafe to ageing bar, the Cumberland arms.

Barry et Camel play in the Biscuit factory

This is rail-roading of a different kind. Hal and Geoff blister through some tracks in the middle of a floundering local jam session. The MCs have never seen guitar played like this – nobody knows what the chords are.

Geoff muses in the Cumberland arms

Hal and Geoff take refuge in the amazingly industrious co-operative the Star and Shadow cinema- They need a laff. They get one. Geoff is set off into a laughing fit by a bowl of home made chilli. There are not enough good words for the people in here (Jack, Jo, Simon, Maike et al) . We also meet the resident organist- Carl Heslop who tells us live scores are on their way back.