Many of my visits to various places in the region so far have seen me take in the beautiful sights of the North East coastline, with previous visits to Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and South Shields.
There was one coastal place that I had never been to on one of these visits so far, and this is Cullercoats. The village is sandwiched between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay, and it sometimes acts as a dormitory location to the nearby Newcastle.
I thought it was about time for this trip so I travelled over to see why it is such a popular and special place for tourists and residents. One of the first things I noticed was the convenient location of the metro station, which is a less than five minute walk away from the seafront.
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On this short and pleasant walk, I stopped off at the Rocket Garage, where I spoke to 23-year-old Aidan Crossley. Aidan has worked at the garage for four years, and we spoke about why he loves working in Cullercoats so much.
"The building I work in has a lot of history, as it used to be where they stored the rocket apparatus that would be used to rescue people stranded at sea, hence the name of the Rocket Garage.
"It is amazing to work in Cullercoats as the community here is so welcoming. It brings a smile to my face seeing how happy everyone is, and this is honestly the best view in the world to have every day.
"The job itself doesn't feel like work as I have always been fascinated with cars and have wanted to work with them, and combined with the location, and how much it varies every day, there is nowhere that I would rather work", he said.
Moving along towards the beach, I married couple Brian and Eva Dickson, who were sat outside of their flat enjoying the sunny weather. Brian dubbed his place of residence 'Cullerfornia' which seemed appropriate, looking at the people that are out surfing and enjoying themselves on the beach every day.
Brian spoke about how great of a place Cullercoats is, and why he thinks it is such a popular destination for tourists, as well as people living in the area.
"There is amazing food available right on our doorstep at places like Salt House and a selection of cafes. The place is rammed during the summer which shows how much of an attractive place it is to visitors," he said.
"Cullercoats is a great place and the transport links are good with the metro station being really well placed. We have nothing against the area at all, and even though we are soon moving away, we will be coming back all the time to visit", he added.
I then went down to the beautiful semi-circular beach that Cullercoats is famous for. Complete with cliffs and even six caves, one of which I had a bit of an explore of, Cullercoats Bay is a fantastic place for families to come on a sunny day.
On this particular sunny day, there were dog walkers, families with children and swimmers braving the cold water. It was this vibrancy and community spirit that permeated through the rest of the village as well.
An interesting fact about Cullercoats is that it is mentioned in the Dire Straits song "Tunnel of Love", but there was nothing dire about the village when I went to see it, as it was teeming with life in a way that you might not expect at this time of year.
On my way back from the beach I called in to see Peter Mortimer, who has lived in Cullercoats for almost 50 years. The long-time resident spoke about why he has stayed in the area for almost half a century, and why he thinks it appeals to so many people.
"I moved here in the mid 70's and I think that there's just something about living by the sea. I originally had a flat with some friends and then I decided to buy this house as I knew the previous owners. I really like the area and the distance between the metro and the beach is ideal," he said.
"Before living here I had always just lived in towns and more urban areas, but its amazing to see the community that has grown here over the years. Places like the crescent club and the community centre have so much going on, we even had Damon Albarn performing here a few years ago.
"There is a strong artistic feel here that I can really appreciate, we call it Bohemia by the sea and I couldn't think of a more accurate way to describe the place which I have called home for as long as I have."
I feel that my morning in Cullercoats was able to give me a very accurate impression of the village. It is clearly a vibrant hub for a community that is very welcoming to new residents and tourists. The beaches and local businesses are massive selling points of the area and it is certainly warrants a visit just as much as Tynemouth or Whitley Bay around it.
On my way back from Cullercoats, I reflected on the time I had spent there, and felt like the community spirit that seemed to exist in the coastal village can definitely be an example for places inland, or maybe that was just the sea air talking.
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