Day 3: Robstock

Having made the hop from Manchester to the North East (the trains were amazingly punctual, albeit rather crowded owing to races at York) and my father's house, I barely had a couple of hours to get settled up here before heading off to a friend's house and for the titular Robstock - a party that has become something of a tradition every few years. Hosted at some long-term family friends' (who live on a old farmhouse far away from others), Robstock was, this time, in honour of Rob's 30th Birthday. Being something of a rock music/heavy metal fan, and having once participated in a band for a time, Rob knows a few bands in the area (through friends) and so the 'stage' was in the field and there was a six or seven band lin-up. On top of this, there were about 100 or so visitors/guests so it was something like a mini-festival in its own right. Hence the name.

Of course, for me, this was a chance to see some old friends and to have a relaxing time - and catch-up. Managing to stave off some of the jet lag until a bit later than evening, i managed to do both of those well. Throw in some nice BBQ food and a bit of alcohol (I tried not to overdo it after my previous night in Manchester!) and it was all very pleasant indeed. A fitting welcome back to the North East.