England Coast path Berwick-upon-Tweed & bus ride to Newbiggin-By-The-Sea Part 55

Thursday 25th July 2024

England Coast path Berwick-upon-Tweed 

Distance 18:25 Miles 

Time 6:10

Elevation Gain 586 Feet

Total days walking 67 (excluding the swcp)

Total mileage 1487.41 (including the swcp)

Our plan was to walk to Berwick-upon-Tweed & either stay over & get a bus back to the car & drive home or catch a bus to the car & drive home. As you can see from the previous post neither of these happened. We stayed over & we did get transport but a train to Alnmouth station followed by a bus the X28 to Newbiggin-by-The-Sea. This obviously took time & we had looked at the map & thought we could walk to Amble in the time available to us with a night in Amble & a short walk back to the car & drive home.

This also didn't happen. We got off the bus about two miles shy of Newbiggin-By-The-Sea as access to the path was closer & easier. A short walk from the bus to the path & we start strava then have a coffee form old faithful green flask & a snack We start walking at about 11.50 Its another hot day & the path winds its way along beside a road past an industrial area, there is a lot of cliff erosion which is why the path has been moved t the roadside.

Making our way towards Cresswell along the roadside past holiday parks we get to Cresswell Beach & have ourselves an ice cream.

Now the path turns & heads out through sand dunes, we get a little lost as we were down in the dunes & couldn't se the sea!

Soon back in the right direction we continue winding our way through the dunes before deciding tom walk along Cresswell beach. The tide is a long way out leaving a wide sandy beach, Walking next to the sea for about the next 3.5miles our map makes it look like we can walk on water!

At Druidge Bay Country Park we come off the beach & walk along the sand dunes to Amble. Looking at the time & miles to go about 8miles we think we will walk back to Alnmouth so continue on. Missing a turn we go through Amble town centre & up the high street adding a little bit of distance correcting & walking along side the River Coquet with plenty of bird life to be seen. turning a corner we go over the river at Warkworth & back to the beach side on yes another golf course!

Final push. Along side the Alnmouth Estuary a short blip in land then turning across the river Aln & we are back at the car.

A change of clothes drink & snack & we hit the road at about 7pm arriving home at about 3am!

Another successful walking holiday & having achieved more miles than originally planned with the extra bit to the Scottish border then the extra day on the end we have in the last few days covered 83.68 recorded miles.

  

England Coast path Lindisfarne Holy Island to Berwick-upon-Tweed Part 54

 Wednesday 24th July 2024

England Coast path  Lindisfarne Holy Island to Berwick-upon-Tweed

Distance 18:44 Miles

Time 6:23

Elevation Gain 327 Feet

Total days walking 66 (excluding the swcp)

Total mileage 1477.91 (including the swcp)

After another comfortable night we go for breakfast, A traditional layout with cereal's & continental laid out with the cooked menu on the tables, We take a look through & being rather partial to eggs benedict we are pleased to see it on the menu it's not long before it is delivered to our table. What a treat Sour dough bread toasted to perfection with perfect eggs & the Hollandaise sauce just wonderful!

We finish our breakfast & get ready for our day of walking. The bus was due to the island at 0923 & we wait at the bus stop adjacent to the Hotel we are early & while we wait Lesley puts a cheeky thumb up to hitch a lift. Well would you believe it, a car stops & offers us a lift to the Island.

 Alison was going over to the island to do research for her foundation course on Castles of Northumberland. Alison took us to the island carpark across the Causeway which was really great as the bus would have only taken us to the start of the causeway putting an extra four miles on our day.

We offer to pay for Alison's parking but she is insistent that we don't pay so we thank her & we head off to the monastery museum & ruin. A short queue to the museum & we are in taking a brief look at some of the artefacts & history of the island then its off to see the ruin.

   

Following our visit to the monastery we take the signposted England coast path around the island, arriving back at the Causeway at about mid day. The causeway was passable to vehicles until 15:30 so we knew we had time to walk back to the mainland. We start walking along the pilgrims way with our boots on, we pass people coming onto the island in bear feet thinking they just liked to feel the sand between their toes, However it soon became clear that they would have started off like us with shoes on as the sand became wetter & little rivers were running across our path so we took our boots & socks off.

Nearing the half way point it has become eerily quiet  NO one coming towards us & looking back NO one behind us we are alone on the sand!

Have we made a mistake will we get cut off by the tide & have to swim?

Well no, BUT as we get nearer to the main land Lesley puts her feet into quick sand & sinks immediately to her knees!

NO panic, I carefully approach her keeping myself on grassy tufts & manage to get her free, This has freaked her out & we cautiously walk together on firmer ground, we keep looking back to see if the water is rising behind us but it  is still looking ok.

The tide is obviously coming in & we can sense the water coming in as the sand is bubbling, now on slightly higher area & nearer the road way part of the causeway we come to a large river & have to walk to the road to get over it, At the refuge station by the road we de-sand & dry our feet on my travel towel that I carry & Lesley always mocks me about carrying but who uses it for cleaning & drying their feet first?

Posts marking the walking route

Mud up to her knees!

Boots back on we continue our walk off the causeway along the side of the road at the end of

the causeway we stop & have a quick coffee from our trusty well travelled green flask before

 turning right to continue North up the coast line.

The grassy path is quite wet & squelchy  across a few fields turning right again following the cycle track No1, It's not a good cycle track narrow single lane gravel with grass either side a lady just ahead of us with her bike & trailer are making good slow but faster than us progress. We soon lose sight of the bright orange marker flag on the bike trailer. Guess what we cross now? At Goswick we cross another golf course Goswick links golf club followed by a walk through Cheswick Sands & Nature Reserve on to Cocklawburn Beach.

Just before Berwick-upon-tweed we pass through Spittal along Spittal beach & along the banks of the River tweed past the docks which seem to be home to a bevy or wedge of swans.

Each white dot is a Swan! 
     

We have no accommodation booked for the night so need to find somewhere to stay, We pop into a coop for some supplies but leave as there is very little there Meeting other people outside who have also left due to it being full of nothing. The shelves were full but full of un-usefull goods! 

Tesco was too far so we would go without. looking for accommodation we knock on a b & b door the lady invites us in thinking that we were her booked guests but when we say we are looking she has nothing available but recommends the Queens head which is where google had sent us & we were heading. One room free! A twin even better! checked in & settled we had been thinking of walking the five miles up to the Scottish border & back the following day.

Evening 24th July 2024

Having dropped our bags off we set out to walk to the boarder but sprung an idea, Why not get a cab there & walk back. Google! Woody's cabs came up, a quick call & ten minutes later we were in the cab on our way.  We were dropped at Marshall Meadows about half a mile short but as close to the foot path as you can drive. 

Bag free we jog & walk up to the border & a few minutes later, Scotland!

Setting off at a good pace with no bags to weigh us down we jog & walk South to Berwick-upon-Tweed, & yes, another golf course. Making record time for us. 

It starts to spot with rain but luckily only a few dozen spots. The five miles goes by quickly & we are soon back in Berwick.

We find a very nice Italian restaurant tucked away but popular. The food is good, replenished we head back to the hotel for the night. 

England Coast path Bamburgh to Lindisfarne Holy Island Part 53

 Tuesday 23rd July 2024

Banburgh To Holy Island

Distance 15:77 Miles

Time 5:43

Elevation Gain 1203 Feet

Total days walking 65 (excluding the swcp)

Total mileage 1459.72 (including the swcp)

After a very comfortable night in the b & b we head down to breakfast which we had ordered the night before using the dry wipe boards that had the choice of breakfast selection printed on, Our names & room number were written on them, A great idea saving paper etc.

In the dining room we were greeted by Malcolm who explained to us that he is deaf lip reading & signing. We are given a splendid breakfast which we enjoy in the company of other guests  exchanging our days plans & the things we had done previously selling the boat trip to a couple who were keen to take advantage of the calm seas & see the sea birds before they leave the islands.

We are soon on our way a bright sunny day as we head down The wynding past Grace Darlings family home Wynding House an imposing Victorian house  home to the family after William Darling retired in 1860.

Following the coast across yet another golf course where there was a competition taking place through some very overgrown & muddy paths we fight our way through & meet a family with a small child almost lost in the bracken & gause bushes that over whelm the path the poor girl!

Now heading inland we join St Cuthbert's way.

St Cuthbert's way takes us through Belford & past the coop where we stocked up on supplies on the morning of our first day walking & we again stock up on supplies taking time out on the bench to rest awhile while we consume Ice creams & people watch.

Turning off the street & up a dusty lane then along side a stream like an English Lavada reminding us of our time in Madera.

Passing through some beautiful woods through farm yards, through gates & over styles we make our way along the path.

  We come to a railway crossing with instructions telling us that we must call for permission to cross the line as its a 125mph line.

On lifting the receiver the phone rings & is swiftly answered by the signalman who asks where we are, How many people & how long will it take to cross, answering him stating the location, number of persons & time he said to cross immediately. We cross the lines looking & listening as we go passing out through the gate on the opposite side of the tracks its not too long before a train comes hurtling down the tracks. 

This is to be repeated again on our journey today as we have to cross another line further along the path.

The Holy island & end of our walk is in sight & we arrive at the head of the causeway, the start of tomorrows journey but now we have to walk another 1.7 miles to the Lindisfarne inn. Stopping our strava  we start the walk up hill to the hotel, At the hotel a much needed pint is ordered & we check in taking our drinks into the garden to rest before going to the room.

 

England Coast path Embleton to Bamburgh Part 52

 

Monday 22th July 2024

Embleton to Banburgh

Distance 12:71 Miles

Time 4:34

Elevation Gain 756 Feet

Total days walking 64 (excluding the swcp)

Total mileage 1443.95 (including the swcp)

After a very comfortable night in the off grid accommodation we wake to a wet misty morning, the cows in the adjacent field were laying down chewing away as cows do.

On our way once again its a waterproof wearing day but worth it as walking through bracken encased paths we pick up a lot of water we are pleased to have our waterproof layer on. Looking back we see the ruins of Dunsborough Castle encased in mist giving it a ghostly apperance.

On we go across another golf course, the coast is a popular place for golf courses we have crossed over many on our costal walking, however on the positive side the foot paths are nearly always well maintained. 

There are plenty of cliff top holiday homes & we follow the path winding through them.

The path goes through Beadnell bay mobile home holiday park finally coming out in Beadnell bay by a café called the Landing, a nice looking place & we are in need of a break so take a look at the menu & decide it looks ok. A very polite young man takes our order, the food is not great for the price but we do meet a local couple who recommend taking a boat out around the Farne islands to see the puffins. We leave the café & continue on our journey towards Seahouses.

Once at Seahouses harbour at about 1400 we find a tour operator that has a boat going out at 1415 so its just perfect. The tour is a two hour non landing trip so we purchase tickets ready to go While we are waiting I take a look at the life boat station.

The birds that we are likely to see are Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill, Common Guillemot, European Shag, Kittiwake, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern & Common Eider.

We board the boat there are only about 12 people on the trip so plenty of space to move around the deck. The compulsory safety talk takes place as the boat manoeuvres from the dock through the harbour gates out into the open sea.

Lesley the sailor enjoying her trip out at sea aboard Serenity II, The sea is calm & soon we are at the first Island where we can see what we thought were Cormorants but are told they are Shags & they have a fluffy bit on the end of their beaks until they have mated then it drops off!

Moving on we see the Kittiwakes with their fluffy young followed by Puffins with their coloured beaks. 

We are also told history of the lighthouses & the Grace Darling story.

https://rnli.org/magazine/magazine-featured-list/2019/november/the-story-of-grace-darling

Still with about 5 miles to walk we head off to continue our journey to Bamburgh where Grace Darling was laid to rest. We will be passing the church yard where she rests & we visit the grave side, a spectacular memorial grave as can be seen in the photo below.

We then go to our very comfortable accommodation shower & go to look for some food.

However Bamburgh does not have any shops that we can find & all the pubs/restaurants are very busy but we do find space in one of the pubs.

Grateful that we had found some food & drink replete we go back to the accommodation for a good nights rest 

 

England Coast path Northumberland Alnmouth to Embleton Part 51

Due to an unexpected job move by Joseph to Newcastle we thought we would make a proper holiday by doing a bit of the coast path on the east coast.

We planed the days & booked some accommodation.

Friday 19th to Sunday 21st July 2024

Alnmouth to Embleton

Distance 12:71 Miles

Time 4:34

Elevation Gain 756 Feet

Total days walking 63 (excluding the swcp)

Total mileage 1431.54 (including the swcp)

On the Friday we drove up to Newcastle with Joseph's possessions arriving about lunch time. Joseph had travelled up a few days previous & having just collected the flat keys he  was waiting for us outside. Emptying the car load into his flat didn't take long.

Joseph had had a couple of days exploring the City & we embarked on a tour of part of the city but mainly today on the Jesmond Dean area visiting the Jesmond Dean falls & mill. A beautiful park area. It was good to see the area & it's apparently the area where the footballers live. It is posh & expensive!

We followed this with a nice Italian meal & then we retired to our premier inn for the night.

Saturday we again met up with Joseph & visited the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Arts in the old Baltic mill where we were able to see Kittiwakes a small seagull that build their nests on the ledge on the side of the building using straw & sticks from the river banks held together with their guanos. 

  We were also able to see the tilt bridge open to allow a small yacht pass under it. 

We followed this with lunch, then an art gallery depicting the decline of the Swan Hunter ship building industry & a look at Newcastle Cathedral finishing our time with Joseph at a fringe comedy show. 

We departed to our next hotel with a visit to the Angel of the North incorporated in our Journey.

   

 So that's a brief explanation of how we ended up in Northumberland, We spent the night in the Bluebell inn in Belford.

Sunday our first day of walking the coast path to Berwick-upon-Tweed. A good breakfast followed by a quick stock up of snacks at the coop & we drive to Alnmouth where we are to start walking we are able to park on the road side next to the path.

Boots & packs on & we are off, straight onto the path & we meet a photographer who has just been watching a barn Owl in the woods but we are unable to see it.

Great weather & easy grassy walking. Being a Sunday the path is busy but made even more busy as there is a half marathon taking place, The runners are exited as they come towards us saying there is a pod of Dolphins in the bay. We keep a lookout but again we are out of luck but we were shown a photo of them! The scenery & weather are just perfect & the W,I are having a tea & cake sale at the RNLI lifeboat station, So tea & Cake it is!

No picture of tea & cake but here is a picture of the old smoke house. Refreshed we continue on towards Embleton.

On the route is Dunstanburgh Castle an English heritage property Well ruin we pop in for a look.

 

It was hard to find accommodation along this section of path not too far & not too near so the only place I could find was an off grid converted lorry with an outside shed toilet & separate shower & kitchen 

Bathroom

Toilet

Kitchen

                                         

But it has a lovely fire pit for a perfect evening

The shower was actually really a nice warm steam room & the toilet was a 6x4' shed with plumbed in proper ceramic toilet with a lovely odour of creosote.

The kitchen was a gas camping stove on a marble worksurface.