Annual trip to Northumberland 2022

After checking the weather forecast, we were tempted to cancel this trip but it would have been a lost opportunity.

On the outward journey, we made a pit stop at Hartlepool, an interesting place where we would like to spend more time to visit the National Museum of the Royal Navy and the headland.  We did take a walk along the England Coast Path, a wide promenade next to the beach which was busy with cyclists and dog walkers.  Our goal was the seaside town of Seaton Carew, but learnt that it was further than we thought.

From the England Coast Path looking towards the headland

We took the coastal route to our base, The Amble Inn at Amble, and the heavens opened as we checked in.  This was the first significant rainfall that we had seen for many months.  Nevertheless we drove up the coast to Alnmouth and, during a lull in the rain, we managed a short stroll on the beach.

The next day dawned bright and dry so, after a comfortable night at the hotel with a large breakfast and even a sausage for the dog, we visited our old haunts:

Boulmer beach

Seahouses - where we ate our packed lunch while looking out to sea where the Farne Islands were clearly visible before buying a couple of items from Farne Gifts, the shop that sells everything from pottery penguins to paintbrushes. 

Bamburgh:  Bamburgh village was busy as usual so we drove up to the Bamburgh Castle Golf Club at the top of the cliff and took the Northumberland Coast Path towards Budle Point, marvelling at the long stretch of golden/white sands.  It is an easy walk giving great views of Bamburgh Castle and Lindisfarne.

The weather stayed fine and we felt we had earned our afternoon tea at Copper Kettle Tea Room in Bamburgh, where we sat in the sunshine on the patio.  I bumped into an ex pupil who remembered me from all those years ago making me believe that I hadn’t aged at all!

The next day, rain threatened so we had an early morning amble in Amble. It has an interesting history displayed on information boards, a working harbour and marina.  We saw a film crew interviewing a man at one of the stalls.  He told us he was just giving advice for young people who were thinking of starting up their own business but then, to be polite, we had to listen to his political views which were not so different from our own.

The rain then started in earnest and, on our homeward journey, persisted the whole day but we were glad we kept to our plans and had an enjoyable trip.

An Autumn break in Northumberland

Northumberland is beautiful in any season, but our preferred time to visit is in Autumn.  

Membership of the Historic Houses Association entitled us to visit many castles for free.

We visited Alnwick Gardens a few years ago, so this time we explored Alnwick Castle.  This impressive castle has been home to the Duke of Northumberland’s family, the Percys for more than 700 years and is now notorious for being the  location  of the filming of Harry Potter.

View from the castle

Then on to Alnmouth Village Golf Club where we had a drink at the clubhouse.  The club was established in 1869 and is the oldest 9-hole links in England with good views of the bay and Coquet Island. 

We spent the next day on a mini road trip road visiting some old haunts and finding new ones.

First stop was the small working harbour of Amble.  Over the years it has reinvented itself from a fishing village, sandstone quarry and transporter of coal to a marina with trendy boutiques, bistros and a state-of-the-art fish market.

The uninhabited Coquet Island owned by the Duke of Northumberland and managed as a bird reserve by the  RSPB. 

On to Seahouses via Boulmer and Embleton, where we stopped for lunch at the Bamburgh Castle Hotel which gives a clear view of the Farne Islands.   

Next, Bamburgh Castle. 

Bamburgh Castle is an imposing building which looks over a beautiful beach.  The artefacts are fascinating and well curated.

On our last day the weather took a turn for the worse so we took advantage of  a browse round Barter Books at Alnwick an amazing second hand bookshop covering every subject imaginable.  It has cosy reading rooms with open fires and a toy railway runs on a circuit above the shelves.

 Going inland, our last stop was Chillingham Castle which is advertised as being the most haunted Castle in the UK and is complete with torture dungeons.  The present owner and resident of this medieval castle, Sir Edward Humphry, inherited the property as a shell.  An antique dealer by trade, he has since filled the building with a variety of interesting artefacts from tennis racquets to typewriters.  

For more details of the places mentioned, the keyword Northumberland will bring up past posts.
  

 

Annual visit to Northumberland 2015

Blog followers may remember that we have been visiting the area each Autumn for decades and still finding new places to see.

 View of the Farne Islands from opposite the hotel with Tumbler Rocks in the foreground

Walking from Seahouses towards Bamburgh along the beach gave us the opportunity to view the front of the wonderfully positioned Monks House, a building I have long coveted.
 This house, formerly known as Brocksmouth is found in a charter of 1257 which gave land to the Monks of Farne to build a granary, being the nearest point to the Farne Islands.  The main building, now Grade II listed, was built in 1495 and renovated in 1949.

Shoreston Rocks

During the 1950s artist Eric and his wife Dorothy ran their own Bird Observatory and Field Centre here at Monks House and well known ornithologists including Bill Oddie stayed here. We looked for the tail fin of a Lancaster bomber which can sometimes be seen here at low tide, but to no avail. The walk was to take us back to Seahouses past the Arts and Crafts style Shoreston House and Hall which date back to 1913 and a walk along the disused railway line which is now a haven for wildlife.  However, we didn’t manage to find the footpath although we did return by car and locate them .......there’s always next year! Another “first” was Bolam Lake Country Park, about 9 miles from Morpeth.  The park was constructed about 1817 by Lord Decies of Bolam and bought by Northumberland County Council in 1972. With its many paths, woodland walks and wildlife it is a great space to explore and free to visit and park.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the red squirrels, roe deer or great spotted woodpecker advertised ...... but there’s always next year!    Bolam Lake   Of course we dropped in at some old haunts along the way

 

 Alnmouth

 

 Bamburgh Castle taken from Golf Club

 New retail outlets and fish market at Amble