Introduction
The completion of my nineteenth and last national trail involved Mike and
me finishing last year’s walking week at Berwick upon Tweed. With the
certificate from the LDWA National Trail Register came the news that the entire
England Coast Path had now been added to the list. So, it was back to Berwick
for this year’s episode, to attempt to complete the Northumberland section of
this 2,700-mile odyssey. Little did we know what difficulties would be
encountered in returning to Berwick by train.
Our Northern train to Manchester was cancelled and we were fortunate that
the following Avanti express was on time. The TransPennine train to York was
cancelled and again we had to make do with a later service whose three coaches made
overcrowding on cattle trucks seem humane. In getting so many people on board,
the train was late arriving in York and we had to run through a tunnel between
platforms to catch our LNER connection (which was held for us, thank goodness).
So, more by good luck than judgement, we arrived at Berwick at the prescribed hour.
No time for a cafe, we had a full-day’s walking in front of us and it was well
after mid-day.
Monday 15th May 2023 Berwick upon Tweed - Fenwick
Cancelled Trains
We set off immediately from the
station, descending a set of steps through a wooded dingle to the riverside
path below the Royal Border Bridge. Within minutes we were standing on the Old
Bridge where last year’s trek had ended. Crossing the river, we saw our first way
markers for the England Coast Path. Along Dock Road and through the quiet
suburb of Spittal, we were soon up on the low cliffs on a grassy path squeezed
between the railway and the sea. The route joined a narrow lane leading to a
car park containing a feature that stopped us in our tracks, an ice cream van.
The tarmac eventually gave way to a track into the dunes. Here I got off line
slightly walking nearer the sea than intended but we were rewarded by a
wonderful spread of cowslips stretching as far as we could see. At Cheswick
Shiel, we corrected our misalignment, crossing a golf course to the club house
and back onto route.
A long lane took us passed Beachcomber House and onto a grass path behind the dunes. Encountering the first of many estuaries, the route turned inland to cross the stream at Beal Sluice. A boggy section of path ran round the high-water line of the tidal marshes to reach the causeway road heading for Lindisfarne. Weaving between the concrete blocks that were intended to stop people from parking, we continued up a series of field paths to the railway line. Being the East Coast main line, the trains pass at high speed and the signalman has to be contacted by phone to ensure that it is safe to cross the track. After waiting for one train, we leapt across and up the next field. Within a minute two more trains thundered across behind us, illustrating the need for caution. A few minutes later, we were crossing the A1, just as dangerous as the railway, and searching for our accommodation in Fenwick. Because the pub providing the only food in the area wanted us there early, we had very quick showers before setting off walking again,
Berwick dep. 12.41, Fenwick arr. 17.25
GPS 12.60 miles in 4hr 44mins 26secs
walking time, plus another 2.5 miles to and from the pub. Stayed at Fenwick
b&b, Aidanfield, Fenwick and ate at the Lindisfarne Inn, over a mile away
by quiet country lanes. I had game cottage pie followed by rhubarb crumble and
custard all washed down with Secret Kingdom (4.3%) from Hadrian Border Brewery.
Tuesday 16th May 2023 Fenwick – Seahouses
Gorse in Full Bloom
On a bright and breezy morning, we left our lovely b&b after an
excellent breakfast. I lost Mike in the village store. He popped in to buy a
sandwich for lunch and then got talking. I eventually returned to the village
to search for him and found him still in the shop. At last, we were on our way,
up a long straight lane leading into wooded hills. The turn-off was onto a
contouring field path giving good views over Lindisfarne and the coast. In the
forest, the path became muddy with evidence of windblow from recent storms.
Eventually we emerged onto open moorland and the flowering gorse made a blazing
yellow spectacle in the morning sunshine. Fabulous views of distant Bamburgh
Castle were all too soon interrupted by a turn downhill through forestation
down to Swinhoe Farm. The descent to Belford was through grassy pastureland,
passed a fortified farm with a castle on one end. Belford looked a pleasant
town and it provided me with a Co-op for a sandwich and a small coffee shop, Well
House, for a welcome coffee and cake,
The exit from the town was passed a huge industrial complex consisting of
many silos, all identical. Could this be grain? Without an answer, we crossed
the main railway line for a second time, complete with the usual phone-call to
the signalman. More high pasture was to follow, this time grazed by young
cattle, with fields of oil-seed rape below. At the next lane, I was aware that
all was not as per the maps or previous experience. The advent of the new
England Coast Path project had resulted in a complete re-route. The newly
signed trail ran closer to the sea, circumnavigating Waren Mill via a campsite
and footpaths not on any of our maps. We gained the shore of Budle Bay on a
busy road running along the shore-line where a pair of eider ducks was swimming. Another new coast path fingerpost took
us from this road down to Kiln Point. Here we sat by the shore and ate our
butties.
Re-joining the original path systems, the afternoon section traversed the
golf course with Bamburgh Castle getting intimidatingly closer. So was poor
weather. As we stood on a sandy path beneath the great ramparts, a drizzle came
in from the sea. Donning our rain gear we traipsed on, getting wetter from the
long grass and shrubs than from the rain. Beyond the castle, we took to the
waymarked path into the dunes. This ran parallel with the coast road but gave
soft, sometimes very soft, off-road walking. This two-mile part of the walk
emerged from the dunes in the outskirts of Seahouses. A dreary seafront led into
town and its bustling little centre. Our accommodation was just inland but was
easy to find from the instructions. T could not access the e-mail with the
access code to the room but we were able to get help from reception and were
soon showering and changing from our wet clothes.
Fenwick dep. 09.00, Seahouses
arr.16.55
GPS 16.66 miles in 6hrs 57mins
37secs walking time plus 30 mins at Well House Cafe in Belford and 20 mins
eating our sandwiches at Kiln Point.
Stayed at Links Lets, Seahouses,
and ate at the Olde Ship Inn. I ordered fish and chips and mushy peas. The
golden syrup sponge was served in an old Tate & Lyle syrup tin and we just
added custard. The beer was Farne Island (4.0%) and Grainger Ale (4.6%) from Hadrian
Border Brewery.
Wednesday 17th March 2023 Seahouses
– Alnmouth
Breakfast at Beadnell
Our accommodation did not provide breakfast, in fact it provided nothing
but a small rather stuffy room. We had been provided with a list of breakfast
providers. Unfortunately, none of the local ones opened before 10am but an
early opening café was recommended in the next village. So, we packed our sacks
and set off, with our usual butty purchase at the Co-op, passed the harbour and
out over the golf course. The day was bright and clear, much better than the
previous dreich afternoon. We met a lady on her morning walk who enquired about
our early start. When she heard about our quest for some breakfast, she offered
to take us home and provide. We thanked her for her kind offer but continued on
our coastal journey with the village of Beadnell as our immediate target. The
Courtyard Coffee Shop was advertised on a handwritten board at the end of The
Haven, a road to Farne Hall and the Craster Arms. Soon we were tucking into a huge
breakfast, me with a stack of pancakes. Not a bad start to the day.
We left Beadnell along the beach which provided easy walking until we
encountered the Long Nanny River where we were diverted upstream around an area
cordoned off for nesting birds. Crossing Long Nanny Bridge, we were back on a
grassy path in meadows full of buttercups. It was back into civilisation at
Lower Newton where the beach and pub were full of visitors. In the dunes
beyond, the path weaved between a encampment of wooden cabins before emerging
onto a series of golf courses. We met the lady who had earlier in the day
offered to give us breakfast, She was now out walking with friends, Signs took
us round the edge of the golf courses heading for Dunstanburgh Castle which
appeared as a flat -topped ancient hillfort. The castle looked more impressive
looking back from the south side. Cropped grassland, one huge lawn, stretched
out before us most of the way to Craster. This was another busy village
bustling with holiday-makers, again focussed on and around the pub. We found a
quiet spot on the edge of the village with a table in a kiddies play area. Time
to eat our butties.
The last section of the day was a pleasant stroll along clifftops with
nesting seabirds swirling over the sea. The small village of Boulter was soon
behind us and the complex of buildings including the clubhouse at Foxton Hall
dominated the view. The official route of the coast path goes through the
clubhouse grounds before crossing more fairways and greens. The walk ended with
a climb up to a spectacular viewpoint over Alnmouth, then a steep descent into
the town, passing the pub where we were staying. So, we abandoned our trek, had
showers and refreshments in our room and completed the last mile round the town
after dinner.
Seahouses dep. 08.20, Alnmouth arr.16.30
GPS 18.24 miles in 7hrs 07mins 28secs
walking time plus 40 mins in Courtyard Coffee Shop in Beadnell and 15 mins
lunch-stop in Craster. We stayed in the Hope & Anchor in Alnmouth. For
dinner I had fish and chips for the second evening running. There was no proper
pudding. I drank Anchor Ale (3.8%) from Cullercoats Brewery and Alnwick IPA (4.5%)
from Alnwick Brewery. And then we walked the extra mile bringing our total for
the day to over 19 miles.
Thursday 18th March 2023
Alnmouth – Newbiggin by the Sea
Annoying a Twitcher
Having completed the circuit of the town the previous night, we were
straight out on route in the morning, over the river bridge and along the cycle
routes which kept us away from the main road. Back down to the sea, the coast
path was signed along grassy and sandy paths that ran behind the dunes. These
led to the inevitable golf course, whose entrance road was used as access to
Warkworth town centre. A lovely old bridge over the Coquet River led through
the town walls at a medieval gateway which took us straight into the village
shop. Clutching sandwiches for our lunch and licking refreshing ice creams, we
sat briefly on the steps of the market cross. Then we climbed slowly up to the
castle and left on the main road out of town towards Amble. The trail entered
Amble via the marina, then crossed some playing fields into the shopping area
where we found a quiet café, the Coquet Tea Rooms, for coffee and cake.
We left Amble via the South Jetty before taking once more to a sandypath
through the dunes, parallel to the coast road. The next 5 miles or so were on
hard surfaced cycleways which ran for almost the full length of Druridge Bay.
It passed through nature reserves, fresh water lakes and vast areas of reed
beds. Bird life was prolific with this mix of sea, woodland and marsh. Half way
along this section we sat of a bench listening to reed warblers and ate our precious
food supplies. Then we plodded on, dispirited by the endless tarmac and
cyclists until we reached a car park where a twitcher, complete with cameras
and tripod, had just spotted a rare Grasshopper Warbler. We waltzed right
through the middle of this, scaring the bird into flight, He will probably
never be the same again. Before he could curse us, we turned off the road and
into the dunes. Dry sandy paths and poorly signed fields led us to Cresswell and
its tower, the official terminus of the Northumberland Coast Path. An
interpretive board told us that we had walked 62 miles from Berwick. But our
path did not stop here. We had the whole of the England Coast in front of us.
Ahead was our first power station, a 420MW plant fuelled by biomass. It was
originally the power supply to a local aluminium works but now feeds the
national grid. Two colourful gypsy caravans were parked on the rough grassland
leading up to Lynemouth and the horses were grazing nearby. The coast path ran
round the seaward side on a made-up path that looked pretty flat but obviously
had a trip hazard, a piece of protruding slate, which I fell over. Mike helped
me to my feet and we continued on to the golf course and the last headland
before Newbiggin. The coast path signs directed us onto the promenade and we
were surprised to find our accommodation, the Old Ship, on this pedestrian way
and not in the main street. We had a lovely room with two large beds. The pub
did not do food, especially on quiz
night, so we showered, changed and wander into town to find an Italian
restaurant that had been recommended.
Alnmouth dep. 09.13, Newbiggin arr.17.42
GPS 20.78 miles in 7hrs 31mins 58 secs walking time plus 25 mins at the Coquet Tea Rooms in Amble and 15 mins eating our sandwiches near Druridge Bay Nature Reserve.
Stayed at the Old Ship in
Newbiggin, managed a quick pint of West Highland Way (3.7%) from Loch Lomond
Brewery and ate at Due Fratelli, an Italian restaurant on Front Street. The
meal was lasagne and garlic bread followed by stick toffee pudding and ice
cream. A bottle of Merlot made a change from all that beer.
Friday 19th May 2023 Newbiggin
by the Sea – Blyth South Beach
Blyth Spirit
A huge breakfast awaited us on a warm but
dull morning. Armed with a sandwich from the local Co-op, we set off along the
promenade and out onto the coast path beyond Spital Point. The cliff tops were
dominated by static caravan parks which restricted us to a narrow strip of
grass along the edge. This eventually became unwalkable and an acorn sign directed
us into the caravan park. Enquiries of residents did not reveal a designated
route so we returned to the beach and walked on the wet sand round to the estuary
of the Wansbeck and then followed the river inland to cross over the weir under
the bridge carrying the main coast road. Back on the south bank, there was a
lovely section of riverside path round to the car park near Cambois Farm. Along
the dunes heading for the old power station, a line of cottages came into view,
each house painted a different bright colour. Just beyond this terrace, the
route turned inland on roads through an area of industry connected, it seemed,
to energy production.
The skies had cleared and we were getting
rather hot as we trudged along pavements. As the roads got busier, we were
relieved to turn into a lane through some new housing and then through a woodland
leading to farmland on the banks of the River Blyth. A mile along the overgrown
riverbank we came to a complex of roads and cycleways which led up and over a
high-level bridge carrying a dual carriageway of fast-moving traffic. The
path on the south side back to the sea
was dominated by light industry but we moved quickly on cycleways along the
riverbank towards Blyth town centre. A fisherman recommended a café which we
set out to find whilst keeping to the signed route through new housing estates.
In town, walkers share the pavements with cyclists on Sustrans Route 1, this at
first seeming rather alarming. Eventually we felt we were close enough to the
centre to turn inland and soon came to
the Frameworks, a smart arts café, perhaps too smart for two hot and sweaty
walkers.
After a coffee and cake, we returned to the
dockside roads and stopped for a moment at Williams II. a gaff rigged ketch,
the ship that led the expedition that discovered Antarctica. The route cut
inland to pass through Ridley Park before taking to the pavement of Links Road.
After a mile or so, South Beach appeared on the left and we walked down the
promenade to a bench overlooking the bay. A short stop for sandwiches and we
concluded our weeklong walk and headed for home. The first bus to arrive was a
309 Cobalt & Coast service to Newcastle which took us to Haymarket in the
city centre. A guy on the bus showed us the way to Central Station only to find
that the next two services to Manchester were cancelled by our wonderful train
service provider TransPennine. But the 18.04 train took us to Manchester Victoria
and, after a walk across Manchester, a delayed Avanti train was soon in
Macclesfield. It had been a long day.
Newbiggin dep. 09.21, Blyth South Beach arr.
14.50
GPS 12.65 miles in 4hrs 38mins 25secs walking
time with 30 mins in the Frameworks Art Café in Blyth and 10 min break at South
Beach.
Conclusion
Another great walk with Mike,
spoilt only by the train companies’ inability to provide a service to this
corner of the country. The England Coast Path project is underway with the 82-mile
completion of the Northumberland section. It was amazingly well signed with
several improvements from the original Northumberland Coast Path. Old maps are
now out of date as the new route, clinging as it does to the dunes and coast,
takes precedence. The next section through suburban North and South Shields and
Sunderland and Hartlepool will in no way match the glorious coastline of the
north. And Mike and I, for our annual forays, will be looking to better things
in our dotage. So, I may come back alone to walk the industrial legacy of Tyne
and Wear. Perhaps a winter project. Then we can continue with high quality
walking on the Yorkshire Coast in future years.
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