Part 2: Beadnell Bay, Northumbria
We set off from York and headed towards Beadnell Bay in Northumbria. It was sunny when we arrived but had been very wet so the field was a bit boggy in places. The Temporary Holiday site was about 100 m from the sea, so after some tea we went for a walk on the beach as the sun went down.
Tuesday 5th August 2008
We decided on a walk today as even after all our walks around York city we felt as though we hadn't done a proper walk for ages. We drove to Newton by the Sea and then walked towards the sea and set off along the coast path. We walked beside a golf links and despite getting a little lost we soon found the path towards Embleton and then towards Dunstan Staith where I had a spectacular tumble. I somersaulted down the road ending up sitting in a puddle and having grazed my knee and elbow but luckily had not broken anything. We continued along a farm track passing a war-time pill box which was still in good condition. When we got to Dunstan Staith we turned off the track and headed up the Heughs which was a gorse covered escarpment with good views of Dunstanburgh castle from the top. We followed the top of the Heughs past the war-time radar station towards Craster where we followed the coast path towards Dunstanburgh castle which we looked round using our NT cards. As we were looking round the castle the mist came down and visibility shrunk to about 100m. We could not see the tower on one side of the castle. As we left the castle we found a geocache and then continued along the coast path towards Embleton bay. We walked on the beach back to Newton by Sea.
Friday 8th August 2008
After several days of wet weather where we didn't do much except sit and read in the caravan it finally dried up overnight, so we set off for a walk. We drove to Belford and then walked along the road,down a lane and over a bridge above a very full and fast flowing brook. A field edge footpath was followed past West Hall farm which was like a small castellated castle and towards Swinhoe farm where a lady was giving riding lessons. After the farm we followed the track past Dicks Old Walls (2 stone buildings) and then towards a plantation where we saw a buzzard flying overhead. We followed the perimeter of the plantation with good views to the Cheviots, and we came across some wonderful rock formations called the Singing Hinnies.
Whilst looking for a geocache in the Hinnies a RAF fighter flew low and directly overhead. We then continued through the plantation until we came to St Cuthberts cave which was quite impressive.
We walked round and over the cave and through the field beyond to the mound with a cairn on the top. We then followed St Cuthberts Way, through a field with lots of cows, which behaved very well despite making a lot of noise. Our return route was through woodland, seeing lots of chaffinches and yellowhammers. We arrived back at Swinhoe farm and then followed a different route through woods and grassland back to Belford. On the way back to Banburgh we stopped to find a geocache. We walked through a gate, round some rough meadow, climbed a rock outcrop and headed towards some engineering equipment. It turned out to be a wartime bunker and it was possible to go down about 8 m via a ladder to a room below but we chickened out as the hatch lid was a bit rickety and we didn't want to get stuck! We found the cache though.
We finally headed to Seahouses for fish and chips which were eaten sitting on the harbour wall, whilst we watched the tide come in.
Sunday 10th August 2008
It rained all night but was quite bright when we got up so decided on a walk along the coast. We walked towards Beadnell and followed the coast path through a large static caravan park and then onto the dunes. We crossed a narrow bridge over a river and then followed the coast path all the way to Newton by Sea. It was a nice walk across the heath with lots of wild flowers and caterpillars but no sea view. We diverted to walk round the headland and pick up a geocache - and then walked to the pub at Newton, The Ship where we had the best crab sandwiches We've ever had and a couple of pints Dolly Daydream for John and Sandcastles at dawn for me (the pub had its own micro-brewery). There were a couple of bands playing so we sat and listened for an hour and then set off back. We walked back along the coast path but this time after crossing the river we headed down onto the beach and walked along the sand back to Beadnell.
