I confess to having a beer too many & staying up far too late last night whilst watching the football, so I was a little slower getting up this morning.
To fully resurrect myself, I made a big bacon and fried egg toasted sandwich, a cafetière of Old Brown Java coffee that I’d bought in Amble a couple of days ago & a big slug of orange juice. Back in the game!
We were taking our longest day trip out today, so didn’t hang around too long, and set off up the coast road through Seahorses and on to Bamburgh.
Expecting the castle car park to be a rip-off, I parked up in the large public car park opposite the road up & paid my £8 for 4 hours parking (not that we’d need the 4).
Meandering across the road and onto the cricket field in the centre of Bamburgh and in the shadow of the castle, that’s where we spent an obligatory few minutes letting the doggos do their turdy thing and bagging it up!
We headed across to the Pavilion side and then through a small opening onto the coastal path, but rather than walk along it, we took the path leading to the beach. Deep, soft white sand. Looks lovely, but bloody hell, it’s hard to walk on! My Achilles were screaming at me to stop the stretch.
We crested a grassy dune and saw the beach for the first time. Wow! Just wow! Really open, not too many people and miles and miles of that beautiful sand, a turquoise shoreline shifting to an azure blue sky, all with the backdrop of the magnificent Bamburgh Castle. Stunning!
We could have walked for miles and miles but we were on the clock (not the parking though). So we cut up and over the first big dune and struggled through the sand back towards the Castle Carpark. By the time we got there we were all knackered, as it was tough walking, very hot and also steep in many parts.
If you ever go, learn from my experience – if you can, park in the Castle Carpark park! It’s only £6 for the whole day! Doh!
As much as I would have loved to have a look around the Castle, it just wasn’t going to be worthwhile spending £29/head for what would be an hour, maybe two at a push. One for next time, as we will definitely be coming back to this area again!
So we headed back down to the cricket field and then across towards the village green. Everything was kept so well! There’s a few bob around these parts, that’s for sure!
A few gift shops were visited & a purchase was made, while I researched a nearby pub, The Lord Crewe (looks a bit swanky for us windswept and interesting folk!).
We mooched up the road and then discovered the Bamburgh Walled Garden, a free to visit space for everyone, with a lovely modern cafe.
After sitting a while in a lovely little flower garden space, we headed into the cafe and I had a double espresso, while Mum & Jane had a latte and a cheese scone and an orangina and a sticky toffee muffin respectively.
After a quick toilet stop, Jane had 5 minutes in a normal sized deck chair with the doggos. Nonsense over, we headed back to the van and set off north towards our goal of Lindesfarne.
The route takes you over a level crossing, onto the A1, off the A1 and over another level crossing before heading towards the causeway and Holy Island. We had to wait for two trains to pass by at the level crossing. Just our luck.
Then over the famous causeway and on to the ‘Holy Island of Lindisfarne’. I’m not big on the Holy stuff, but I do like a bit of a National Nature Reserve that’s teaming with flora, fauna, birds & insects, and even a few deer (along with the farmed sheep).
We followed the recommended approach and parked outside of the village (£7 for a few hours) and walked in. We refrained from the icecream, coffee and cake emporia but did visit the National Trust shop & made a few little purchases. I bought 12 blank postcards, made of watercolour paper. Maybe I’ll do some postcards one day! It was more a token purchase, a sideways donation of you will.
“From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached.” — Franz Kafka
We didn’t turn back and pressed on to our second Castle of the day. Not as big, but the 16th-century Lindisfarne Castle is described by the National Trust as a “castle (that’s not a castle), on an island (that’s not an island).”
It’s a small but impressive fort on the top of a rock that was turned into a family home by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1901, and also has a walled garden that’s in a very odd location off away from the Fort.
We did the looped walk, around the north side of the fort, out to the coastline where there’s a sculpture of a Tern.
We then headed back, taking us past the walled garden, which Jane had remembered was planted up by the esteemed horticulturist & garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll, a turn of the Century version of Carole Klein or Monty Don. It’s recently been renovated and is based on her original planting scheme.
Whatever, we liked it.
The doggos (on leads as required) were far more interested in the cheekily brazen sheep, who are clearly used to human and canine visitors.
By now, we were all very hot, very conscious of the heat for the doggos (lots of water breaks in shade and no walking on tarmac unless shaded), and very knackered!
It was a bit of a slog walking all the way back to the van to be honest. My G4 osteoarthritis in my knees, and Jane and I both have bad hips, were definitely suffering. Meanwhile, my near-80 year old wobbly-headed
Mum was breezing along, putting us to shame!
Once in the van, we fed, watered and cooled the doggos down, before setting off over the causeway only to be stopped at both level crossings. Our timing is impeccably poor, it seems!
We headed back towards Seahorses and this time, called for tea at The Old Buoy Inn for our tea. Mum nearly walked into someone’s annex room thinking it was the pub entrance, but otherwise we managed to get a table (albeit for a brief slot) in what was a very popular pub.
Yes! Finally I felt like this was a place worth ordering the mussels! Marinier for me please! Jane had the Mary May Crab Soup (I tried it and it was delicious) with the truffle & Parmesan chips whilst Mum plumped for the Griled Halloumi Bruschetta.
We all loved the food, drinks and service except for the dogs. The kitchen used a doorbell to alert the staff there was something on the pass that needed to be served. It turned out it was the same doorbell noise ours makes and so the dogs went nuts barking every time ‘the doorbell rang’! Shambles!
Sated, we paid up, and headed home and past RAF Boulmer and its Phantom.
Since which…we’ve done a couple of loads of washing. The weather breaks when we get home, so we may as well get it washed on someone else’s ‘leccy and water meter and get it dried in nice weather than when we get home!
Usual setup otherwise – sit, look out of the ever-changing picture window (me), crochet (Jane, not me), read a Kindle (mum, not me). Oh, and we all dipped those crackers into the smoked salmon pate, bought in Craster a couple of days ago.
So that was today! I’ll sit and fall asleep pretending to watch Scotland v Brazil shortly, before actually going to bed.
Much love, take care & be brilliant to others!
x