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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3072 |
6th July 2017 Hiking - Walking: Bamburgh, Seahouses and Craster Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: Rainy start then sunny periods :) Max Speed: Distance Covered: Thursday 6th July – Walks ***** Bamburgh, Seahouses and Craster – Rainy start then sunny periods :) Good night in Goswick Golf Club carpark but woke to the pitter patter of rain on the van roof yet again! That’s 8 from 18 days when we have had at least some rain, depressing really such wonderful scenery such crap weather – it just doesn’t rain like this in Suffolk! It was a struggle not to get on the A1 and drive home but decided to complete our trip down memory lane, driving to the stunning Bamburgh beach with its magnificent castle. It was a bitter sweet day as we visited the places we came to when our boys were 9 and 6 – 20 years ago - when we had a lovely cottage in Craster with Mag’s Mum and Dad – the lovely George and Mabel still very much missed :( The rain was still falling but we braved a walk on Bamburgh Beach after finding somewhere to park without a height restriction but it still had a no overnight sleeping sign, very popular at most seaside towns :( Then we found the butcher where 20 years ago we bought delicious sausage rolls and got four more today for only £2.60, a bargain, it was R. Carters & Son est.1887 and apparently one of Rick Stein’s food hero’s! It was then a short drive to Seahouses where Mag and I with Robert and Daniel plus Mabel – George declined the offer as he didn’t like boats – took a small boat over to the Farne Islands to see the seals and birds. Today things hadn’t changed in the slightest and it was heaving with boat load after boat load of tourists headed out to the Islands just as the sun made a welcome appearance:) We were having a nice chat on the quayside with a couple on holiday discussing an email we had had from Ernie this morning saying we had won on Mag’s Premium Bonds, so we might be millionaires when a gull crapped on Mags head, our first thought was with luck like that we need to buy a lottery ticket quick! Next stop down memory lane was Craster, stopping at a large carpark at the top of the tiny fishing village for £2 a day and it was packed! Our plan was to find the cottage we stayed in and then walk to Dunstanburgh Castle, the last major walk Mabel did before she sadly passed away:( With a salad packed to go with our sausage rolls we left the van at one and soon found the holiday cottage which holds such fond memories although half of it looked very sad and run down :( Then it was down to the harbour past the fish smoke house with smoke rising from the chimney and out onto the pier with its lobster pots, fishing boats and flowery cottages – you only had to close your eyes and we were back 20 years, cagouls on against the rain playing amongst the lobster pots with Mabel on the wooden bench while George watched on from the wall near the pub. We were taking a selfie pic on Mabel’s bench and got speaking to a couple from Ely, we have met so many people from East Anglia, small world! The huge ruin that is Dunstanburgh Castle looked so close along the coast but it is in fact one and a quarter miles away! It is an easy walk along a grassy path with the sheep and then cows which blocked the path as they walked down onto the rocks right near the sea to eat the seaweed and lick the salty rocks. The path was busy as lots of people are on holiday especially now that the Scottish schools have broken up for their summer holiday! Hungry now we stopped just short of the castle at 2.10 for our top picnic before walking over to the castle gate to take a pic of us sitting on a rock just outside the large tower, the very spot Mabel sat to recover all those years ago! We hadn’t intended to go in so carried on past the castle to see a side we have never seen before and impressive it was too as the castle is built on top of a large sea cliff with loads of seabirds, stunning with the sun on it! We continued past yet another golf course to another Caribbean style beach that is Embleton Bay. We relaxed and dozed in the warm sunshine in the corner of the bay with its golden sands and crystal-clear water, I even went for a quick paddle but the water was very cold! Then with sand between our toes we headed back covering over 5 miles and out 4 hours – some beautiful places revisited :) We wanted to find somewhere quick to stop overnight as a cream tea in the van was calling and were lucky to find a small coast road towards Howick finding a small lay-by right on the cliff with great sea views and Fulmers flying past – perfect:) Rob had been trying to ring with news of the lovely Arlo George so while I had an explore, trying to take pics of Fulmers flying, then going down onto the rocky beach to get really close to loads of nesting kittiwakes, while Mag spoke to Rob. She then checked our Premium Bonds and sadly we are not millionaires and the princely sum of £25 has been paid into our account! We had a linnet join us for tea, then a surfer went for a paddle even though there was not a wave in sight and a man put two lobster pots into the sea from the beach as the tide came in! Hope for a good night by ourselves in the middle of nowhere with just the sound of the sea. Will we get more rain tomorrow – we hope not! Photo Gallery here |
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