BEADNELL and beyond

Approach the northernmost reaches of Northumberland and the beaches get broader and the castles more dramatic, but as Nigel and Kay Hutson find, there are still no animals on Linda's Farm!

- Nigel and Kay Hutson

Looking through our diaries a while ago, Kay and I found we had a few days that weren’t booked up. The way that things have been recently, that was pretty much miraculous. We immediately decided to set those days aside to enjoy a trip away, but then of course, it was the eternal question, ‘“Where shall we go?”

It had been quite some time since we last visited Northumberland, and while it’s a little bit more than a stone’s throw away from where we live, that’s where we settled on as our destination.

The campsite we chose was Beadnell Bay Camping and Caravanning Club Site, which is on the outskirts of the coastal village of Beadnell, nicely located for visiting lots of places in the area if time permits.

A few years ago (I’m slightly ashamed to admit!) we stayed in a holiday cottage in Beadnell and often walked or drove past the campsite, promising ourselves that one day… well, here was our opportunity.

Sea views at Seahouses

The day that we travelled on couldn’t have been better weatherwise, and we were soon set up and relaxing in the sunshine. The site is right across the coast road from the sea, so our evening’s exertions were just that, a walk across the road to see the sea!

The following morning, we fancied walking the couple of miles or so to nearby Seahouses. Although it’s a longer walk because of the terrain, the outward leg took us along the coastal trail, which gave us lovely views of the sea and the Farne Islands just off the coast as we made our way along. We returned via the more direct route, on the pavement at the side of the road.

Reaching Seahouses, our first stop was for coffee (and a bacon sandwich!) at the Bamburgh Castle Inn. As it was such a lovely day, we sat outside on the terrace, overlooking the bustling harbour below.