DISCOVER NORTHUMBERLAND

Shimmering sandy bays, sheltered dunes and superb seafood are all to be found along the spectacular Northumberland Coast Path, where hikers go to revel in the spacious, peaceful surroundings of the unspoilt shoreline

Graeme Green tackles this spectacular county’s coastal path

Squadrons of barnacle geese fly overhead, noisy V formations making their way across an autumnal blue sky. A falcon hovers above dunes thick with marram grass, watching for any unfortunate prey to make a move. Further along the sand, a spindly grey heron beats its wings and takes off along the coast. From cormorants to curlews, birds have been our constant companions on our Northumberland Coast Path hike, far outnumbering people. Throughout history, people have tried to conquer this region, as demonstrated by the many castles along the coast. And, for long sections of the route – like vast Cheswick Sands – with a soundscape of crashing waves and birdsong, it still feels like a place that belongs to the wild.

The Northumberland Coast Path runs for 63 miles from Cresswell to BerwickUpon-Tweed, close to the Scottish border, and covers the full length of the Northumberland Coast AONB. It’s one of the UK’s most remarkable and beautiful stretches of coastline, with castles, harbours and villages breaking up natural landscapes of beaches, coves, dunes and ragged rocky

‘FOR LONG SECTIONS OF THE ROUTE, WITH A SOUNDSCAPE OF CRASHING WAVES AND BIRDSONG, IT STILL FEELS LIKE A PLACE THAT BELONGS TO THE WILD’

headlands. We get our boots sandy for the first time on blustery Cresswell Beach at the southern end of eight-mile long Druridge Bay, as our beach-loving ‘action-dog’, Koko, celebrates the start of our trip with a cooling swim. Walking north, one long curve of white sand gives way to another.

POTTERING TO AMBLE

Staying overnight in Amble, we fuel up for the days ahead at The Old Boathouse on the harbourside. ‘Northumberland is stunning,’ owner Martin Charlton tells us, as a heaped Seafood Platter, including a North Shields dressed crab, a whole lobster and hot smoked salmon, is served. ‘The hiking’s out of this world. There’s more coast and more castles than I know of anywhere else in the UK. A lot of it’s very unexplored for people. But once they come here, they always come back.’

Early next morning, we set off along the Coquet Estuary, blue skies reflected in glassy water where eider ducks, oystercatchers, cormorants and redshanks are resting. It takes 10 seconds for the first castle sighting, medieval Warkworth Castle silhouetted on the hilltop ahead. Cutting through pretty Warkworth village, we make our way along Warkworth Beach, Coquet Island, an RSPB nature reserve, visible out in the glimmering ocean. A thin layer of water across the sand produces a mirror effect with cloud formations. It’s an incredible morning and a promising start to the trip, the peace only broken once, by two RAF Chinooks on manoeuvres over the dunes.

An uncrossable estuary means an inland detour to reach the colourful houses of Alnmouth. The walk is a reminder of just how varied and constantly changing the UK coast is, from Alnmouth beach, popular with day-trippers and dogwalkers, to lengths of sand and cliff-top trails where we can’t see any other people in either direction. As we progress, the beaches shift from white sand to pebbles and slippery boulders, some strewn with golden ribbons of kelp, others with black sun-dried seaweed. Each turn around a ‘corner’ brings a new sight, from metal sculptures of a seagull and an owl on a farmer’s fence posts to secluded Sugar Sands’ orange-hued beach and on to rock pools and colossal sloping shelves of rock.

KIPPERS AND CASTLES

We set out from Craster the next morning, but not without picking up some lunch: famous Craster kippers and hot smoked salmon from L Robson & Sons, a Northumberland institution which still smokes its fish in the traditional way it’s been done since

1856. ‘The kippers taste better because there’s more intensive smoke,’ explains Neil Robson, who’s keeping the family tradition going. I ask, other than seafood, what makes Northumberland’s coast special. ‘It’s the landscapes that draw people here. People don’t come here for the shopping, that’s for sure,’

Neil laughs.

From Craster’s little harbour, we hike to the craggy ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, which looks like a set from Macbeth or The Lord Of The Rings, giving the busy section of coast a fantastical feel. Beyond the castle, the numbers of people drop off, the afternoon’s hike taking in two long crescent moon-shaped bays, Embleton Bay and Beadnell Bay, framed by grassy dunes. That night we stay in Seahouses, a classic British seaside town of fish and chip shops and amusement arcades. In the evening, from the lawns of The Bamburgh Castle Inn, we see the vibrant arc of a rainbow form in the purpled skies over the boats in North

Sunderland Harbour.

Through bitingly cold wind, we continue our walk up the coast to magnificent Bamburgh Castle, a hulking presence 150 feet above the North Sea. Dating back more than 1,400 years, the castle’s been a defensive fortress and home to leaders from Anglo-Saxon Ida the Flamebearer in the 6th century to Henry VI in the 1400s. Cannons on the ramparts are aimed towards the treacherous, shipwrecking Farne Islands, known today for seals and nesting puffins. Inside, Bamburgh feels like a proper castle with swords arranged over enormous fireplaces and rooms filled with armour, weapons, faded tapestries and treasures such as jewellery, china, grandfather clocks… ‘You see so many castles along this incredible coastline,’ says Claire Thorburn, whose family owns Bamburgh Castle. ‘Each castle’s so different, but Bamburgh stops me in my tracks every time. Its astonishing history is matched only by the dramatic views of the coast. Just this morning, we watched dolphins leaping from the sea beneath the battlements.’

A BAY TO REMEMBER

We deviate from the official route next morning to explore the wide-open space of Budle Bay, recommended by a local as one of Northumberland’s finest beaches. Here, the landscape changes from second to second, as massive clouds race across the sky, sunlight and shadow turning the sand white and grey and copper. The official trail cuts inland to Belford and on through farmland and forests. However (partly due to limited accommodation options due to the coronavirus crisis), we stay overnight at Beal and take the opportunity next

day to visit Lindisfarne or Holy Island, a famous Christian pilgrimage site. Timing our crossing carefully to avoid being cut off by the tide, we make our way across the causeway to explore Lindisfarne village, St Mary’s Church and the (closed) Lindisfarne Castle, the going made tough by brutal wind and sideways rain. From Holy Island Harbour, we look across to the Old Law Beacons on a spit of sand, tall triangular structures that look like they were left by aliens as markers on the desolate landscape.

The storm (temporarily) subsided by morning, we follow the path through warm meadows and grassy fields, sparrows singing from the hedges, and make our way along Cheswick Sands. The trail climbs up on high cliffs by the afternoon. Far off in the distance, through a haze of sea spray, we can see the faint outline of Berwick Lighthouse, urging us on as the weather turns apocalyptic. Rain falls, wind pounds, and giant waves roll in, the ocean frothing like ale around jagged black rocks. We hurry along the promenade and cross the silvery waters of the River Tweed to reach Berwick-Upon-Tweed, the northernmost town in England – just two and a half miles from the Scottish border – and our final hotel, weather-beaten and ready to rest.

After a mellower day walking the town’s old defensive walls and a stroll upriver to what remains of Berwick Castle, we mark the end of our trip with a memorable meal at fine dining restaurant Audela, with cheese and leek soufflé, excellently cooked cod with mashed potato, smoked Jerusalem artichoke and wild mushroom, and a good bottle of red. ‘Most weeks, we have walkers or cyclists here who’ve completed the coastal path or picked it up part way through. They all love it,’ says Craig Pearson, Audela’s head chef and coowner. ‘Living and working in Berwick, it’s easy to take our surroundings for granted. It sometimes takes the enthusiasm of visitors to remind us of the beauty of the Northumberland coast.’