COAST CHARACTER
This year, Northumberland Coast Ambassador Patrick Norris celebrates the 10th anniversary of his guided walks company Footsteps – and, as ever, he’s looking forward to introducing new visitors to the beauty of this wild shoreline
Patrick Norris, Northumberland
Ifirst fell in love with the Northumberland coast in 1966 when as a boy we came on family holidays here. Paddling and walking on these incredible beaches and rainy afternoons spent in tearooms, watching the waves crash on the shore, made an indelible impression on me. My time in the Royal Navy also gave me an affinity with the sea so when it came to looking for somewhere to start a guided walks business, my wife Louise and I upped sticks from Swindon and relocated here in 2011.
I hold the Hill and Moorland Leader Award and now run a successful walking holiday business, introducing people to the wonders of the Northumberland coastline. I’ve always been keen on history and wildlife and this coast has an abundance of both. There’s something magical about crossing the mud flats to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne – where saints and early Christians walked – when the tide is out and the seals are calling. When you look up at the stone walls of incredible castles such as Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh, perched on the cliffs high above the waves, it’s not an exaggeration to say that history squelches under your feet in the wet sand.
Around three-quarters of the walks we operate each year are along the coast, and even the ones we do inland offer a magical moment as we climb over a hill to see the sea stretching out before us. In our spare time Louise and I walk on the beach with our dogs and scan the sea for puffins or maybe gannets flying to the huge colony over at Bass Rock or search for moths and plants that thrive on the shoreline. I like to think I’m living the dream and the business has won awards recently – the latest is the Silver Award for Experience of the Year given by the North East England Tourism Awards 2020 – but what I really enjoy is sharing this place with people from outside the county. One of my greatest pleasures is when we see a pod of dolphins close to shore and our guests gasp with delight. It makes it all so worthwhile.