Day 3 (June 26th) – Embleton to Bamburgh (12 miles)
Day 3 started out a little grey, but after numerous checks of different weather reports, we set out with the hope of seeing the sun for the first time later in the day. As we headed north along the dunes, we remarked that some of the best views are actually north-south, so we turned and took our photos back across Embleton beach to Dunstanburgh, and later from the fields above Low Newton we got some lovely shots of the whole bay. After a walk across a couple of fields and some dunes, we got some nice views of waterbirds around the Long Nanny River, including a cormorant, doing its cormorant wings-out thing (not a shag; I got some nice clear photos that clarified that question).
The guide gave us an option to continue to Beadnell through the caravan park, or via the beach – we opted for the scenic route and headed for the sands, where we saw some walkers and one brave windsurfer despite the coolness of the day. We had planned to stop for a coffee break in Beadnell, but were unable to find a cafe near the seafront (you would think a possibility for someone to make some money there, at least during the summer months, by setting up a little teashop!). So we plodded on without refreshment toward Seahouses, which we finally reached about 45 minutes later, feeling very worn. Phil in particular was not feeling at all well, but he – and the rest of us – livened up immensely after an excellent lunch at The Ship in Seahouses (there are many “Ship” inns in this part of Northumberland, we’ve noticed, and they all seem to have excellent food and beer/cider!). Contributing to the raised spirits was the fact that we were able to enjoy our lunch at the tables outside – the weather was definitely improving!
The day continued to brighten as we headed north out of Seahouses, and the sun broke through properly by the time we reached the beach for the final 3-1/2 mile stretch to Bamburgh. Suddenly the sea revealed itself it actually be BLUE – something we had not experienced before on this walk! We had a fine view first of the Farne Islands offshore, and then the looming mass of Bamburgh Castle to the north. The only trouble with this castle is that it is so massive, and sits so high on its rocky base, that you can see it clearly from very far away – so it seemed for a long time that we were “nearly there” while we still in fact had miles to walk. But finally we clambered over the dunes and around the bulk of the castle to the road below. There we found a Coxon’s ice cream van waiting for us – a very welcome sight, as we were now quite warm from the walk and from the sun! So we enjoyed a relaxed ice cream cone on a welcome bench, before walking the final quarter mile up into Bamburgh village to the car.
