Hauxley to Amble Circular Walk

The Northumberland coast is wonderful to visit at any time of year but when the weather is dry and sunny and there is no wind to speak of, it is a particular treat. I know the coast and country between the small fishing town of Amble and historic Warkworth and have walked there many times, indeed I have made mention of Warkworth in some of my previous posts. However, I have never begun a walk in Hauxley which lies 3 miles south of Amble, so this was something new to me.

The starting point was the Hauxley Nature Reserve which was at one time an open cast coal mine. Now there is no evidence of the industrial past as a lake, islands and reedbeds have been created to attract a host of birds and other wildlife. There are several strategically placed hides for bird watchers and the site offers some wonderful views across the nearby Druridge Bay.












Our walk took us around the edge of the lake and down onto the beach where we turned north to begin our walk towards Amble.

From the beach we gained splendid views of Coquet Island which lies only three quarters of a mile (1.2 kilometres) off the coast and conseqently appeared to us to be almost in touching distance. The island is owned by the Duke of Northumberland and is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds because of the colonies of sea birds that nest there. Among them are almost 20,000 pairs of puffins.

The island also has the remains of a medieval monastery and a 19th century lighthouse the first keeper of which was William Darling the elder brother of the famous Grace Darling.

(If you do not know the story of Grace Darling, you can read about her at this website: http://www.gracedarling.co.uk/)

We entered Amble from the south and as usual found the smell of local fish and chips quite enticing but we all managed to resist the temptation and stuck with our packed lunches. 













From the pier we had good views across the estuary of the River Coquet towards the magnificent Warkworth Castle but on this occasion, Warkworth was not to be our destination as we turned back south and wandered through beautiful countryside back to our starting point.






























Yet another very enjoyable walk in Northumberland and with splendid views, fresh air, good weather and great company, what could there possibly be not to like?