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?
A couple of weeks ago I reported on a trip I made to historic Warkworth village in Northumberland with it's impressive 12th century castle. On that occasion, the sun refused to shine and I noticed that many of the daffodils were not quite in bloom. So, I decided to return on a sunnier day and capture the castle and the daffodils in all their splendour.
What a difference two weeks can make.
Here are some of my photos.
When I returned from my Easter break it appeared that Spring might actually have arrived. The sun shone, there were blue skies and the fields were full of new-born lambs that didn't stray too far from their mothers. It seemed that some weekend walking was in order though sadly by then the blue skies had mainly disappeared and were replaced by grey clouds. There was also a biting cold wind. Nevertheless I donned the walking boots and on Friday headed up to the Scottish borders for a 12 mile walk from the historic town of Jedburgh and onto the St Cuthbert's Way to end up in the village of Morebattle.
Not having got the walking bug out of my system, I then spent part of the weekend walking from the Northumbrian fishing village of Amble to nearby Warkworth with it's historic 12th century castle overlooking the River Coquet. Being a sucker for walking and history, I feel very fortunate to have such wonderful areas just a short ride from where I live.
I thought in this post I'd just share with you some of the sights of Warkworth.
Should you be interested, you can find out more about Warkworth Castle here:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warkworth_Castle
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/warkworth-castle-and-hermitage/
