Holiday in Northumberland

This was our fourth visit to Northumberland. We first went in 2005, staying in Newcastle for a short break. This blog was not up and running in those days, but I found some pictures on Google Photos.

We stayed at Greycroft in Alnwick in 2013 and 2017, both recorded here. 

This time our accommodation in Alnwick was The Tack Room at The Coach House. This was the little patio outside that we could have used more if the weather had only been warmer.

It was all open plan, a lounge area, kitchen and bedroom with a separate bathroom.

Arriving at the Coach House and being treated to a welcoming tea and cake was a nice touch. After unpacking, we watched Belgium beat Portugal 1-0 in the last 16 of the Euros. The day had been cloudy all the way on the train, but the sun came out as I arrived for a very pleasant evening as we sat outside in 16C.

Monday was also a nice sunny day. We had a walk around Alnwick prior to meeting up with our friends Chris and Sue at the café outside Alnwick Gardens. Then straight over to Barter Books to meet up with Alison's lady friends  Debbie, Jackie, another Debbie and Claire if I remember. We stayed there for a lovely lunch but the bookshop seemed very disappointing. Nearly all second hand hardback books, at a much higher price than online. 

In the afternoon we had a rest before a stroll down to the park. We picked up something for dinner at the Lidl next door and watched Spain beat Croatia 5-3 in extra time and Switzerland beating France on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Two amazing games. A mostly sunny day and a nice 17C but cool in the shade.

Tuesday started out sunny and so it was by the time we reached Warkworth Castle. 

But it had turned very chilly on the hillside above the coast. We needed three layers and by the time we finished it had clouded over and we were almost frozen from the north easterly wind. However, the castle was very impressive and there were few visitors there. A great guide book from English Heritage which we needed as we explored the castle remains.

You can just see Alison sitting on a low wall in the photo above.

Above is the view towards Amble which was our next port of call after a stroll around Warkworth itself. At Amble we found a lovely cafe, 1911 Coffee Co. A very nice cappuccino and some excellent orange cake. We actually sat in the window on the right.

We tried a walk around the harbour but it was just too cold, so we headed back. We were in plenty of time for the England v Germany quarter final of the European Championships at 5pm. We had booked the Old Boathouse restaurant in Amble for 7.30 so as to avoid the expected penalty shoot out, but that was not needed with England winning 2-0.

It is only now that I have solved the mystery of the Old Boathouse that we did not recognise from our previous visit. It has under gone a multi million pound conversion as seen in the photos below.

Fortunately, the fish and chips is still as good as it was before when I mentioned it was better than Rick Stein's in Padstow. There was a huge portion of cod that was so fluffy and light, and a nice pint of draught Tyneside Blonde from the Hadrian Border Brewery.

Wednesday started cloudy and it was distinctly cold at Druridge Bay. We grabbed a hot coffee before a walk along the beach. I needed to borrow one of Alison's hats.

Back at the house, I changed to go for a run at Hulne Park, I did not remember that it was so hilly, but the last section along the river was lovely.

I picked the red route that was mostly hard tracks and took in the remains of the old priory on the top of the hill.

There were glimpses of the sun at the end of the run and just slightly warmer. But we still needed coats despite the sunshine when we sat outside The Plough where we met our friends Graham and Judith. In the evening Alison had booked for the Di Sopra Italian restaurant in Alnwick.  

I would have liked to have taken the boat trip from Amble around Coquet Island to see the puffins but the tides meant the boats were not sailing until 5pm. And it would probably have been far to cold. Maybe next time.

We decided to break our journey home with a visit to Durham and particularly the cathedral.

The best bit was when we took our tea and cake out to one of the tables in the cloisters where the view is unbeatable.

If only we had that blue sky every day.

The photo at the top is of the wild flowers on the dunes at Druridge Bay. I have forgotten what a lady told me they were.