Seahouses, Bamburgh & Holy Island - 22nd Feb ‘25

A gorgeous weather day was forecast and it didn’t disappoint. We were treated to coffee in bed with the glorious sun shining through the bedroom window. 

As we were getting ready to get out, Di noticed the owner of the camper van next door - and his dog. It was only bloody Ernie - again! We would have popped out to say hi but he and his owner seemed very busy getting ready to pack up and leave. 

We timed our leaving to get to Seahouses for lunch from my favourite fish and chip shop - Neptunes. We took advantage of the one hour free parking and ate our haddock and chips overlooking the sleepy harbour. A quick walk around the town and then forced an ice cream down on the way back to the car park. 

Our main destination of the day was the beach and town of Bamburgh. I had spent all week trying to teach Di how to say Bamburgh. She had been saying Bamber (as in Mr Gascoigne, the 70’s University Challenge host) all week and my tip of it being spelt and pronounced the same as Edinburgh only had a limited effect!

We parked at a spot Di had parked up with her camper van a few years earlier. It was up by the golf club and avoided paying any parking charges - yippee. We then had a wonderful walk along the gorgeous beach. The sun was out and the wind had dropped. I don’t know who of the 3 of us enjoyed it most? I also managed to join Tilly for a paddle - gee it was cold!!

We headed up to the town passing by the entrance to the castle. Unlike Dunstanburgh and Alnwick, this one was open. But at £18.75 and no dogs allowed in the actual castle, we decided that Baron Armstrong could do without our money and we’d go and spend it in the pub!

That said, we both had a soft drink in The Lord Crewe Arms on the pretty High Street with a lovely view of the incredibly imposing castle! Then a walk along the coastal road and beach back to the golf club and the car.

After checking the tide tables, it seemed rude not to head off to Holy Island for a quick walk / drink. We arrived in the car park at the edge of the village at 5.15. So the walk around the village, bay and priory was done in the gloamin. 

Of course we ended up at another dog friendly pub - Manor House Hotel. This time we did partake in alcohol - well it was well past 5 o’clock! And talking of dog friendly … we headed home to the Dunstunburgh Castle Hotel in our village (Embleton) for dinner. The steak I had was magnificent but the setting was even better. We were in the dog friendly lounge. Including our table, there were 5 couples and a guy all with at least one dog each sitting peacefully under their respective tables. Tilly was impeccably behaved. Although to be fair, she was absolutely knackered. 

It’s been lovely finding dog friendly places to eat. It’s not something I would have always bothered with - especially with Benny in tow - but Di is such a dog lover and would rather leave me in the car than leave Tilly alone while we eat!

More Sopranos and a decision made to not think about packing until tomorrow morning. We are aiming to leave at 10.30 to get home (via Melbourne) for 5.30. 

What a lovely holiday. Di is a great travelling companion and was right at home with 2 of the other girls in my life - Matilda and Brunnehilda.

Although Northumberland is not an area I went to with Kim, it was so nice to make new memories with Di whilst regularly thinking back to happy memories travelling with Kim.

I left 4 days ago wondering whether this might be one of Brunnehilda’s final trips. I’m travelling home looking forward to our next trip out in my Teutonic home on wheels. Both Di and I are very fond of Suffolk so maybe Brunnehilda will travel East next time?

Dunstanburgh Castle & Alnwick - 21st Feb ‘25

Yep, they were right about the wind. It got stronger and gustier during the morning / afternoon and then suddenly dropped completely at tea time. Thankfully the drizzle was only occasional and didn’t really stop us doing anything.

We decided to give Tilly (and ourselves!) a bracing beach walk early on. So we headed in the car to the nearby Dunstan Steads. We were on the beach in 2 minutes. Tilly was once again in her element and Di and I walked hand in hand against a howling southerly wind - it was like being in a giant sand blaster - but strangely enjoyable! Indeed holding hands with someone on a beach is something that brought back lots of lovely memories of Kim and something I am so thankful to be doing again with another special person (and no, I don’t mean that sort of “special”!). I always hoped one day I would and I know Kim would be happy for me. I’m certainly happy for me. I know Di is too!? Although, I think if Tilly could hold hands I might have had a bit of competition!! 

The wind died down a bit as we climbed up over the dunes and on towards Dunstanburgh Castle. The dramatic ruins at the top of the cliff against the background of an angry sea is so evocative. We climbed up the incline towards the entrance. It opens for the season tomorrow! No problem though as we weren’t planning to go in - too many sheer drops which is not good when you have a crazy collie in tow!

We admired the beautiful views over to Craster. Thought for a nano second about walking there and then headed for the calm of the car via the dunes / golf course / beach.

Back to Brunnehilda for a wee and then off to Alnwick - the perfect place on a windy drizzly afternoon. The Castle was shut for the winter so our collective minds went straight to food. A friend had recommended “Dirty Bottles” but when we got in and viewed the menu Di thought it felt a bit “chainy” - she was right! So we walked right out. A couple of doors up and Di was looking at the menu of a little cafe down a small and quant back alleyway - called Strawberry Lounge. A customer on his way out spoke to her and said that we really needed to get in there as the food was amazing and cheap! 

We went it and guess what - he was right. All homemade stuff. Di had a cheese toastie and the best chicken soup she’d ever had while I chose a rather wonderful cheese pie (and some beetroot soup). The owners were lovely and insisted on feeding Tilly some left over ham as we were leaving. What a place / find. It turned out, that according t’internet (referenced later) it was the best cafe in the town scoring 5 out of 5 with 499 reviews!

The rather large owner (who looked a bit like a cross between a 1970’s British pro wrestler and a Hells Angel) looked a bit concerned when i ordered. I think he expected that we had over ordered. He was right but not by as much as he thought!

Here again, I remembered the many lovely cafes Kim and I had found on our previous Brunnehilda travels and how wonderful it was to find another one with Di.

Feeling very stuffed, we walked through the town popping into a few shops that interested us. On the way out we popped into the amazing Barters Books. A huge second hand book shop set in an old Victorian station - including a miniature train running around the ceiling!

Retailed out we headed home. Although we fancied a drink before finally retiring. So we headed for the lovely hotel / restaurant in our village- The Dunstanburgh Castle Hotel. The staff and locals were great and it was very dog friendly. There was a quiz about to start but we felt the call of The Sopranos louder than the call of getting an intellectual stuffing from a load of Geordies?

So we were settled down with snacks and the Sopranos box set for the night. Considering the wind and the grey skies, it had been another splendid day.

Embleton Bay & an Afternoon Tour - 20th Feb ‘25

I know they get a “bad wrap” but weather forecasters tend to get it right - especially over the next 2 or 3 days. So, this weeks forecast has mixed news. Ok today (grey but no rain), very windy and drizzly tomorrow and a glorious sunny day the next. The temperature had certainly perked up too - into double figures! So, the plan was hatched for the next 3 days.

A lovely lie in until gone 10! This is such a treat in Brunnehilda’s big comfy bed drinking coffee and catching up on the news. Di reads the Mail and I peruse the online i newspaper. For holiday harmony we tend not to discuss the news element too much and just stick to the trivia, gossip and the puzzles. That said, Di sometimes feels the need to read out the Mails’s reasoned and rational opinion on things. This is the one time I do value my hearing disability!!

As there was no rain forecasted, we decided to leave the car at home and walk. I was excited to take Di on my favourite walk across the fields, over the golf course, onto the Coastal Path and then onto the beautiful little village of Low Newton by the Sea. 

It was a lovely walk taking about 45 minutes. It was a bit muddy but thankfully I had my walking stick. With all her exercise classes, Di has a stronger core than me so is better on her feet. Note to self  - get yourself fitter! I had checked the wonderful Ship Inn was open and serving food - it was.

We sat outside looking over the sea and ate fresh crab sandwiches and kippers. Goodness, they were good! This pub not only prides itself on the locally caught fresh fish but also brews its own beer. With its position right on the beach, it’s hard to think of a better place to spend an hour or so!?It was quite busy with lots of young families and dog walkers. Including Ernie (and his owner) from last night! We said “hi” and suggested they were following us from pub to pub!! 

Tilly was well fed on scraps of the kipper and dog treats but was desperate to get back in the water. We walked south along Embleton Bay beach. The weather was due to get worse so we decided not to walk all the way to Dunstanburgh Castle but get off at the nature reserve (about half way) and walk up to the golf club clubhouse and then up through the village and onto the caravan site. Tilly loved her walk - chasing in and out of the water yapping at non-existent sea birds. 

The walk was about 5 miles and we were sufficiently knackered to be concerned that going back to the caravan and a cuppa might mean a lack of motivation to get out again! So, we gave Tilly a drink and went straight out in the car.

I wanted to give Di a bit of a tour around and she was up for a car trip. We headed off to Craster, then to Boulmer, then to Alnmouth and finally onto Warkworth.

We parked at the foot of the impressive Warkworth Castle and hobbled into the Sun Hotel for a very pleasant cappuccino. The barman was a bit grumpy (although Di pointed out that this was partly caused by my deafness being mistaken for stupidity!) and a fellow drinker having a very loud phone conversation about a forth coming funeral. By the look on the face of his poor long suffering partner, she was just as pissed off with him as I was!

We headed home as it was getting dark  -although at this stage we were hungry again! We decided to try a pub I’d found on one of my first visits - The Joiners Arms at High Newton by the sea (yes, just above where we had lunched!). It had a good reputation which is why we struggled to park in the village and then failed to get a table. They were fully booked (in the dog friendly area) for the next 2 evenings too.

Muttering under our breath about “bloody tourists” we headed up the coast to find a replacement eatery. After a bit of help from Google Maps and my erratic memory, we made our way to The Landing at Beadnell Bay. Luckily they allowed dogs into the “tented” part of the restaurant. Tent doesn’t really do it justice as it felt very warm and luxurious with blankets on the seats and gas heaters roaring away.

I had a splendid fish pie and Di had an incredibly tasty steak. Although our eyes watered when they said a glass of white wine was a tenner!!

Back home to Brunnehilda to finish the Cohen Brothers film and then watch Season 1 Episode 1 of The Sopranos. Di hadn’t watched it before and you really shouldn’t get to our age without watching one of the finest pieces of TV drama ever made. I was happy to watch it all again - just as she was with me and helped me complete the gap in my viewing experience by introducing me to the wonderful Peaky Blinders a couple of months ago.

There seems to be high wind warnings for tomorrow so we might have to leave our hats at home in Brunnehilda!!

Northumberland Again - 19th Feb ‘25

Only the 3rd Brunnehilda trip in the last 12 months - and all to Northumberland!

This one was a special one - for lots of reasons! As mentioned at the end of the last trip - after a wonderful summer break with my fabulous grandsons - this was my first Brunnehilda trip with Di. Although that’s not strictly true as we did get a short weekend at Carsington Water (Derbyshire) where Brunnehilda provided the overnight accom for a friend’s 60th birthday party. 

Obviously, as usual at this stage, lots of thoughts of Kim as I hitched up Brunnehilda. I was on the road at about 10.30. My very speedy set up was facilitated by a visit the previous afternoon with the twins to get her ready. Although I wished I’d had the gumption to wash her - she looks incredibly grubby and “unloved”.

I parked in the lay-by by Di’s house just outside Melbourne. She drove a very full car up and emptied the contents into my car. She’s getting better, but I learnt from a smashing week away to a cottage in Wales in the summer, that Di doesn't do “travelling light”!!?

It was an uneventful journey up. The weather was grey, we stopped for a Pret at Wetherby and we stopped to refuel on the A1 at Darlington. We arrived at Embleton Bay Caravan Site (my usual) at about 5. Just in time to do a very quick set up - it’s amazing how quicker it is with 2 - and then down to the beach in the glomin’

Embleton Bay beach at Dunstan Steads was as beautiful as ever - even in the half dark. Tilly enjoyed her first swim and we carefully walked back along the dunes. 

We were hungry so it seemed rude not to pop into the lovely local pub - The Greys Inn. Di refuses (rightly) to eat anywhere that Tilly can’t join us - so she did. I have to say though, that wasn’t an easy option when Ben was still around - bless him. She was wonderfully behaved (Tilly not Di!), including a successful meeting with a lovely collie cross called Ernie.

The football was on the TV so, with a spot of Di’s (and mine if I’m honest!) favourite sport of people watching, we had a nice night. Although Di chose wrong and didn’t enjoy her meal quite as much - they also rather cheekily swapped fries for sweet potatoes fries!

Back home to Brunnehilda and watching the first half of Burn After Reading. Di hasn’t seen any Cohen Brothers films, so I thought this was a good one to start her education with. I thought the combination of George Clooney and Brad Pitt might give her an enjoyable introduction - and it did. 

So, a nice first day / albeit mostly in the car. A trip in Brunnehilda with someone else was something I was looking forward to but with some anxiety mixed in with the excitement. This is true for Di as well as she has “memories” of travelling in a campervan that will bring mixed memories back to her. But we both agree that you have to embrace the old memories in order for you to make new ones. 

Low Newton & Holy Island - 16th Aug ‘24

Another perfect weather day - about 18 degrees and high cloud giving about 80% sun / 20% shade. 

Another lie in until 9.30. The plan was to go to Holy Island / Lindisfarne but by the time I checked the tide times on-line we were going to struggle to get to the causeway before it shut at 11.10. The teenager in the group was certainly not up for a rushed start to the day!

So, we had a leisurely start following the exact same routine as the previous 2 mornings. There is a lot to be said for routine/ process when you are sharing a small 3 berth caravan with 3 grandchildren!!

We had 3 or 4 hours to kill while we waited for the causeway to re-open at 3pm. We decided to leave the car at home and take a walk from the site over the fields to the Low Newton by the Sea and the pub on the beach.

Finn lead the way on the 2 mile hike down onto the coastal path and then along to the beautiful Ship Inn. We grabbed a snack and a drink as we played Room 101 - the Twinnies and Charlie have quite an eclectic selection of things they really don’t like and would like to banish to Room 101!!?

The sun was still shining so we walked the 25 yards to the beach. I got another swim in while the Twinnies played football. I stupidly thought the tide was going out so I left my tea shirt by the water line. It must have been coming in as, while I was in swimming, it got soaked! Meaning I had to walk back to Brunnehilda in a soaking wet tea shirt! The North Sea was still blimin’ cold but I’m sure it was a little warmer than Wednesday. It was very calm as well - like a mill pond!

As soon as we got back to the van (about a 40 minute walk) we jumped in the car and headed up the A1 to Holy Island - or as Harry kept calling it, Holly Island!

There was loads of space in the car park as loads of folks had been waiting for the causeway to reopen to get back to the mainland. We walked through the car free streets of the village and along the long path to the Castle. It would have been rude to have passed the ice cream van without purchasing one - so we didn’t!

Lindisfarne Castle did not dissapoint - wow! I’d been there so many times but always had the dog(s) so had never been inside. It’s a Tudor Castle remodelled in 1900 by Luychens into an impressive and totally unique family home and OMG, what a place. Such a wonderful atmosphere and the guides were all fantastic. A proper NT property- nearly as good as Canons Ashby!!

We tackled the long walk back to the car park after a brief rest up on the headland at the foot of the castle.

Charlie was desperate for some more fish and chips so we went home via Neptunes at Seahouses. And they were truly magnificent - again!

We took them back to Brunnehilda and ate them on the grass. The boys then played football before we played a few games whilst listening to the Man Utd commentary. They went to bed happy - their beloved Man U won 1-0! 

Early start for home in the morning. I would like to get on the road for 8! The Nintendo Switches and iPhones are all fully charged up and ready for the journey. How did we manage 6 hour journeys with kids before electronic devices??? That said, we won’t be leaving too early - Charlie is insisting on his shower first thing while the rest of his 3 travelling companions are now onto their 4th day without undertaking this particular activity!

The Twinnies and Charlie have been immaculately behaved from start to finish. No agro, no dissent and very little arguments. 

So ends another wonderful trip to one of my favourite places on Earth - the Northumberland coast - with my most favourite people on Earth. I’ve already booked the next one - in October, just a bit more than 2 months away.

Hopefully this will be a happy and important milestone for me - as I won’t be on my own! And I don’t mean grandsons or Tilly! As a lot of folks will already know … I’ve been “seeing” someone for the last 3 months and I’m really excited about sharing my love of this beautiful part of the world with her. 

Alnwick Castle - 15th Aug ‘24

After a glorious weather day yesterday we paid the price today. Raining all morning, grey and cool all afternoon and then a beautiful sunny evening from about 6pm. 

We chilled in Brunnehilda for a couple of hours late afternoon/ early evening before the sun drew us out to the local beach - Dunstan Steads - for a game of foot golf. To avoid any Twinnie incidents we played doubles! I’m turning over a new leaf - no, I’m not letting my grandsons beat me but I am resisting gloating / boasting about my glorious victories!! 😉

At 7.30 pm it was as warm as it’s been all day. The forecast bodes well for a good day tomorrow. 

The rain this morning meant we had a very leisurely and relaxed am. We lied in until well gone 10 - the result of another late night blogging / watching DVDs. The teenage shower went well (again!). Charlie and I had eggs and bacon the boys had cereal / toast. Charlie is like his Grandma, he likes his bacon crispy and black with all the meat flavour burnt out of it!!

By 1.30 we were parking up in Alnwick Castle car park. The lousy weather had driven all the tourists from the beach / coastline, in land to the quant town of Alnwick and its impressive castle. It was very busy and we were lucky to get a car parking place!

The Twinnies were a little disappointed. Someone had told them that the Harry Potter films were shot here. Well they were, but only a couple of specific (Quidditch based) scenes. 

We had a good look round. It’s all very grand / pompous compared to my beautiful Canons Ashby. Finners and I went on the children friendly guided tour - it was very good. Harry and Charlie didn’t want to partake (probably a little too grown up to partake?!). 

We had some chips and churros (now there’s a healthy balanced diet?!) from the cafe before heading back to the car. We then spent a bit of time looking round Alnwick for DVDs and a newly launched football sticker album. We were unsuccessful with both!

Pizza and Lasagne, courtesy of Mr Sainsbury, for tea and then more DVD and blogging to end the day. 

I kid myself that I manage the grandkids better now than I did before. Of course I miss doubling up with Kim on the duties and the fun but I actually don’t think it’s that I’m getting better on my own, rather that they’re getting older and easier to herd / manage / persuade.

I’ve missed Kim loads today. Spending holiday time with the boys always does that but then factor in the rubbish weather, which gives much more time for thinking and reflecting ….. 

Bamburgh - 14th Aug ‘24

I realised today that a day in Northumberland with the Twinnies (and Charlie) is very different to a day with Tilly the dog!!

No debate with Tilly about what to do - although to be fair, the boys accepted the suggested days activities without a hint of decent!

After breakfast we headed out to Seahouses. After filling up with petrol we parked on the sea road, just outside the village, and walked over the dunes to the beach. 

Another difference was noticeable here - Tilly and I would have enjoyed a 3 mile walk along the beautiful beach to Bamburgh. The boys weren’t up for that but wanted to spend some time messing about on the sand / dunes before getting in the car and driving to Bamburgh.

Charlie went on his phone, the Twinnies chased around in the sea and on the sand and I went in for a swim.

Gee, I forgot how cold the North Sea is. Normally when you get in you get acclimatised relatively quickly and your body warms up. Not in the North Sea, I remained freezing for the whole 10 mins I was in!

The beach was busier than I’d seen it before but still very sparsely populated considering it was a sunny day in the middle of the school holidays. 

After the 45 mins on the beach, we drove on to the car park just outside Bamburgh. It was quite a long walk over the dunes and then a short walk along the beach before the climb back over the dunes and upto the castle entrance. 

We paid our entry and had a lovely couple of hours. Walking round the site, playing games on the grass, visiting the cafe and then a tour of the inside of the castle.

Another difference - dogs weren’t allowed into the castle. A visit to the cafe is less stressful with Tilly though. Harry wanted a ham sandwich. We got a round of ham and mustard. After I spent 10 mins scraping every grain of mustard off the sandwich, Harry refused to eat it saying he could still smell the mustard on the ham!!!

The visit was great fun though leaving us with another trek over the dunes to get back to the car park. Then onto Seahouses to buy fish and chips from my fave restaurant-The Neptune. 

It didn’t disappoint. We took the grub home to Brunnehilda and ate it alfresco on the grass. Gee it was good - 4 very empty / clean plates.

After a bit of a rest we headed to our local beach at Dunstan Steads for a game of football golf. After that we went back to Brunnehilda for a games tournament - Cluster / Penalty Shoot Out / Sevens / Itchy Feet. Now what sort of grandad would I be if I won both the beach golf and the tournament? What sort of monster would beat his 3 grandsons and then boast about it in a blog? Well, I bloody well did - and enjoyed every moment!

The other main difference between Twinnies and Tilly are the questions! Not too many from Tilly but so so many from the 9 year olds. A lot of them very obscure and left field! Being deaf (as I am) you try and predict questions - that’s not something you can do with Twinnies as they don’t seem to follow any sort of logical thinking and can be as random as they are obscure!

The good news - the teenage shower went well. Charlie managed on the 3 minutes of hot water with no complaints. He also cooked himself some egg and bacon for breakfast - very impressed.

Less so with the Twinnies! I decided, being that they are nearly 10 years old, it was time they learnt to butter their own bloody toast. 25 years ad a trainer didn’t equip me for this challenge!! After a lot of watch and try, they did eventually butter and jam/ Bovril their toast - although they did go through half a slab of butter!

Another DVD after games night. It’s going to rain tomorrow!