The four busketeers

 The Four Busketeers. August 2nd

A few weeks ago our planned walk from Beadnell to Seahouses Farm was scrapped. Either we were too late for the bus or it didn't  turn up. Today we are trying again. Park at Seahouses Farm, a couple of miles south of Craster, walk a quarter of a mile to Howick hamlet and hope the 418 arrives.

The maps for the walk are: OS Explorer  340 Holy Island and OS Explorer 332  Alnwick but as most of the journey is on the Charles III Coast Path/England Coast Path they are not necessary.

The four busketeeers are Brian, harry, John H and me, first all male walk for some time.

          Not a winner. Parking at Seahouses, not even the start of the walk. Two large camper vans, full of French people escaping the Olympics.

                     The 418 arrived on time. Several other walkers on board.

The bus took us to Beadnell, we stopped outside St. Ebba's church and went straight to the cafe opposite for breakfast. (Saltwater cafe, highly recommended.)

                      St Ebba's. She was an abbess at St. Abbs in Scotland and had a place at Ebchester in Northumberland too. The church is 18th century.

And then we were off, walking through houses behind the cafe to the caravan park and onto the beach, missing to my disappointment the wonderful Lime Kilns.

                                    Beadnell Lime Kilns.

We walked along the beach, busy with holiday makers enjoying the sun. At Long Nanny we left the beach and crossed the stream by the footbridge before going back on the sand.

                       Long Nanny and footbridge.

Back on the beach ,noting that the terns that breed on the beach near there had flown, we continued sand trotting to a point where the sand was replaced by ankle breaking small boulders.  (mile 3). Up on the dunes we walked round Football Hole, so called because of the 19th century tradition of a soccer match between High and Low Newton played every Good Friday, unless the tide was in. Continuing round Newton Point we reached Low Newton by the Sea and called a Herbie, sitting on a bench on the green which has cottages on three sides.

            Low Newton, ideal Herbie spot. (Apple pies, cookies and sweet and savoury from Mrs A who had sent them.

Back on the beach we walked along Embleton Bay for a while, took the path round the golf course  and reached Dunstan Steads (mile 6).

                  Beadnell Bay

From Dunstan Steads we took the footpath to the right, not the concrete road, walked through fields of barley, a stretch of woodland and more fields  to Proctors Stead. (mile 8).

From here we took the road to Craster and paused for tea at the Piper's Pitch next to the closed visitor centre.

              Dunstanburgh from Dunstan Steads.

From Craster we walked along the coast path to Seahouses Farm, passing, as usual, the bathing house.

                  The bathing house, what a changing room.

On the way home we called in at the Ridley Arms in Stannington. Black Sheep and zero alcohol Guinness.

  Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2024.

The walk is just over 10 miles, easy going too.