All's well; that's Cresswell

 All's well: that's Cresswell. (Northumberland)    March 19th

  Still in lockdown but allowed to meet for exercise, Brian, Margaret and I are off for a coast and country walk from Cresswell. 

Cresswell is a village at the south end of Druridge bay. It has more holiday static caravans than houses but it also has miles of golden sands along the gentle curve of Druridge Bay, backed by dunes and farmland. Any other day the beach would have been crowded but on this particular Friday there is a misty drizzle coming in off the North Sea. Most of the other people out were dog walkers.

Cresswell is easy to find. Take the A189 north, turn off at Ellington and almost through that town turn left for Cresswell. Go through the village and head north for a few hundred yards to the Drift Cafe. Opposite, on the beach side is a small carpark. (free!!)

The map for the walk is OS Explorer 325 Morpeth and Blyth. The route goes round the edges of many fields and there are consequently many stiles, several of which are broken and take a bit of climbing for gadgies.

                                         Misty moisty car park........................

................................................which is opposite the Drift cafe (closed, covid)

Wrapped against the cold and damp we walked north, choosing to stay on the beach and not the Northumberland Coastal Path/ England Coastal Path North which go up and down in the dunes. The sand was wet and soft, good exercise, almost like walking on snow.

                               The golden sands of Druridge Bay.

After two miles we left the beach at Druridge Pools Nature Reserve and headed for a bird hide. This particular pool had a collection of ducks and geese but was fairly quiet.

                                                Not much going on.

Leaving the hide and pool we crossed fields and stiles to the remains of a chapel at Chibburn. Established in the 13th century it became a dower house in 1550 and is now a ruin.

                         Ruins of Chibburn Chapel

From the chapel we walked round fields towards Widdrington Village. Part way along we joined a track lined with low loaders loaded with pipes and beams and then  several hundred yards of piled up farmyard manure!.

We walked round the village to a roundabout on the B1337 road and decided the bus shelter there would make an excellent dining room. At least it had a bench.

                                 Lunch spot. Apple pies, savoury buns and  chocolate cake from Mrs A

Having fed and watered we walked south on the cycle track on the west side of the road. Just beyond the A1068 we crossed over again and followed paths on the edges of fields towards Houndalee Farm.

After another mile and a half of field edging  we came to a very minor road and  walked towards South Linton Farm. Shortly before the farm we turned left onto footpaths which followed the River Lyne to  Ellington, crossing the A1068 to reach the village. 

Ignoring the signpost for Cresswell we continued our way to Cresswell Home Farm and the beach, making use of the England Coastal Path back to Cresswell, the Drift Cafe and the car park, passing close to Ellington Power Station and Cresswell Towers on the way.

I Colliery which was the last deep mine in Northumberland, it now uses wood chips which come all the way from America I am told

                            Cresswell Towers

As  pubs (and the Drift cafe) are still closed we went home.

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2021

The walk is just under 11 miles, flat and easy going.

poor day for pictures;