Gadgie Walks

200,000 hits and counting. October 6th

Sometime this week the gadgie blog was seen for the 200,000th time. Not a lot by influencer standards and the posts of celebrities but pleasing to me.

Today three of us, Brian, Margaret and I are having a mid week walk from Lesbury in Northumberland. Lesbury is another pretty Northumberland village reached by heading north on the A189.

The walk is covered by OS Explorerm332 Alnwick and Amble and could be useful. On the way we stopped in Warkworth to have bumper bacon sandwiches and tea in Bernards coffee shop. Generous with the bacon, highly recommended.

Across the road from the village church of St. Mary is a small parking area with room for 10 cars, and it is free.

Car park with St. Mary's in the background. The church has 13th century origins with lots of 19th century restorations.

leaving the car park we turned right and after less than fifty yards noticed the finger post pointing towards the footpath alongside the river Aln. Yesterday the country was hit by a mini monsoon, today the river was full and fast flowing.

River Aln.

If you follow this route use the gate near the river and avoid climbing barbed wire fences. The footpath eventually climbs a small hill and emerges on a road. Directly opposite is a road that goes first to the golf course and then the beach.

Welcome to the clubhouse at Foxton Hall. It is open to the public for refreshments.

Once on the beach we headed north on sands still wet from yesterday's downpour. Approaching a caravan site we climbed the concrete stairs and walked through the park.

Caravan, the Cameron model.

As we approached the village of Boulmer we headed back down to the beach. Sandy at first then covered in large slabs of rock we stayed on the beach to Howdiemont Sands. (I slimbed up to the footpath, the others stuck to the rocks)

At Howdiermont, which had been packed in summer by southern staycationers discovering the wonders of Northumberland we followed the track going west to Longhoughton.

Distant Dunstanburgh from Howdiemont Sands

Harry's library on the road to Longhoughton

In Longhoughton we found a couple of comfortable benches and enjoyed our lunch in the warm sun, so different from yesterday's misery and flooding. Britain has weather, not a climate.

Today's Herbie shares were Titans, savoury flapjack and apple cake.

Almost directly opposite the Running Fox tea shop in Longhoughton, which used to be the community hall which used to be the local shop and a NAAFI for the local RAF station, a finger post sent us up a lane next to houses and an open field to what used to be a pond.

The pond has gone, the site has reverted to being a quarry as it is marked on the map. The footpath goes round it and emerges on a road. We turned right and after a few yards turned into the quarry entrance. Eventually we found the footpath on the left. Narrow, overgrown with brambles it was a bit of a challenge but we struggled on to the farm at Longlee.

The white horse of Longlee.

At the farm we turned left on the road, crossed the next road and headed for Ratcheugh Crag.

A little unsure of the path to take at an entrance to a wood we were saved by a lady out walking her dogs. She told us which track to take up to the Observatory. Often seen from a distance but never visited we went to observe it. Well worth the short climb too.

The Observatory. It has a wonderful view over the North Sea. It is an unfinished folly built by the Duke of Northumberland in the 18th century to enhance is estates.

Having admired the ruin we retraced our steps to the cottage at Dunsheugh and having crossed a field joined what we gadgies call the "long and boring road." It is. At one point the road turns right, we left the road and took the field on the left of the hedge down to the railway. If you go on the right you need to climb barbed wire.

Once at the railway we walked down to the road, turned left and were soon back in Lesbury.

On the way home we stopped at the Ridley Arms in Stannington as it had been a warm day. A selection of beers on offer, including the Ridley Arms Bitter, brewed locally for the pub.

The Lindisfarne was good too.