Three go to Beadnell

 Three go to Beadnell July 14th (Northumberland)

Hit by holidays and birthdays again a trio of gadgies is having a coastal walk from High Newton to Beadnell and back. Head north preferably on the Northumberland Coastal Route and follow signs.

The walk is covered by OS Explorer 340 Holy Island and Bamburgh although it is not essential. Worth looking  at for the names of places though.

As you enter the village of High Newton there is a car park on the right. One of the last free car parks in Northumberland, probably in the country.

         This week's carpark in High Newton by the Sea-------free!

                          High Newton by the Sea and a wheelie bin.

Leaving the car park we walked to the village green and followed the finger post's direction down a narrow lane with waist high nettles, crossed a field and came to the road that goes to the village's twin, Low Newton by the Sea.

Before reaching this tiny square of cottages and the Ship Inn ( a favourite with articles on where to eat in the quality papers) we went through a gate on the left and walked the grassy track to Newton Point (mile 1)

                   Looking back across Embleton Bay. Dunstanburgh Castle, my favourite ruin. (Also popular with weekend supplements)

Turning west we walked round the delightfully named Football Hole, descended to the beach for a time before climbing back onto the dunes near Snook Point. Back to the beach (mile 2) we headed on until we almost reached Long Nanny.

At this point there is a roped off section to protect the birds that nest on the beach. We went back to the dunes, (mile 3) and made a slight detour to the bird hide, manned by wardens to protect the Arctic Terns.

                             Beadnell Bay, miles of golden sand

             The warden told us that the terns had arrived, mated, hatched, fed and were departing. As the Byrds said "There is a season, tern tern tern"

Back on the path we crossed Long Nanny on the footbridge and headed back to the beach.

                    Long Nanny footbridge

Just one of the many jellyfish stranded on the sand.

Approaching Beadnell we watched several wind surfers or people paddling boards and flying kites before we settled down on the benches by the Lime Kilns for a Herbie. (mile 5)

                               Beadnell Harbour

The kilns. They were used to convert limestone into fertiliser.

We retraced our steps for a short distance on the beach before walking up a slipway to the car park, turned left and went through the caravan site. This section of the walk is on the Northumberland Coast Path/ England Coast Path/ St Oswald's Way and we followed it, recrossing the Long Nanny footbridge and finally taking the road at Link House farm and returning to High Newton.

Contains OS data, copyright. Crown copyright and database right 2023

The walk is an easy 8 miles, good family trip. (Ice cream in Beadnell)