Gadgie Walks: Another wet day

Another walk in the rain. February 13th l And how wrong we were.

And it's Friday.

It has rained for most of the year so a walk on relatively dry paths is the order of the day. We have chosen that old favourite Craster, starting from Seahouses Farm a couple of miles south of the seaside village.

The walk is covered by two maps:

OS explorer 332 Holy Island and OS Explorer 340 Alnwick.

For breakfast we went to The Running Fox at Longhoughton.. Formerly a NAAFI, then the village shop it is now one of the company's welcoming cafes. The bacon sandwich looked top class, but I was strong.

After breakfast we headed for Howick, home of the Grey family, and onwards to the parking area by the Seahouses Farm. (Not to be confused with the fish and chip town of Seahouses.)

Parking at Seahouses Farm (Not Seahoses)

As we booted up the clouds broke up, a large bright object appeared in the sky, first time for many a day.

We headed south on the farm track which, not surprisingly, was very muddy. Reaching the point named Sugar Sands where the Howick Burn enters the sea we turned north on the English Coastal Path/ King Charles III . It was surprisingly mud free, well drained and firm underfoot.

Originally the ladies bathing house for the folks who lived in Howick Hall

In a few weeks this cliff will be alive with nesting sea birds.

At Craster we headed for the Piper's Pitch next to the closed visitor centre,. decided against a second breakfast and, instead of taking the path across fields from the harbour, followed the path behind the Heughs until, at Cushat Stiel we took the popular footpath round the castle.

Dunstanburgh Castle, it's my castle version of Marmite, love it

Lilburn Tower at Dunstanburgh Castle

Ahead was the curve of Embleton Bay, quite a few people walking, some with their dogs, all glad to get out. We walked a mixture of the dunes above the beach, the sands, the edge of the golf course and a final stretch of beach to Low Newton by the Sea, where, after 7.5 miles we called a Herbie. (Apple pies, cookies, sweet and savoury from Mrs A, with special commendation for the fruit cake)

The Ship Hotel at Low Newton. Much favoured, and quite rightly, by the Sunday Supplements of the heavier papers.

Lunch over, and, in spite of the winter sun, it was cold, we moved on, back on the beach rather than the path behind the square of houses. We thought it would be very muddy from past experience.

Climbing rickety steps to the little village of summer chalets we crossed the golf course and at Dunstan Steads (mile 9) headed for the farm, turned left and took the concrete strip to Dunstan Square.

Yes it is a lime kiln

Left from WW2. The recent storms have uncovered more WW2 defences.

From Dunstan Square Farm we took the road to the village of Dunstan. Next to the bus shelter and not easily spotted is a footpath which goes across a couple of fields to the road near this.

A borrowed photo, too many leaves for February.

Underneath the arch, up the road and then we turned left having passed the entrance to Craster Towers, we turned right towards Craster South Farm. A couple of muddy fields later we were close to the car park for Howick Hall but took a short cut through the woods, disturbing a single, solitary deer, to the road to the farm. Changed we headed for a favourite watering hole, the Ridley Arms in Stannington. Glad to see it was busy in these days of pub closures.