A coastal walk again

 A coastal walk again. May 8th

After several country walks and a slog round Prague I've been looking forward to being beside the seaside. An old favourite, from Warkworth to the mouth of the River Aln and back through the dunes.

Take the Northumberland Coast Route to Warkworth, turn left as you approach the church and park by the riverside.

It's possible to do the walk without relying on OS maps but the one that covers the area is OS Explorer 332 Alnwick and Amble.

                         Car parking by the River Coquet is free.

There is a good cafe, Bertrams on Bridge Street but on this sunny morning a small team of gadgies opted to get on with the walk. Leaving the car park we took the riverside footpath to the bridge.

There are two bridges, one is a 14th century structure with a gate at the south end. It was used until replaced by the modern bridge next to it built in 1965.

St. Lawrence church Wark worth. Mainly Norman

Just a little section of the ancient bridge. The sign in the top left corner is on the road to the beach.

             The gate at the south end of the bridge.

Once across the bridge we took the road towards the beach. Should you wish to shorten the walk there are a couple of car parks near the caravan site and some toilets too.

Heading for the dunes, passing the golf course we turned right and walked along the track almost to the mouth of the river.

Coquet Island in the distance

               Mouth of the Coquet.

Joining the beach we headed north. Soft sand making boots sink in but nearer the water the sand is firmer for easier walking.

Three miles of golden sand, littered with lumps of coal washed out of nearby seams. As has been said before if Northumberland had sunshine the beaches would be lined with hotels and sunbeds. Small mercies!

A man and his dogs and all that beach to play on.

After a couple of miles walking the beach there is a choice. Climb up the grassy low cliff and walk through the caravan site before returning to the sands, or continue on the beach and negotiate the rocks. Not too difficult but can be a scramble.

The final section of the beach has a roped off area for nesting birds, none present today. 

At the River Aln, oppositec Alnmouth we turned inland and scrambled up to the cross.

The cross stands on the site of  St. Waleric's church, a 12th century house of worship that was destroyed in the great storm of 1806 which also changed the course of the river. Once the village church, now just a memorial on the opposite side of the Aln.

Close to the church hill is the ruin of a mortuary chapel. It looks old but was built in 1870. It offers some shelter for a Herbie, A shareless Herbie today. 

            Mortuary chapel from 1870. Convincing arch, lookls Norman.

Moving south along a good track we passed the ruins of the guano shed. Built in the 18th century to store imported guano which was used a s a fertiliser. Before the great storm of 1806 Alnmouth was a thriving sport.

                               The Guano shed

The path stays close to the beach, above the water. When it reaches the Warkworth golf course it turns closer to the water, passing under a footbridge.

The bridge takes gol;fers from one tee spot to the next. Attached to the central pillar is:

 a bell. Walkers are asked to ring it to warn players of their approach. It works if you are going in the opposite direction from us. We had already crossed the fairway.

From this point the footpath fo;lows the edge of the course until it joins the path to the beach. We turned right and were soon back at the medieval bridge and car park and home.

The walk is about 9 miles. Easy going on sand and track.