Captain's Log

Rainy Start

It took a lot of willpower to step out of my car to start my walk this morning. Rain had spattered my windscreen whilst the wind rocked my shelter on its suspension. ‘Drive back to the hotel and go back to bed’ suggested the common sense part of my brain. My intended walk was an 18 mile outing from Druridge Bay to Alnmouth, to plug another Northumbrian hole in my England Coast Path North East venture. I’d completed the same walk back in 2019 when it had been lovely and sunny with blue skies. Couldn't I just use the photos from then for this walk? Nobody would ever know. I sighed and opened the car door. Any warmth that had been in the car was instantly blown out. A decision had been made. 

The rain jacket and rucksack cover were mandatory. I stuffed my waterproof mittens into one anorak pocket; they’d come out if my normal gloves became soaked. I wore a beanie, a headband and pulled my anorak hood over my head and tethered it down. Gaiters would keep the lower half of my trousers dry and I’d had the forethought to wear waterproof socks. If it hadn’t been blowing a gale I’d have taken an umbrella too. I set off northwards along the coast into the gloom. 

Low Hauxley

The gale was blowing off the sea and I had to divert my gaze inland to stop the rain blasting my face. My thoughts were of warm baths and dry clothes as I strode towards Low Hauxley. The path took me alongside the nature reserve there. Over the fence I could see a number of pools and hides; it looked quite an extensive site. Someday I’d have to come back and visit the place. Darkness had turned to a grey light as I reached the small collection of houses at the village. No sooner had I entered the village, then I was out the other side again and following a path that snaked its way through the dunes. The England Coast Path was quite well signed on today’s walk and wooden posts directed my through the sandy hills. Thankfully the path kept to the leeward side of the dunes and so I was partially protected from the strong easterly. The track meandered and rolled up and down the dunes. I found it easier to run down the dunes and let my momentum take me as far as it could up the next one. When I did get a sight of the sea I could see the mysterious Coquet Island, about a mile or so offshore. It had an Alcatraz feel about it with a white lighthouse tower dominating the small island. I struggled to get a decent photo of it due to the combined efforts of the rain and wind. Ahead, I could see some houses on the horizon. Amble was approaching. 

Amble

The coastal path took me by a rather tired looking cemetery that seemed sparsely populated for its size. I dropped down into a children’s playground and found a permanent table tennis table setup. If you’d tried to play ping pong today, the ball would have ended up in Blackpool before getting over the net. The south side of Amble had a small bay area protected by a breakwater. A pier then ran out from the north side of the bay to meet the breakwater. Since there was a path on the top of the breakwater, I was able to use this to get to the pier and then follow that to the harbour. I met a couple of other brave souls on the pier who were also trying to make something of the day. The harbour area is open to the public and I crossed it to make my way to the town centre. 

There were actually quite a few shoppers out on the high street, the surrounding buildings providing some protection from the wind and rain. The England Coast Path signs really make navigation easy; I never had to look at a map throughout today’s walk. One of the signs directed me towards the marina. Some of the boats looked like they could have done with a lick of paint, or maybe even a new hull. I’m not sure I’d trust my life to the majority of them at sea. I’m not really a sea person anyway. I could never do the 'round the world' yacht race. Apart from the agonising boredom, the sound of cables constantly hitting the masts would drive me mad. Together with the wind making weird sounds as it blows around the cables and pipes, I think I’d probably end up jumping overboard. On the outskirts of Amble I came across a rather nice sculpture. It was made of metal and looked like a 3 metre diameter football. Its surface area was made up of dozens of metal gulls so it looked like a murmuration. There was no sign to say who made it (maybe it was a student project), but I thought it was unusual and interesting. It would have been even better if it had been larger so that you could step inside and imagine you were within the gathering of birds.

Warkworth

I followed the River Coquet upstream from Amble to Warkworth using a pavement alongside the busy A1068. There is a weir halfway between the towns and there must have been a 2 or 3 foot drop as I passed it in the morning. When I returned in the afternoon, the tide was in and the weir had completely disappeared. I’d seen Warkworth Castle perched on its hill from Amble, and it got all the more impressive the closer I got. It was a bit of a climb up the hill and I dodged the chains across the castle's entrance gates (it was closed) to get a closer view. The building is large and very impressive. It is managed by English Heritage and so you may have to bring your cheque book if the want to take a tour when it is open. I looked up at the improbably narrow central turret and saw the Northumberland flag flying from its flagpole. The wire to raise the flag was banging crazily against the flagpole and causing a right clatter. I could never live in a castle with a flagpole. The noise would drive me mad. I’d probably end up leaping off the parapet into the moat.  

Walkworth is definitely Amble’s posher relative. The high street is very twee with some choice shops, cozy looking pubs and oldy worlde housing. The only downside is the volume of traffic following the coastal road. As you leave Warkworth you can cross the River Coquet on a modern road bridge or an ancient stone bridge with a cobbled surface. It was all too pretty by half.

Alnmouth

As I’d followed the River Coquet upstream, I’d left the sea behind and I had to take a side road to get back to the coast. It wasn’t long before I approached the dunes, the last barrier before the sea. When I’d previously done this walk I’d walked along the beach to Alnmouth. I didn’t fancy doing it today due to the weather. Instead, I followed the official England Coast Path route that is mostly on the landward side of the dunes. Initially it went alongside a Club Swinging course. Fortunately the weather was too bad for even these stalwarts to potter about in their buggies and so there was no fear that I’d be hit by any incoming. Land ownership then transferred from the Club Swingers to a static caravan site. It looked like it had closed down for the season. Every caravan had a notice, ‘No valuables are kept in this caravan’ sellotaped to a window. I came across four workmen crammed into a steamy windowed pickup truck. It looked like they should have been setting out a new plot for a static caravan, but the weather was obviously a bit too much for them. 

I was on the last stretch now, after the caravan site. I could see the buildings of Alnmouth and the nearby cross on the small hillock to the south of the town. Before I knew it, I’d reached the fingerpost that was my finishing post for this section of the England Coast Path.  It was only 10:20; I’d covered the distance in a remarkably fast time (unusual for me). Even though the England Coast Path doesn’t visit it, I decided to go and have a potter around the mouth of the River Aln and walk up to the cross on the hill with its classic view across the river. I made my way through the dunes and dropped down on to the beach. For once the rain had stopped as I walked along the beach to the River Aln. Alnmouth is on the other side of the river and feels within touching distance. It is quite a trek inland to gain that short distance though. There was quite a lot of debris that had washed up onto the beach. There was a tree and its roots that had somehow found its way there. I climbed up to the cross and took the customary photos of the pretty town across the river. It was still blowing a gale and so I didn’t hang about. I could go no further north, it was time to turn back.

Return

Just before the caravan site I came across a murmuration of hundreds of crows. I spent a while watching them as they drifted in groups and waves. They seemed to be having a wonderful time in the wind. At the caravan site, the workmen were still huddled in their pickup. Judging by the condensation on the truck’s windows, it must have been like a sauna in there. I did actually see two Club Swingers attempting to play their curious game. They were nowhere near the path and so there was no need for me to put my tin hat on. The rain had eased off as I’d started my return trip, but it started again as I walked through Warkworth. I did think of taking refuge in one of those nice looking pubs, but I knew that I’d never get out once I was in. Something similar to pan pipe music was playing in the Amble Marina with the wind blowing over and around all those pipes with banging cables providing the percussion. I was tempted to go over the pier and breakwater again, but decided to take the slightly shorter landward route around the bay instead. I was very glad that I did, since the tide was in now and the sea was working into a white frothing frenzy as it splashed over the breakwater. I would have got more soaked at best, or washed into the bay at worst, if I’d attempted that route. I was disappointed to find that nobody was having a game of ping pong on Amble’s outside table tennis table. I’d been blasted by some hail showers during the day, but then I was surprised to find it snowing. A closer investigation revealed that it wasn’t snow at all; it was froth being blown from the sea. Given the length of the walk and the poor conditions, I thought I might end up returning to my car in the dark today. As it turned out, I got back by 13:30. Obviously bad weather is a great incentive for walking fast. 

The weather wasn’t the best today and so the photos don’t truly reflect the beauty of this stretch of the coast. Catch it on a sunny day and I assure you that it provides a whole new, brighter perspective. Amble and Warkworth are interesting places to walk around; Amble with its working harbour and Warkworth with the impressive castle. I did actually walk around the grounds of the castle on my previous visit which was quite nice if you have the time. If you don’t fancy this length of walk, then it can be easily split in two. There is quite a bit of free parking available along the route. There are some free lay-bys on the road between Amble and Warkworth (near the weir). There is also a free carpark near the dunes at the southern end of the golf course at Warkworth.