Dunstanburgh Beach - Itinerary Day Three - Wednesday
Bamburgh Beach - Itinerary Day Three - Wednesday
Craster - Itinerary Day Three - Wednesday

Beach at Dunstanburgh Castle

have always lived on the coast line of the North East of England, but it wasn't until I returned on a vacation after several years of living in Canada that I saw it for the first time with "North American eyes" and understood why visitors are blown away by it's rugged beauty. We will be driving on this stretch of coast line almost every day  and this is what you will experience:.........

Mile after mile of sweeping beaches, sand dunes, hidden coves and jutting peninsulas make up the thirty  or so miles of the rugged Northumbrian  coast line. Nowhere is this more evident than the renowned coastal walk to the iconic ruin, Dunstanburgh Castle or the area that surrounds Holy Island; recent ice ages have left their mark in its multitude of exposed rocky outcrops and have endowed it with an other worldly mystic aspect. Lindisfarne, as the island is known, is home to several species of wild orchids; together with a miscellany of wild plants cultivated since medieval times for medicinal purposes, they are scattered everywhere amongst the undulating dunes. All this ensures that it is the "jewel in the crown" of Northumbria.

The Waters surrounding Lindisfarne and the neighbouring Farne Islands are rich in marine life providing a wonderful diversity of species with equally wonderful names such as the northern octopus and the fifteen spined stickleback. But of course it is the north atlantic grey seals who usually steal the show as several hundred of them reside between the island and the mainland. Noisy they are too, but the competition is fierce for flying high above them, often in vast numbers, are the Puffins, signature birds of the Farne Islands, their brightly coloured beaks instantly recognizable.

Tranquil and sparsely populated, the country roads of the coastline  weave through market towns, charming fishing villages and tiny hamlets, all replete  with local art and craft shops, cafes and pubs. Internationally famous for its smoked kippers the small coastal town of Craster has used the same traditional method of "oak smoking" for generations. If you have not experienced Craster's smoked kippers for breakfast before , we can put that right on your experience with "Northumbria Trails."

It really is an amazing and beautiful stretch of coastline that is not replicated anywhere else in Britain.

Let us share it with you!!!!