Amble to Tweedmouth, UK: Cycling Sandy Trails and Sea Cliffs
2 - 4 June 2019
Amble to North Sunderland/Seahouses (2 June 2019, 43.8 km, 27.2 mi)
Our path this morning followed the River Coquet upstream, toward the enigmatic castle we had seen yesterday from Amble Harbour. Just above the harbour, the river narrowed rapidly. We passed a small dam called the Amble Half-tide Weir, that helps dampen the effects of the tides upstream, but still allows boats to pass over at high tide. And when the tide goes out, the weir holds some of the water back in the river. That way, there’s less chance that boats upriver will get stranded in the mud.
The half-tide weir on the River Coquet. Warkworth, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Within minutes of passing the weir, we arrived at Warkworth Castle. It’s an imposing structure, high on a hill overlooking the town. Most of the castle has been unoccupied since the 1920s. But the Dukes of Northumberland - who live down the road in Alnwick Castle - still own it.
Warkworth Castle, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Right after reaching the castle, the trail plummets back down to sea level on a narrow side street, aptly named The Bluffs. We carefully maneuvered down the hill, squeezing our brakes with all our might. Then, after an all-too-brief run along the River Coquet, we launched back up the other side of the valley, into the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). For the next 80 km we would ride along this wild and rugged coastline, almost as far as the border with Scotland.
All along the English coast we’ve been seeing station houses for volunteer rescue services, that provide lifesaving assistance to people at sea. Unlike in America where this service is mostly provided by the government via the U.S. Coast Guard, in the UK, they operate more like volunteer fire departments. Most coastal towns have a building and boat stationed by the water, ready to rescue anyone shipwrecked or stranded at sea. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the biggest charity that oversees training and deployment of the volunteers. But many small towns have their own rescue service, not formally tied to the RNLI.
We frequently bike past volunteer ocean rescue services, like this one, along the UK coast. The Boulmer Rescue Service’s station looks particularly stylish with it’s royal blue paint job. Boulmer, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
North of Alnmouth, we cycled on a very rough coastal path. We bounced and shimmied along a trail that was mostly rutted gravel and grass, interspersed with loose stones, muddy puddles and sand. With a short-mileage day, we didn’t have to hurry. So we were able to take our time and enjoy the adventure, without the pressure of having to cover a lot of miles.
Now we’re having fun! Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The landscape here was particularly rugged and scenic, fully earning its destination as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The tide was out, exposing widely different layers ranging from smooth rock, to cobblestones, to loose boulders, to mud and sand flats. The diversity of the terrain meant that the scenery was constantly changing. We stopped frequently to, “ooh!” and “aah!” at our surroundings.
We were impressed by the diverse layers of rocks, sand and mud along the coast. Whitefin Spring, Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
(Side Note: You can click on any of the images in our blogs to see a full-page view of the photo.)
I walked my bike across this bridge because it was too narrow to ride with the panniers. Oh, and there are also stairs on both ends! Whitefin Spring. Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
About halfway through the ride we passed Dunstanburgh Castle, a national landmark with a colorful history. The castle was originally built by a rebellious Earl. Using the site’s natural defenses (cliffs), he hoped the castle would serve as a safe refuge from an attack by King Edward II. Unluckily, the Earl was captured in battle and executed before he could escape to the castle. Later, during the War of the Roses, the castle was besieged and changed hands multiple times. It never recovered from the damage done during that period, and was in ruins by the 16th century. Now the picturesque castle’s empty shell is a popular place for picnics.
The gate to Dunstanburgh Castle. Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Once we were settled in North Sunderland, we walked out to the harbor in the neighboring town of Seahouses. It’s crowded with working fishing boats. At the head of the harbor is another reminder of the high esteem that the English have for their volunteer ocean rescue squads. The monument, “The Rescue,” depicts a volunteer getting ready to toss a lifesaver, presumably to someone from a shipwreck. The harbor also houses one of the official RNLI lifeboat teams. Apparently the most common reason the Seahouses rescue squad gets called out is when motorists become stranded on the Holy Island Causeway just to the north. The causeway floods rapidly, twice a day, as high tide rolls in.
Near the harbor, we saw some Common Eiders in a small, protected cove. Among them were the first male eiders we’ve seen. They were very handsome in their black, white and pale green colors. There were also a bunch of baby eiders exploring the beach in a tight-knit group, under the watchful eye of their mama. Very cute.
As we were walking around the harbor, a brief rainstorm passed through. Afterwards, we were treated to a rainbow. North Sunderland Harbour. Seahouses, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Back at the B&B we had a lovely Sunday Roast dinner. It’s kind of embarrassing that we’ve waited this long to indulge in this quintessentially British custom. From what we hear, enjoying a Sunday Roast is one of the English’s favorite traditions. It’s kind of like having a mini Christmas dinner every week. We both had the beef with roasted vegetables, potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding. Very British.
Sunday Roast at the Longstone House B&B. North Sunderland, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
North Sunderland and the Farne Islands (3 June 2019)
Just off the coast at Seahouses are the Farne Islands. When we heard that there were lots of Puffins out on those islands, well, we just had to go see for ourselves. We decided to stay in North Sunderland for an extra day so we could make the trip, even though high winds were predicted for today.
This morning, we learned that the trip we had booked was cancelled because of the high winds. Darn. This was particularly concerning because PedalingGuy has had trouble with seasickness in the past. We didn’t want his day to be spent in complete misery. But after some deliberation, we decided to go for it, and signed up for a boat trip out to a different island, later in the day. Inner Farne Island, where we were headed, has a more protected harbor than the other islands, and so can be visited even in rough seas.
That turned out to be a great outcome. Our boat, Serenity II, just sounded calming. And it was a catamaran, so it was not as likely to be bounced around on the big waves as a regular boat would have been.
Heading out to the seabird and seal colonies. Farne Islands Tour. North Sunderland, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
The islands are renowned for three big reasons: 1) the lighthouse was home to British national heroine, Grace Darling, when she helped rescue people trapped on a rock after a shipwreck in 1838, 2) the monastery where St. Cuthbert was a hermit, and where he died, and 3) one of England’s biggest and most accessible nesting seabird and seal colonies. As we motored around the islands, we saw the famous lighthouse, and several other buildings that represent the archipelago’s rich history.
Longstone Lighthouse, as seen from the Farne Islands boat tour. The lighthouse was operated by Grace Darling’s father when, in 1838, they rescued nine shipwrecked passengers during a strong gale. Farne Islands, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Our tour boat was able to get very close to the breeding seabirds on several islands. The sky was thick with guillemots, puffins, seagulls and terns flying back and forth from their ocean feeding areas and their nests on the cliffs. Huge numbers of birds were floating and diving in the water as well. And, just like at Bempton Cliffs, the rocky outcrops were jam-packed with birds. But this time we got really close to some of the birds at eye level, rather than having to look down on them from the top of a cliff.
(Side Note: You can click on any of the images in our blogs to see a full-page view of the photo.)
The local colony of gray seals kept a close eye on us as we floated past. They didn’t move away from the boat, but they followed us with their gaze as if they were prepared, just in case we did something to spook them. There was a big group of seals lolling around on the rocks. Dozens more were in the water, watching us from a safe distance.
Gray Seals. They’re keeping an eye on us, just in case we do something alarming. We didn’t, of course. Outer Farne Islands. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
After circling the outer islands, we headed back across a gap in the island chain to spend an hour on Inner Farne Island. This stretch of the trip had the biggest potential for motion sickness, because we were heading back into the wind, directly perpendicular to the waves. We braced ourselves, and hoped for the best. Luckily, it didnt’ last too long, and nobody got sick. But somehow we managed to be seated right in the wave splash zone. When the boat would launch over a big wave at just the right angle, both of us got drenched with seawater - although I’m pretty sure I was getting the worst of it. After a couple of soakings, PedalingGuy did his best to block some of the waves from hitting me, but he was only partly successful. We made a pact to sit in a different part of the boat on the way home.
When it comes to protecting their nests, some birds are more aggressive than others. Arctic Terns fall way over on the “I don’t care how big you are, I’m gonna attack, anyway,” end of the scale. Right off the boat you get dive-bombed by terns. It’s so predictable, the tour guides advise everyone to wear a hat to protect your head. Both PedalingGuy and I had terns that decided we looked like easy marks, and harassed us from the air above. (Click here, then swipe left 2x on the photo to see a video.)
Once this Arctic Tern decided I was trouble, he wasn’t going to quit pecking at my head until I beat it. Inner Farne Island. North Sunderland, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Some of the terns, Common Eiders, Black-headed Gulls, Shags, Kittiwakes, Razorbills and Pigeon Guillemots had nests right nest to the trails laid out by the National Trust, who owns an manages the island.
The Atlantic Puffins were slightly more shy. They didn’t dig their nesting burrows right next to the trail. But there were hundreds, if not thousands of them. And the grassy top of the island was riddled with their burrows. We enjoyed watching them bring fish home, and dive into their burrows before a gull could harass them into dropping their chicks’ meal.
Speaking of chicks… some of the Black-headed Gulls, Shags, and Eiders already had hatchlings. Many of the Arctic Terns and Kittiwakes had eggs in the nest. You can’t see the Puffin chicks in the burrows, but there must have been some, judging by how many fish the parents were bringing back to the nests.
The hour we had on the island went by quickly, as we photographed and watched the birds. We had to run back to the boat, to be sure we got our ride home. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.
Another tour boat returning to the harbor, from Farne Islands. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Astonishingly, PedalingGuy took around 1,000 photos today. It’s going to take him a while to edit that down to a manageable number.
North Sunderland to Tweedmouth (4 June 2019, 46.8 km, 29 mi)
Early in today’s ride we cycled past Bramburgh Castle, the former seat of Northumbrian kings, and a medieval English royal residence. These days it’s owned by the family of a Victorian industrialist. The castle rises up on a limestone outcrop along the coast, and we had some magical views as we approached from the south.
Bramburgh Castle, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Have you ever wondered what it was like for Rapunzel to live in a stone tower? It turns out you can try it for yourself. Near the small town of Warren Mill, we passed an 18th century tower called The Ducket, that has been converted into a 5-star, luxury cottage. One of the selling points for The Ducket is it’s views of the Lindisfarne Castle, out on Holy Island in the North Sea.
After passing the castle, most of the ride was on gravel, dirt and some sand. But we didn’t encounter any incredibly steep hills, like we did on the ride to North Sunderland. So the kilometers went by much faster.
We cycled through some lovely, remote, grass-covered dunes, and wetlands. We’re back in sheep country, so there were lots of gates on the trail. There were also sections where we had to really watch where we directed our tires, to avoid the numerous calling cards left behind by the sheep. The tide was pretty low for most of the morning. Sometimes it was hard to see the ocean, it was so far away.
The trail through the grass. Beal, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Soaking up the spectacular views. Spittal, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
We didn’t find any picnic tables, so ended up skipping lunch. That was okay, since the full English breakfast we had at the B&B was plenty big to keep us going. We ended up just stopping for a snack of gorp at a trailhead parking area, overlooking the sea.
Enough energy to cycle all day. We make our own gorp by mixing together as big a variety of nuts, dried fruit, and M&Ms as we can find. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
Approaching civilization, as we reached the north end of the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Spittal, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.
When we arrived in Tweedmouth, the B&B we had planned to stay in was full. That was tough luck, because the town didn’t have a lot of lodging options. We ended up backtracking 1.6 km and checking out several other B&Bs before we found one that still had a room. The room was big, but full of stuff including a couch right in the middle of the room, a free-standing coat rack, little tables filled with knickknacks, and a desk whose entire surface was covered by a fancy tea service. As a result, there wasn’t as much space as first appeared. Luckily we were able to store our bikes out in a garage, because there definitely wasn’t space for them in the room with all the stuff.
In the evening, we walked through town, and across the River Tweed for dinner. On our way back, we walked along part of the old city wall. The wall was built in the 1600s to help protect Berwick-upon-Tweed from attacks by Scots. Unlike most English city walls, these are still fully intact, so you can walk all the way around the city on the ramparts of the wall. But we didn’t have time for that. So after walking out past one of the towers, we turned around, and headed back to the B&B for the night.
