Beadnell Bay, Northumberland Coast April 2022

Following an episode of The Hairy Bikers, when they visited a Michelin starred fish and chip shop in Bamburgh I decided to book a pitch at the nearby Beadnell Bay ( a site that Sue and I had been keen to visit for a while) https://rb.gy/3j7hvi for the following April.

Also nearby are Bamburgh Castle, Lindisfarne and Holy Island. The Northumberland Coast provides a treasure trove of attractions for those interested in nature and history.

We booked a pitch on the Beadnell site in early April 2022, and arrived at dusk on Sunday 3rd. Once we had hooked up ohttur attention turned to our reservation at the Craster Arms - https://tinyurl.com/bdzjc6up in Beadnell for our evening meal. The staff at the site were very good at directing us to the Craster Arms, which was very popular with both humans and dogs. The pub was a good twenty minutes walk from the motorhome site, so by the time we arrived there we were ready for a drink. A cold fizzy cider was called for. We were relieved when we got there to find every table included an obligatory dog, we felt at home. We enjoyed a good meal. We were confused, however, that the most popular pub in Beadnell was named after another nearby town. We'd planned to visit Craster later on in our travels. After struggling home from the pub in the dark along the main coast road we arrived at the motorhome and decided to call it a night.

After fighting with the cushions we settled down for another night, this time by the beauty of the North East coast. The Beadnell site is only yards away from the beach.

The next day we awoke to a cloudy, but dry, day and Finn took an early morning stroll along the beach. After breakfast we took a walk along the beach in the direction of Seahouses, with the intention, should we get tired, we could always get a bus to complete our journey.

It turned out that the walk to Seahouses was not that arduous, with the only problem being crossing a small stream running into the sea in my sandals (and socks). Sue had the foresight to put on a pair of boots so just strode across it. I, however had to pace up and down the beach looking for the shallowest place to cross. Finn had no problem at all with the water.

With wet feet we crossed the Seahouses Golf Course and entered town. We then explored the harbour and stumbled across the Ship Inn, which is dog friendly and has got a good reputation for it's seafood. With real ale and cider in hand we made our way to the dog friendly lounge, where we met a number of dog owners who were staying on the Beadnell site with us.

After a time thoughts turned to food and two crab sandwiches were ordered, they were delicious, the best we had ever had. All in all the Ship Inn in Seahouses was an excellent stop with good drink, food and company. http://theoldeship.co.uk

As we left, given that we did not want to walk all the way back to Beadnell we asked for details of the local taxi service. When we rang the number supplied we were told that an event that day was tying up all the available taxis, so we decided to wait at a nearby bus stop, where, from the timetable, a bus was due within the next five minutes.

Twenty five minutes later we were still waiting for the bus, along with a number of other sorry travellers. The concensus of opinion was that the bus was not coming, and as the next one was due in over an hour the decision was taken to walk all the way back. This time we stuck to the road to avoid the stream, and the other hazards on the beach which Finn had taken a liking to chewing on.

At about the halfway point we came across a farm that had a cafe area in it's yard. Although there was no-one there we tentatively approached in the hope that it was open. The huge bull in the field next to the yard looked menacingly at us. Luckily someone was in attendance and we ordered our drinks and took comfort on the nearest bench table available. It was heaven to rest our legs. Once we had sat down a number of other customers turned up out of nowhere, and attention turned to the bull, who, as it turned out, was called Goliath.

Luckily the weather had remained fine all day, but the darkening clouds indicated that we should seek the shelter of the motorhome, and we quickly continued on our journey. With the majority of our journey completed it was not long before we arrived back at the site.

Within yards of our motorhome an identical one had been parked, and it wasn't long before we met our new neighbours. Like ourselves they were new to motorhoming, and we compared notes. Their principle complaint was that their fridge was not very efficient (I later found out that the fridges in a number of motorhomes underperform when they have not been levelled properly when parked - I was not at that time educated enough to tell them that). Rather than retire to the motorhome for the night, as the day was still young, and the inclement weather had not arrived, we decided to explore the village of Beadnell. We followed the coast road, looking for a harbour or central shopping area. This search was in vain, however, as we found out by looking at a SatNav whilst lost in a housing estate. It was sad as all the new houses built there appeared to be holiday homes, and there was very little activity going on.

We followed our route back until we decided that it would be quicker to fully circumnavigate the village to find our way to the camp site. That's when God decided to spoil our fun and the rain began. We were then fortunate in finding someone who knew the way, and we followed their directions through muddy fields and a building site until we found the haven of Beadnell Towers - https://www.beadnelltowers.co.uk, which was across the road from the Craster Arms. With the Beadnell Towers being dog friendly we took the opportunity to step inside for a well deserved cider and an early tea. The salt aged Black Angus burger went down well, and we instantly agreed, as we did not have plans for the following evening, that we should book another meal there. We then took our leave.

Following another journey back by the side of the unlit main road we returned to the motorhome hoping for better weather the next day.

Day three of our North East break started with a shower and Finn returned from his morning stroll, and shook himself dry over the upholstery. After breakfast, given the exertions of the previous day, it was decided that a quiet day was called for, but there is only a finite amount of time that one can stay couped up in a motorhome.

The weather cleared up in the afternoon and we decided to take a walk down the coast road into Beadnell again, to further explore the village. We walked the length of the village and found the wonderful Beadnell Bay, which stretches nearly four miles to Low Newton, but another shower forced us to take refuge away from the beach. That is when we discovered the Bait at Beadnell stall - https://tinyurl.com/42fpfstj, and enjoyed a sausage and bacon bap as the rain eased.

We retraced our steps and set off back to the motorhome, on the way meeting a rather vociferous local who had strong opinions about his neighbouring property being converted into holiday accomodation, and the inconvenience it was causing him. We agreed with him that the sale of properties as second homes was having a detrimental affect on the village and then went on our way.

Back at the site we again met with the couple who had the same model of motorhome as ourselves, and informed them that on our way home that we were stopping off at the dealers to look at an Elldis Accordo 125, which has a fixed bed and lots of storage space. They agreed that it would be an improvement, which worried me a little as they were returning, and would be in the dealers area before ourselves. They could snap up the motorhome which I had merely informed the dealer that we would like a look at!

We then returned to the motorhome to prepare for our evening meal at Beadnell Towers, which was excellent. In fact we were so impressed with everything about Beadnell Towers that we suggested returning there, as hotel guests, as a treat some time in the future, in the car, and staying there. That would mean that we wouldn't be so reliant upon buses and taxis.

We finished off our meal and set off again down the dark road back to the motorhome.

The construction and deconstruction of the bed every day was continuing to be a chore, and we were very hopeful that the Elldis Accordo 125 would prove to be as good as we hoped it to be. With the bed made for the night we settled down at the end of day three.

The next day was fair and we decided to have a quiet day before our evening meal at the Michelin recommended fish restaurant in Bamburgh. In the meantime, however, we decided to explore Beadnell again. Although we hadn't been impressed with Beadnell's facilities on our previous walks we decided to give it one last go, buying a bottle of wine at the village shop. We then decided to visit the Craster Arms again for lunch, and found that it was still very dog friendly during the day. After a couple of ciders and an open sandwich we were replete, and this time we were able to return to the motorhome in the light.

We waited out the rest of the day until our taxi, due to take us to Bamburgh, arrived. The taxi driver was very pleasant and well versed in transporting diners to the restaurant and back. We arranged a pickup after the meal, and he suggested that we wait for the pickup in the pub next door to the restaurant. This proved to be a sound idea as the meal took less time than imagined. We had seen the restaurant, the Potted Lobster https://thepottedlobster.co.uk on an episode of the Hairy Bikers, and, as Sue enjoys her fish dishes, it was an essential stop on our journey. It proved worthy of it's Michelin recommendation as the food was excellent. Finn had obviously read the book on how to behave in such establishments, as his behaviour was impeccable.

Upon finishing the meal we retired to the pub next door, but Sue was reticent as to whether we could take Finn in, so she loitered outside as I volunteered to go inside to check the lay of the land. I approached the young girl behind the bar to ask if the pub was dog friendly, and she then indicated that I look behind me. To my astonishment I saw that there were more dogs in the pub than there were humans. I then beckoned Sue in, and we remained there until our pickup time.

Although Bamburgh is blessed with a dramatic castle and a Michelin starred eaterie there is very little else it has to offer. It has become a dormitory town full of holiday homes with a dearth of facilities for locals and visitors. I spoke to a local young lady, who complained that, although she worked in the town she was unable to contemplate buying a property there. The prices that 'incomers' were paying for property meant that she, and many of her generation were being forced to move away. People buying second homes are having as devastating effect on Bamburgh, as the average age of the population increases and the provision of essential services for youngsters decreases.

Visitors expecting Bamburgh to be a thriving historic town are currently disappointed by what they find.

After waiting outside the pub at the agreed pickup time we were quickly returned to the campsite, where we settled down in the motorhome for our last night in Beadnell.

The next morning brought a storm, which is the last thing you want when you are unhooking the electric and water connections in preparation to leave the site. With the driving rain there was a stiff wind which made working outside very difficult, but all tasks were completed successfully. As this was our last morning we had decided to forego with a cooked breakfast on board, and treat ourselves, on our exit, to a bap from the Bait at Beadnell stall. So, upon leaving the site we headed into Beadnell, and into the foul weather. When we arrived at the stall there were a number of parked cars in the car park waiting for their orders. I memorised our order and jumped out of the cab into the storm and ran over to the stall. There was little shelter as I gave my order, and waited for it to be served, and then after collecting our meals and the condiments etc, I ran back into the storm to the motorhome. When I opened the cab door the wind took hold of it, and nearly blew it off. I had difficulty protecting it whilst I put the food in the cab. Thereafter, once I was sat down, I found it nigh on impossible to fight the wind and pull the door closed.

We sat in the cab in the dreadful weather and ate our breakfast, and then said goodbye to Beadnell. Finn was glad to be out of the wind and rain and snuggled up in his bed for the trip home.

At a later date we did return to the Beadnell Towers, to stay at the hotel for a short break. As we were in the car it did give us the option of exploring more of the area, and we discovered the gems that we had missed on our first visit, due to not having transport.

Other than Bamburgh Castle, which is a very impressive example of a Norman castle, and is still the largest inhabited castle in the UK https://www.bamburghcastle.com/castle/ there are a number of destinations not to be missed. The first destination of note is the Ship Inn at Low Newton http://www.shipinnnewton.co.uk/ when we visited there it was very busy and they had run out of their very popular crab sandwiches. This pub is very definitely worth a visit, I would recommend you book.

The next destination is another pub, The Jolly Fisherman in Craster, which is a renowned gastropub and seafood restaurant. The food is excellent. www.thejollyfishermancraster.co.uk Again, this place is very popular and booking is advisable. Also of interest in Craster is Robson's Smokehouse, the producers of the famous Craster kippers.https://www.kipper.co.uk

A very worthwhile trip further up the coast is Lindisfarne and Holy island, but you'll have to take note of the tides as the causeway to the island upon which you drive is covered by the sea when the tide is in. There is an online page from Northumberland Council which details safe crossing times. There is a nice little castle on the island which much more humble than Bamburgh. The island also houses the remains of Lindisfarne Priory and a number of pubs and cafes.

www.lindisfarne.org.uk

Other than the Beadnell Towers the only other eatery of note is the Joiners Arms at Newton by the Sea.

At the end of our stay at the Beadnell Towers the reception staff wanted to adopt Finn as the hotel dog. He had been spoilt rotten!