We’re carrying on living the life, enjoying the open road. The last few days certainly made easier by staying at the fabulous Eastwatch Guest House. Having the swimming pool and hot tub to return to after miles of path walking was an incredible bonus, not to mention the warm hospitality of Paul and his partner. We made the most of the guest kitchen/dining area to cook in most nights and enjoy the sea views while dining – why would you not?

It’s been a full on few days of walking though so the blog is not so many words and loads of photos! We covered 40 miles in 3 days (Sunday – Tuesday) and today (Wednesday) we’ve done a cheeky little 7 miles (a shorter one planned so I could reserve some time and energy to catch up on blogging …. oh, and Steve has a sore toe!!

Sunday 8th May 2022 – Beal to Berwick

A straightforward walk – 9 miles – no trips, slips or blips in organisation. Mixture of splendid beaches and farmland walking. Stumbled across a golf club around lunchtime that actually invited walkers in – so of course we did! Lots of high speed trains, fascinating geology and most exciting of all … an ice-cream van. And a beautifully sunny day.

Monday 9th May 2022 – Bamburgh to Beal

Today was harder, hillier and much more inland – only glimpses of the sea at the beginning and at the end. Still beautifully countryside scenic – bluebells en masse, deer, hares, pheasants, partridge – we could hear but not see cuckoo! Forever awed by the nature around us. Some excitement today on having to phone to cross the railway line – we haven’t done that since we were kids!

Had one of those not so happy moments though on reaching a gate with ‘Warning, Bull in Field.’ No discussion on turning back, Steve forever the farm boy! So through the gate I went moaning and groaning about the stupidity of risking death by bull – and breathlessly climbed the huge hill, continuously and anxiously scanning 360 degrees to detect said creature, my escape route through barbed wire cunningly planned. And it had to be the longest field ever of course, going up, up, up and then down, down, down. When we finally got to the end of the field we met such a jolly old man (yes, considerably older than us!) who was sat on the stile smoking a roll up! And his devoted elderly wife was sat on the ground at his feet – and they were full of the joys of Spring (well, we think they were as they were very animated and smiley … unfortunately the local accent though fabulous can be a little tricky for us to understand). Turned out they had just climbed that hill and were coastal path walking too. Made me feel so pathetic about my anxieties when we were obviously so much faster on our feet!

And almost 16 miles today – not bad!

Tuesday 10th May 2022 Bamburgh to Craster

Took the decision to walk southwards today due to wind direction … but it changed direction regularly!

A lovely walk though, much more coastal today although still ventured into farmland and woodland at times. Another day of castles, golf courses and an abundance of natural beauty. A blend of windy and sunny weather for the 13 miles. On reaching Craster, we caught the bus back to Bamburgh to collect the car … and then drove to our new accommodation in Amble. Seems lovely … but no hot tub!!! (We’ve been spoilt)!

Wednesday 11th May 2022 Amble to Alnmouth

A cloudy start to the day today but we set off with all enthusiasm as we knew it was going to be just a short stroll today. Like yesterday, it was a beautiful walk all the way … largely coastal and beach side, including sand dune paths.

Not far from Amble we walked through the beautiful village of Warkworth with its stunning church and castle. I was hugely excited at spotting an otter (my first sighting ever) … only to find out from Steve’s photo that it was actually a seal.

Another great day for bird watching … discovered the Eider Duck, the UK’s heaviest and fastest flying duck. This duck’s breast feathers have long been harvested for filling pillows and quilts … Eiderdown.

And after 7 miles of walking, we finished up with lunch in the picturesque village of Alnmouth – probably our favourite village so far. And we were even allowed to lunch in the Golf Club and enjoy the views of the green while munching.

And, back in Amble, finished off the day with local sea bass and too much prosecco … as you do!

A lot of people say to us “Why do you do it?”

And the answer has to be for the freedom, for the fresh sea and country air, for the time to appreciate all forms of nature, for discovering new things, for the wonderful scenery that takes our breath away each day, time for mindfulness and reflection, for the physical challenge too, for the satisfaction of pushing yourself and achieving, for that lovely tired feeling at the end of the day … and of course for ‘being together’ time.

So, to walk or not to walk?

Walking, blogging, selfie poses …. it’s a yes from us, the Rambling Roses xxxx