WEEKENDER
NORTHUMBERLAND
Rich in wildlife, with miles of empty beaches, picture-perfect seaside
towns and a battle-fi lled history, the Northumberland coast is an area as
beautiful as it is intriguing. Words: Charlotte Wigram-Evans
As the tide retreats from the Northumberland
coast, and sandbanks begin to appear, listen
as the seals start to sing. A keening wail, like
the wind whistling through an empty hall, it’s
a chorus both strange and beautiful; a perfect
soundtrack to this wild stretch of coastline.
Running for 40 miles between Berwick-
Upon-Tweed and Amble, and designated an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in
1958, the Northumberland coast is a wildlife-
lover’s paradise, where puffi ns skim the waters
of the North Sea for sand eels, roe deer pick
their way through wildfl ower meadows on
Holy Island and dolphins swim off Embleton
Bay. Onshore, ringed plovers and sand lizards
build nests in Northumberland’s dune-backed
beaches, loomed over by castles such as
Bamburgh and Alnwick: fortresses that speak
of more turbulent times, when the area was
of huge strategic importance to both England
and Scotland — from 1400 to almost 1 700,
Northumberland was a battleground.
With the annals of history explored, head to
a pub for hearty fare and lively conversation,
where menus typically revolve around
regional fi sh and you’ll likely taste the best
lobster of your life. Kippers are another local
claim to fame, traditionally eaten at breakfast
with thick-cut bread and plenty of salt. Or
simply wander the pretty streets of the little
towns punctuating this wild coastline, where
gift shops sell homemade fudge, bunting fl aps
merrily overhead and the songs of distant
seals whisper on the breeze.
50 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVEL
