Newbiggin by the Sea

Northumberland has been a regular destination for Nicole and I over the past few years. England's northernmost county can be reached in a couple of hours and offers spectacular coastal locations. We booked a four-night stay in a static caravan during my October holidays and the site was next to the coastal town of Newbiggin by the Sea. Off we set in Dolly Duster for another journey down the A1.

Budle Bay, near Bamburgh, is a regular port of call when we head south. Scores of wading birds and ducks can be seen on the vast mud flats when the tide is out. The area is part of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve and very popular with birdwatchers. On any given day you'll see people gazing through spotting scopes across the flat terrain. Groups of walkers often pass, although the Northumberland Coast Path doesn't actually skirt the shore here. It must be a popular deviation from the official route! We pulled over at the lengthy parking strip and Nicole began to assemble her new scope and tripod. The clarity and range is far better than what can be obtained from regular binoculars. Vague distant blobs in the viewfinder of the latter are transformed into readily identifiable birds by the superior lens. The downside of the scope is having to carry the kit around and also the process of setting up and dismantling. Nicole spotted a golden plover strutting along the shoreline and I captured it with my camera. This shy bird changes its plumage in winter and eats mainly worms, beetles and other insects. We drove back to the A1, being halted at one of the many level crossings in this neck of the woods. The East Coast Main Line slices through all the minor roads that run out to the coast. We left the dual carriageway at the turn-off for Ashington and Morpeth, the nearest large towns to our caravan park. We stopped at Asda on the outskirts of Ashington to stock up on provisions and navigated our way to Sandy Bay. Owned by Parkdean Resorts, the site had a very similar feel to Grannie's Heilan' Hame in Sutherland, where my folks had a static van for many years. We had booked this trip on Air B&B and were renting the accommodation from a private owner, rather than Parkdean itself. Our unit was parked on a slope and had a partial sea view. For those not familiar with statics, they are plumbed in and have gas and electricity supplies. The interior is like a small apartment. Lounge, kitchen, toilet & shower, double bedroom and twin room (essentially for kids). Insulation is extremely thin and October is realistically the last month of the year you can stay in comfort.

Towels, bedding and kitchen equipment were included in the hire. The lounge had a TV and a selection of board games and DVDs. Wi-fi was available down at the reception and entertainment block. Ominously, a major storm was forecast for our final day and we planned to do as much exploring as possible before the rain came. After unpacking and stocking the fridge, we cooked dinner then headed along to Newbiggin by the Sea as sunset approached. The small town had a lovely High Street and we parked by the Maritime Centre on the shore. The waves were crashing against the rocks, making weird and wonderful white shapes. The church overlooking the water was subtly lit by the fading sun. A real picture postcard scene. We wandered along the coastline and came across a natural phenomenon. A fine salty spray emerged from an opening on top of a large rock a couple of seconds after each wave struck the shore. The sea must have gouged out a passage below and the air pressure was creating a blow-hole effect. We watched the sun go down and returned to the caravan for the night. The itinerary for the first full day was nature themed. First of all, a beer run to Northumbrian Gifts in the industrial estate a few minutes from the campsite. Formed in 2004 to promote, distribute and retail the finest produce from the counties that once formed the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria, the business apparently offers the biggest selection of Northern English beers anywhere in the country. There were also a few ales from the Scottish border regions. I couldn't believe my luck when I searched for a local beer stockist and discovered it was virtually next door to our accommodation. The warehouse premises had a small retail store and the shelves sagged under the weight of bottles. Thankfully no new-fangled craft cans on display, just traditional refreshment. There must have been a couple of dozen breweries represented. Choice galore. I picked out eight beers of varying style and was delighted with my haul. The shop also sold preserves, biscuits, chocolate, candles and assorted snacks. There were also local maps and books on offer. We drove back to Newbiggin for a spot of birdwatching. It gave Nicole the opportunity to test the scope over a wild seascape.

We chatted to a couple of fellow birders who briefed us on the wildlife around these parts. We spotted golden plover (again), turnstone, low-flying cormorants and the perennial seaside favourite, the sanderling, scuttling along the beach in time honoured fashion. Out in the sea stood the Couple Sculpture, erected in 2008 by Sean Henry. The painted steel and bronze artwork stands 300 metres from the shore and depicts a man and woman on a raised platform, gazing towards the horizon. The overall height is 12 metres. I had a clear view through my binoculars and I also picked out the smaller version on land. Not really my thing, but if the sculpture brings people into the town then all is good. Leaving Newbiggin, we drove a few miles up the coast to Cresswell Pond Nature Reserve. We had been here the previous summer and were treated to the spectacle of several avocets, along with my first ever confirmed sighting of dunlin. Today the water level was much higher owing to the recent wet weather and a variety of ducks were swimming around. We had the spacious hide to ourselves and scanned the shallow brackish lagoon that lay before us. Formed as the result of collapsed mine workings, it provides a year-round haven for waders and the reserve is looked after by the NWT (Northumberland Wildlife Trust). Birdwatching is unpredictable. You can be observing a pleasant, if unremarkable scene when suddenly something catches your eye. Nicole identified a snipe nestled in the longer grass in the vicinity of the hide. The long straight bill is its trademark and this was only the third time I had seen this species. A medium-sized wader, the snipe feeds on small invertebrates and 80,000 pairs breed in the UK, with up to a million single birds spending the winter here. These numbers may sound healthy but the population has suffered a decline - particularly on wet grassland - and the conservation status is rated as amber. We observed the little chap for at least half an hour, quietly minding his own business. An experience that made our day.

Back at the caravan, we settled in for the evening and prepared a meal. The kitchen drawer lacked a small chopping knife and we had dropped into Asda to pick one up, only to discover buying a single vegetable knife is now forbidden and they only come in packs. An initiative to drive down crime. Really? They should try a similar strategy in America. No Sir, I'm not allowed to sell you this semi-automatic pistol on it's own. But if you'd like to buy five of them, you can arm your buddies as well. The next day was a little unsettled weather-wise. The forecast was for a bright afternoon and we opted for an indoor activity before lunch. The Newbiggin Maritime Centre is run by volunteers and offers a three-gallery museum, café, gift shop and a large function room. We bought a handful of postcards and paid £2 each to enter the museum. Newbiggin developed around the fishing trade and vast quantities of herring and salmon were transported by rail, bound for Newcastle and onwards to London. The industry clings on but has declined over the decades. Coal was mined in the area until the 1980s and the site of Woodhorn Colliery now hosts an excellent museum. Nicole and I visited after the lockdowns when we stayed in Amble, further up the coast. Tourism has always been important to Newbiggin and in Victorian times it was the most popular seaside destination in the county. Up to 30,000 people would throng the beach on a sunny bank holiday. The railway terminus closed in 1964 but most of the line from Newcastle remained in use for freight, mainly to supply the coal-fired Lynemouth Power Station (now converted to biomass). The good news for local commuters is that passenger services are set to resume in 2024 between Ashington and Newcastle, with a journey time of 35 minutes for the entire trip. The rails won't reach Newbiggin but the station at Ashington has been designed with possible future expansion in mind. Other towns served will be Bedlington and Blyth.

A traditional fishing vessel in northeast England is the coble. Unlike larger keelboats used for deep-sea expeditions, the coble is ideally suited to the inshore task of catching salmon, crabs and lobsters. In 1868, local fishermen helped bring the first telegraph cable from Scandinavia ashore. On land, the communications pipeline was placed in trenches that led to Cable House just off the promenade. To test the system, a telegram was sent to Queen Victoria. Although the technology seems remarkably quaint nowadays, it represented a huge leap forward in global connectivity at the time. Information could now be rapidly relayed between countries and even continents. Newbiggin has had a lifeboat station since 1851 and the volunteer crews have saved over 650 lives since the first rescue launch. Rocket signalling and sailing craft have given way to electronic navigation and high-speed engines but the fundamental principle of racing to aid those in difficulty hasn't changed. Rivalries at sea are put aside when life is in danger. The museum recounted several tales of heroism and an actual lifeboat was on display. The Mary Joicey (hand built in Fife) served from 1966 until 1981 and brought 90 people safely ashore. A large amount of material is contained within the galleries and the admission charge is modest. Highly recommended. Like all other British coastal resorts, Newbiggin has had to contend with changing holiday habits over the decades. Only time will tell if the "staycations" enforced by lockdown will have any lasting effect. By lunchtime the weather had cleared up and we headed along to Cresswell Beach, just a short distance from the hide where we had observed the snipe the previous day. Running around Druridge Bay and ringed by dunes, the vast beach spreads out for miles. We almost had the place to ourselves and met just a couple of dog walkers on the sands. Out in the sea, two guys were windsurfing. Propulsion certainly wasn't an issue today! We enjoyed a bracing walk and then popped over to the pools at the far end of Cresswell Reserve. The path was flooded and we retreated to the car, which led to an unnerving incident.

Turning right from the car park on to a country road, visibility to the left wasn't great and I had to creep forward. Meanwhile, I had already checked to the right and was absolutely certain the 200 yards of undulating road was unoccupied. I reached the point where I could see around the kink to my left and began pulling out, only for a sports car to appear from nowhere and squeeze past us on the wrong side of the road. A nasty collision was averted by inches. My only conclusion was the Porsche must have been flying along. Or could it have been hidden in a dip due to its low height? We emerged shaken, but unscathed. The onus is always on the driver joining the road to check both ways, but there must surely also be a responsibility to proceed at a sensible speed along a minor road. Next stop was the Widdrington Inn for dinner. We had eaten here on a previous trip to Northumberland and had been impressed with the large traditional country pub. A couple of real ales were on tap and the food was nice. I even got dessert for free as the apple crumble I ordered wasn't heated. The chef had forgotten to pop it in the microwave. We fully expected to spend our final full day indoors as Storm Babet was coming our way. Red weather warnings had been issued for the northeast of Scotland (two people would lose their lives) and Northumberland was preparing for an onslaught of wind and heavy rain. We hunkered down as the caravan was buffeted all day long. I don't mind being confined to barracks at home for a short spell. It can free up valuable reading and viewing time. Different matter on holiday however when you're paying good money to lounge about. The outlook for the next day wasn't encouraging, with more rain and flooding predicted. We therefore contacted the caravan owner to see if we could extend our stay, to which she agreed. Another day on the sofa, although we managed to get down to the site beach in the morning, during a break in the downpour. Huge waves were rolling in. We nipped along to a nearby convenience store for extra supplies and prepared to sit it out for another day. I later splashed my way to the reception block to download a few podcasts.

Everything was sodden on departure day but at least the rainfall had finally ceased. News of rare bird activity in Newbiggin had filtered through on Twitter and the seafront area was full of enthusiasts with their fancy equipment. Grey phalaropes had been spotted in the water close to the beach and their presence aroused great interest. I must confess I hadn't even heard of this bird, let alone know anything about its characteristics. Related to the sandpiper, the phalarope is an Arctic-breeding wader that sometimes visits the UK coast after storms. The meteorological theory was certainly proven in this instance! On average, 200 phalaropes are seen in British waters every year and the female is the more colourful. She leaves the male to incubate the eggs and bring up the young. Emancipation taken to the extreme. The phalarope feeds on plankton picked from the surface of the sea. We obtained a great view through the scope and ticked off another life spot. Back at the car park, a group of people with binoculars were clustered around a large bush. A firecrest was in the vicinity and I suddenly had the chance of seeing another new bird. I followed the general line of view and the diminutive chap appeared right in my lens. He even dipped his head to let me see the yellow and black stripe on top. The firecrest weighs just 6 grams and - along with the goldcrest - lays claim to the title of Britain's smallest bird. Subsisting on miniscule morsels, the restless firecrest flits through vegetation in search of its next snack. Two exotic species was an unexpected bonus at the end of the wet spell. The sightings certainly brightened up what was intended to be a routine travel day. It was time to hit the road and we stopped at Bamburgh to view the castle and beach (pictured above) before making the journey back to Scotland.