St Oswald's Way 15

Golfer's bridge, Warkworth golf club.

One of the nicest days of the summer made this walk special. As we had friends with us we left one car at Alnmouth and the other near Warkworth giving a linear walk for a change. The whole of this section of St Oswald's Way passes through designated sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). These take in the sea shore and beach, with the dunes and salt marshes behind. The southernmost SSSI, Warkworth Dunes and Saltmarsh stretches from the Coquet estuary at Amble northwards to Birling village. The middle SSSI named Northumberland Shore includes Birling Carrs, a small rocky headland which divides the beaches of Warkworth and Alnmouth. The furthest north, Alnmouth Salt Marsh and Dunes finishes at Alnmouth, and gives great views of the stunning salt marsh round the estuary of the river Aln.



We shared the first part of the walk with Warkworth 9-hole golf club, on Birling Links. Links, a Scottish word meaning coastal sand dunes, has become synonymous with coastal golf courses. They attract golfers because low accurate shots are needed to cope with the windy conditions. However walkers and golfers make uneasy bedfellows whether the balls are low or high, and we left the golf course with relief when the right of way turned under a pretty wooden bridge 'linking' the greens at the northern end.

Birling Carrs rocks

Walking past Birling Carrs the tide was out, and many terns were diving in the sea. About 15 ducks clustered on one of the rocks. We pondered their identity - were they eiders? In breeding plumage the male eider is unmistakable, a large, mainly black and white duck with beautiful green neck markings and a creamy-pink breast. Although the right shape and size, these ducks were disappointingly brown. A few sported white patches. However female and juvenile male eiders are brown, and white patches (on the wing) signify mature males in 'eclipse'. This happens in July and August, when the birds moult and are temporarily flightless.


Coquet island in the distance

The next part of the walk was a lazy ramble along the superb Alnmouth Bay beach, backed by dunes. The tough marram grass helps to keep these dunes from disintegrating. Resolve crumbled as we stopped many times to enjoy he summer's day. The nature reserve of Coquet Island beckoned invitingly to the south-east, another day's goal. When they were little our children called this Coconut Island, the destination of Allan Ahlberg's Master Salt the Sailor's Son.



Sea aster

Tearing ourselves away from the beach we turned inland to the salt marshes round the estuary of the Aln, The marshes are covered at high tide, and the conditions favour a distinct micro-ecology. That afternoon they were covered in sea asters and glasswort. The latter is a kind of edible samphire, which tastes like a cross between salty spinach and asparagus. Mmm. (No I didn't eat any but I have done in Cumbria.) The estuary attracts waders - there were many oystercatchers, and excitingly a flock of redshanks, which took off and wheeled low over the marsh before landing on the water's edge to feed on cockles, marine snails and other marine life. A cooperation between farmers and government has seen the dismantling of farmer's walls built to protect the fields from the tide, and the expansion of the marsh. The results are one of the most precious habitats on the coast. This is the biggest salt marsh between the Berwick and the Tees estuary.

The village of Alnmouth looks beautiful in the sun from the path round the estuary, and Tim couldn't walk past the pub courtyard serving tea and cakes. What a great way to end the day.




Alnmouth village

St Oswald's Way

Last weekend saw our 13th expedition on St Oswald's Way, and we're half way there. Slow progress but we spend a lot of time routefinding, photographing and Peter in particular passes a lot of time waiting for me! Our walks tend to average 5-6 miles in two to three hours.

This time the start was about a kilometre into Rake's Lane near Acklington Park farm. We had been warned that this walk to Warkworth was a bit of a trudge across flat fields. It started to rain on cue five minutes after departure with ominous dark grey clouds to the south, thunder rumbling in the direction of Ashington. However the attractive Rake Lane (see picture) lined with meadowsweet and meadow cranesbill provided shelter from the worst of the downpour.

Reaching the end the track turned North towards New Barns over land reclaimed in the 90s from opencast mining, and we were rewarded with our first view of the sea on St Oswald's Way. The sun came out, lighting up a field of ripe wheat backed by the dunes east of Warkworth. If we hadn't been doing this walk south to north, the 'wrong' way, this moment would have been lost.

The very good cafe in Warkworth, which was closed last time we came because it was after 4.30pm was... closed again because it was Tuesday! However the village is a tourist honeypot and we went elsewhere for tea.

Returning by a different route, we set off upstream . The path alongside the Coquet has calm waters and rowing boats for hire, with Warkworth Castle to the south. It stops at Warkworth Hermitage, an ancient ruin again closed. After this the Coquet has to be crossed twice. The first was no problem, a big ugly concrete footbridge giving a dry-shod crossing. After this the right of way passed through a locked gate opening onto a field of frisky piebald horses, whose owner assured us the path was overgrown and full of brambles. Needless to say it wasn't, but it did lead down to the second river crossing, about twenty metres wide and thigh-deep. Off came the boots and then trousers. Tiny fish tickled the ankles. We were very near the craggy banks with ancient cup and ring marks.

The thought of Morwick ice-cream parlour kept us going, and once across we headed for raspberry and chocolate ices, after which we made short work of the last 2 miles, crossing the main Edinburgh to London railway taking note of the alarming signage - Take Care! Trains in excess of 100 mph on the line! The final wood which borders the Coquet at Morwick Banks had a pheasant hatchery, with high wire netting keeping the young pheasants from straying, presumably to be loosed on the guns after the glorious twelfth. No trudge this, but a walk with variety and views.

Introducing rambling northumberland

This blog is a natural continuum of my wildlife blog, but with a wider remit, as I wanted to record not only the wildlife I see on my perambulations round the county, but also comment on routes, the aesthetic appeal of this lovely county we live in, and observations on environmental issues and even historical asides, (although having gained my least prestigious O level pass in history I cannot claim to be an expert ).

For the last year and 8 months Peter, my husband, and I have been doing short walks along the route of Saint Oswald's Way going South to North (from Heavenfield to Holy Island). As we are usually alone we do a circuit rather than a linear walk, and we try to use alternative paths to the official way on the return leg of the walk. This can often result in battling our way through rights of way which have fallen into disuse. Some of the blog entries will record our St Oswald's waying, others will reflect on shorter walks we do, usually in the local area.