Build that wall....

Wednesday, June 19: Angles are attitude ... 

Amble - Corbridge, 70 km

8:30 am departure with the bikes all washed and serviced and rearing to go... well, they are almost rearing when going up hill with the loaded panniers...

We are angling inland and away from the coast... the Coast and Castles route continues a little more down the coast to finish at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. We have made the executive decision to avoid the busyness of Newcastle city at the expense of missing a small section of the end of the Coast and Castles, and also a small start section of our next route which is the East coast to West coast Hadrian's Wall route. This will be the third time for the trip we have crossed coast to coast from the East to the West!

Wound our way on quiet roads, except during school run hour which we struck on the outskirts of Amble. We also got stopped at a rail crossing for 2 passenger trains to whizz by. We took the opportunity whilst we were stopped to remove jackets and just as we were ready to set off again... the barrier dropped again and 2 more trains whizzed by! A busy line obviously.. all the trains we are seeing are passenger, have yet to note a freight train. The farmland is mainly cropping, some huge farmhouses/shed complexes.

We stopped at Bolam Lake Country Park, a lake and walking trail woodland area that was designed and built by a landscape architect in 1816 for the landowner of Bolam estate. The landowner wanted to provide work for the local populace during a period of economic decline... so they built the lake over 3 years and then all in the community were allowed to enjoy its amenities.

Not far from here we visited Belsay Hall, castle and gardens. The castle was built in 1370 as a 3 story castle with Pele Tower for defence. Owned by the Middleton family that owned Belsay estate. In 1614 a manor house was added to the castle before the complex was abandoned in the early 1800's. This was because the then owner, Charles Monck (who was married to a Middleton), wanted to build Belsay Hall following his impressions whilst spending 2 years honeymooning in Greece... all right for some! (thought he had to have a pita that...) (Editors note:... oh dear, our Apollo-gies for that).

Once built the hall was used as the family residence and remained as such for the Middleton family until 1962, at which stage dry rot was becoming a problem (the house, not the family).

The hall and adjoining stables had been requisitioned during WWII, which actually sped up the deterioration. Now the hall still looks good on the bottom floor but the top floors are all gutted and are a no-go zone. As it is so eloquently described the hall is officially "maintained in a condition of benign decay"

The land between the Hall and the old castle was a huge stone quarry where the stone for the buildings came from. One of the Middleton stewardships planted some notable trees in this area and then successive generations continued to plant around the quarry area... making a Rhododendron dell along with extensive terraced gardens and a croquet pitch.

Our visit was a very enjoyable way to fill in an hour or two and break the day's ride. The wealth that existed in those times is mind boggling really. All these estate houses have a village nearby that would have housed the staff. The Middleton family still own the estate, whilst it is managed by English Heritage.

As we are cycling through the countryside it is becoming noticeable how many of the old stables and farm buildings have been converted to housing, obviously reasonably recently.

We hit some head wind as the day progressed and we continued to ride through farmland on undulating quiet roads to reach our nights stop at Corbridge, a town on Hadrian's Wall. The roadsides as we are riding are becoming noticeably tidier as many have been mown rather than wild growing. Staying in an AirBnB room in a family home, which is a lovely setup. Dinner at a nearby recommended pub. Corbridge is a lovely town with the town square situated just beside the River Tyne.

Both of us got a bit of sun/wind burn today... apart from the days in Inverness this is probably the first day that it has been possible.

Thursday, June 20: Couldn't conquer the blue sky....

Corbridge - Haltwhistle, 39 km

After a lovely breakfast (unusual for an AirBnB to provide breakfast, despite the name!) we were on the road by 9:15 and rode to the Coria Roman Fort some 2 or 3 km's out of Corbridge. Sat in the sun and were the first visitors for the day through the door at opening time of 10 am.

Whilst not directly part of Hadrian's Wall this fort was one of a series of forts that the Roman Army built from 85 AD, in order to protect vital crossroads and a bridge over the River Tyne. The fort was abandoned by the army in 200 AD but continued to be the base for a town for over another 250 years.

A number of artifacts have been recovered from the site and are housed in the on-site museum. The original fort would have been timber but was then built over with stone. Although the land now looks uneven it would have initially been flat. The excavation done shows how drainage had been done, granaries with raised floors, a bath house site in a paddock beyond etc... they had all the mod-cons.

A very interesting visit before we rode on to the town of Hexham some 6 km's away. Hexham Abbey is the most notable building, built as a monastry in 674, the crypt of which survives and incorporates many stones taken from nearby Roman Fort sites... possibly the Corbridge fort and/or Hadrians Wall itself. The current building dates from 1170-1250 and is a massive structure... with the organ playing when we visited it certainly had a sombre but stately atmosphere.

Lunched near the town square and then retrieved our bikes from their Tesco supermarket parking spot. Quite a lengthy hill of some 5-6 km then ensued before we dropped rapidly to Vindolanda, a bigger Roman Fort that is undergoing further archeological excavation over time. We didn't visit but just peered over the fence at it... a very popular site with lots of tourists wandering around. 

It was a climb out of there to arrive at a road intersection that had a little rental car stopped with a flat tyre and 2 puzzled ladies. A chance for Noel to put his hero cape on, leap off his bike and prove it is not just bike tyres he specialises in!! The 2 US ladies were the support crew for a USA scout group that are walking Hadrian's Wall, and were very, very grateful for the help.

Another 12 km to our nights accommodation at the town of Haltwhislte, down, up, then down, up... passing silage being harvested and one herd of dairy cows. Although this section of cycling is the Hadrian's Wall route... we are yet to see the actual wall!... does it exist or is it an elaborate tourist scam?

Friday, June 21: Another brick in the wall...

Haltwhislte - Bowness-on-Solway, 69 km

No breakfast was provided today by our apartment this morning so it was a little tricky getting our muesli mix into cups... but needs must. On the road, and path, by 8:30 with our first photo stop being the Thirwall Castle ruins from a distance before onwards looking for the elusive wall... which we found.

Hadrian's Wall is a former defensive fortification for the Roman province of Britannia, construction begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor of Rome Hadrian. Running from the east coast of England, at Wallsend, for 170km across the width of the country to the west coast at Bowness-on-Solway. It was a stone wall with large ditches in front and behind with soldiers garrisoned in the large forts along the line of the wall. In addition to the wall's defensive role it may have also been used as a customs barrier. Principally erected to stem the marauding raiders who lived in the northern, unconquered, Caledonia lands.

We had a great stop at Birdoswald Roman Fort, it is one of the best preserved forts along the wall and is also attached to one of the longest stretches of remaining wall. The fort was occupied AD 126 - 400 and the wall was originally turf but was upgraded to rock around AD 130.

This is the only site on the wall where a significant unbroken sequence of occupation after the Romans departed, has been proven. There are still excavations happening outside the fort wall and we were lucky enough with our timing to be able to take part in a tour explaining what was happening. Along with the regular tour guide there was also great information given by an Archeology Professor from Newcastle University who had students digging out a bathhouse area. It has been an ongoing project for 4 years and he advised that in 3 weeks time after the students leave the whole site will be covered over again!! It is too impractical to try and leave it exposed and preserve it so it will be recorded forever in minute detail but once again will be returned to below ground!

A large house/castle had been built on the site in the 1800's, the then owner had done initial excavations after finding walls as he was digging gardens... little did he know the extent of what lay underground.

We carried on to Brompton where a queue outside a butchers/pie shop looked promising... and we were proved right with yummy pies for lunch. From there an up and down ride of 30 kms to reach Carlisle. The route took us right beside Carlisle castle so it would have been rude not to visit. 

The castle was built from 1012, upgraded to stone construction 1122 and became the centre of war and invasions following. 1745-6 it was the last English fortress to undergo a siege. After this time period it became neglected with some parts being demolished and/or converted into army barracks. With new buildings added the castle actually remained a depot of the border regiment until 1959. We had a very quick look, mainly around the ramparts, as it was closing for the day.

Struck a bit of road competition, congestion, getting out of Carlisle as it was 5pm and then a slog into a head/cross wind to get to Bowness-on-Solway. Quite an interesting ride as it traverses tidal flats, the road can flood in exceptionally high tides so is signposted with frequent warnings and some shelter spots. There was a Peacock wandering on the road in one of the villages... not sure of its chances in rush hour traffic!

Bowness (as the name is shortened to) is a coastal village with Scotland just over the Solway tidal inlet... in fact the inlet, although wide, was bridged to connect the 2 into the late 1800's. A railway viaduct was opened in 1869 but was susceptible to damage from floating ice, so after high repair and maintenance requirements it was closed in 1921.

The village is frequented, particularly by walkers who are traversing coast to coast along the wall, as being near the western start point of Hadrian's Wall. The physical wall did start here, but also Roman defensive towers continued down the coast to Maryport.

Saturday, June 22: Coast end...

Bowness-on-Solway - Maryport, 58 km

A start in hot pleasant weather at 9:30 am and followed both coastal and slightly inland, mostly quiet, roads. Biking through farmland... a lot of crop; wheat, barley, oats, oilseed rape and maize/corn. The still small corn is planted in rows of plastic covered ground, for faster growth we are guessing. Not sure if the crop is for human or animal consumption. We had noticed the same system in Scotland also. A small amount of stock grazing, cows and sheep, and a lot of sheds with dairy cattle inside. Also lots of silage/baleage being made... tis the season.

We stopped for lunch in Silloth, a cute port town and a good example of a Victorian seaside resort. The sea frontage/promenade was concrete stepped right along.. but with a cold wind coming up and the tide coming in and turning the sea a shade of brown it sadly didn't look very appealing! Silloth is a relatively young town established in the 1860's to replace Port Carlisle as the deep sea port due to silting at Carlisle.

Also some ex RAF bases here, the huge hangers now being used as commercial premises and/or shedding.

Continued on through farmland and along a coastal pathway. The tide was now well in and obviously a good kite surfing destination as there was a lot out trying their best. However it still didn't look that appealing mainly due to the cold wind (so much for the hot start to the day). A reliably windy area as there is a large wind farm out in the Solway firth, called Robin Rigg, which is Scotland's first offshore wind farm constructed in 2009/10. Scotland certainly looks close!!!

Tonight we are in the coastal town of Maryport after arriving by riding along the lengthy paved promenade. The town was originally established in 122 AD as a command and supply base for the western extremity of the Hadrians Wall defensive line. No wall existed down this far on the coast but rather a series of towers and small forts... since christened "fortlets" (certainly sound cute?, hard to tell as not much left of them).

Our hotel tonight isn't quite as old as the town but certainly portrays an aged appearance! But cheap, clean, super friendly staff and our steeds tucked away in a corner of the dining room.... what more does one need!

We seemed to be in a headwind today, although shelter was provided in a lot of places due to gorse beside some of the roadside paths, so a bit harder work. Staying in a cheap and cheerful pub, we wonder how some of these places keep going as they need a lot of maintenance and are not very busy... but certainly clean and adequate.

Also noticing the drivers are becoming a bit less patient than the Scottish drivers, still courteous but their passing is a bit quicker and less concerned about oncoming traffic etc. We have been told it will change even more as we head south... time will tell, we will just remember not to end up on the M1.

Farewell Scotland, Hello England

Saturday, June 15: The Parting Glass

Edinburgh - Dunbar, 55 km

The rain has gone, for now...

9:15 am departure from the youth hostel and followed some quiet streets and walkways to get out of Edinburgh central very easily. Stopped at a bike/auto shop we passed and purchased a replacement bottle holder for one that had broken as well as a padded seat cover for Caro's bike to see if it helps the tender butt.

Hit the east coast and biked along the busy esplanade's through Portobello, then Musselbourgh and Seaton...rather familiar sounding names !! Being a weekend and a reasonable morning there were lots and lots of people out and about, walking dogs, biking, running etc. All lovely looking seaside towns.We also seem to be following "Scotland's Golf Coast" road for a while.

Turned inland at Longniddry and found a bakery/sandwich bar for lunch, a busy spot in a lovely little building near a railway station. From there we followed a rail trail pretty much all the way to the town of Haddington... a very pretty town of buildings from the 1700-1800's. 

Then back onto quiet back roads to a stop at Hailes Castle. The castle was built around 1240, enlarged in the 1300/1400's then abandoned by the then owners in the 1700's for a more modern house elsewhere on the estate.  Not so much of the original left although it is being investigated by archeologists and conservators of "Historic Scotland". The castle has associations with Mary Queen of Scot's and also Oliver Cromwell.

Cycled onward through the town of Linton, another pretty town, and visited the Preston Mill nearby. The last working water driven mill in an area that once had more than 40 mills on a 20 mile stretch of the River Tyne (small Tyne River). Now owned by Historic Scotland.

Our timing was perfect as we were able to join a guided tour through the mill, which was working minus the grain and associated dust!. The kiln building on the side of the mill looks like something out of Harry Potter, similar to an Oast house but because of subsidence it had been propped up over the years with stone walls which gives it a somewhat comical look.

A very interesting tour by a great guide. One aspect was the various sayings used even today in everyday language that derived from the old mills. 

• Milling about - when the community came to collect their flour, and stood talking/catching up on gossip
• Daily grind - literally what it means, everyday the same operation to grind the grain
• Nose to the grindstone - the miller would smell the stone and would know if something was amiss
• Come to a grinding halt - end of day when they stopped the water flow to the wheel, it slowly stopped the whole mill operation
• Spanner in the works - literally if a major issue and they needed to stop the water wheel quickly, they threw a spanner into the sprockets
• Damsel in distress - the damsel was a small bell mounted on the shafts that sounded should something go out of balance
• Rule of thumb - gap between settings
• Show us your metal - the miller would ask to see the arms of the travelling tradesmen that came to sharpen items, the metal flakes from the sharpening would have embedded and discoloured the arms and hence prove how qualified they were

and others!

Back on the bikes and quiet roads and paved paths beside the more busy roads to arrive at Dunbar Beach and follow past a stunning golf course to Dunbar township. Our accommodation for the night is a newish hostel, housed in a 1700's building, which is now very high spec and decorated in a retro manner... all very nice and great helpful owner. All private rooms, with bathrooms shared between every 2 bedrooms.

After the obligatory shower and cuppa it was time for a walk before dinner. Close walkway down to the sea front then past Cromwell Quay to the harbour. A walled harbour at the end of which was the Dunbar Battery which was constructed 1803-1815 for the Napoleonic Wars, although not a shot was ever fired from it. In 1874 it became a hospital for infectious diseases, then an auxiliary hospital in 1914 for WWI soldiers. From then it had a brief stint as emergency housing until it was deemed unsafe for human occupation.

In the early 2000's it was repaired and reopened for display purposes. 

From there it was a short stroll to the end of the harbour walls to look at the remains of Dunbar castle across from the harbour entrance. The castle, originally a fort in the 600's, was rebuilt in stone in 1071 and was then referred to as a castle. Over history it has had several battles for it's ownership, on 2 different occasions the Scot's damaged it so that the English couldn't use it.

In 1500 it was rebuilt by James IV and extended. 1567 the Scottish parliament ordered it's destruction as it's very strategic position caused issues... it finally met its demise permanently when blasting occurred to open the new entrance to the harbour. However it still serves a valuable hospitality role as home to hundred's of herring gulls.

Our visits to recommended pubs proved difficult with them being fully booked, and the queue for the fish and chip shop was out the door. So we resorted to a slightly off the wall burger joint, such delicacies as Spam burger, Bangers and Egg burger, Chilli con carne and nachos burger, triple meat burger etc, but the "normal" ones we got were delicious!

Our final stop for the night was the Black Agnes pub... our last night in Scotland so a celebration was needed. A long story with the name Black Agnes, the countess of Dunbar 1312-1369, who along with her maids and small handful of soldiers defended the castle from the English over a 5 month period whilst her husband was away on a work trip (ie fighting somewhere else!). An embarrassing defeat for the English.

But... back to the celebration... a wee dram was in order. After explaining to the friendly barmaid the reasoning, and our Scottish heritage not wanting to spend all our pennies, a very tasty Loch Lomond whiskey was enjoyed.

We have absolutely loved Scotland, the people and the scenery have not disappointed.... soraidh!

Sunday, June 16: Across the Border

Dunbar - Cheswick, 67 km

Left Dunbar 9 am after a self help breakfast at the hostel. Cycling close to the coast along road then cycle/walk path beside the railway line. Passing farmland, mainly crops of Barley and Potatoes which is about all we recognised. Later in the day it was Oats and some Oil seed rape as well. Cycled close by Torness nuclear power plant as well as thete being a wind farm in the distance.

Back onto road and wound our way down into Pease Bay, which is a surfing spot for Scotland so there were 4 or 5 hopeful surfers out... however it looked like very calm conditions. There was a very large static caravan park which seemed to fill the entire cove! Crossed a ford in the road before we had to climb back out of the bay... and it was steep so a lot of pushing of our steeds occurred. Once up the steep section it then turned into a very long climb but quite a gentle gradient for most of the remainder.

Once at the top there was another wind farm, this time with sheep grazing amongst it. We dropped down to the coastal town of Eyemouth just as some rain was starting. Eyemouth is built around a harbour so a fishing village... although we didn't sight see much. Lunch, and toilet stop (as the public loo's all seemed to be out of order or locked) was higher on the priority list and a handy cafe did the trick!

A climb out of Eyemouth, in multiple stages, via farmland of sheep, cattle and crop. Travelling through the Border area and the agriculture appears to be more intensive than what we have largely seen (although parts north of Inverness looked very intensive also so a broad statement!). Sheep all shorn and some properties at an obviously higher stocking rate. Lots of lovely rolling country, although it was raining lightly so didn't dawdle to admire for too long.

We arrived at Berwick-upon-Tweed, a coastal town at the mouth of the Tweed river. An impressive rail viaduct completed in 1850 as well as remnants of the city wall. Also a castle ruins but we missed that as it was "off piste" a little. Being a border fortress town it had see-sawed between English and Scottish rule for centuries... although the Engish won out and it has been in their territory since 1482.

Because of the rain we didn't explore too much, but did find a cafe with cake!! Due to the fact, although we have no photographic proof, that Noel spotted a sign yesterday suggesting for every 1 hour biking a person deserves one piece of cake... most days we are biking for 5 hours.... ummm?

Left the town/city over one of their impressive bridges, passed the port and then following the coast. A coastal path this time, rougher gravel which turned into a grass track before back onto sealed private road then paved path. The lighter rain of the day has turned heavier, but not cold.

Deviated off the route to bike up to our hotel for the night, a pub more or less in the middle of nowhere but it is located beside the busy A1 highway hence it's location. 6.5 km from Berwick it is called "The Island View" and yes, if you peer into the distance amongst the clouds, and around some trees, you get a glimpse of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne... our destination tomorrow morning, tide dependent...

Good to get here and out of the rain, although it hasn't been too bad. A very welcoming host and a decent pub meal so lovely... and it is ideally placed for our plans so perfect. The sun is forecast for tomorrow.

As we have been cycling over the last couple of days there has been some quite impressive stone walls by the road... we can't always see what lurks behind but do know there must be some huge houses/mansions/castles... landowners of the past and maybe still the same families.

Getting directions!

Monday, June 17: Tides wait for no man...

Cheswick - Seahouses, 51 km

Our bikes are packed and ready to go before breakfast at 8:30 am (hotel didn't do any earlier) as we are on a schedule this morning to cross the causeway to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne before 10:20 am. 

A quick downhill section to rejoin the coastal grass path along the sea front. We did miss a turn however just after crossing a wetland bridge so ended up pushing the bikes on an uneven, very squishy underfoot, walking trail.

Easily made the cut off time, as the tide comes in it covers the causeway that links the island to the mainland. The judgement is however left to self determination, no manned control or lights, or barriers of any sort. BUT... there is videos of people being badly caught out if they misjudge!

Lindisfarne/Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD as an important centre of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan and Cuthbert. Originally home to a monastry founded in 634, which was destroyed in the 800's by a Viking invasion. It was rebuilt in 1150.

There is also a castle on the island built in the 1500's as a fort by the English to keep the Scot's at bay. It's need declined when the 2 countries joined in 1707. It was subsequently utilised as a coastguard lookout before once again becoming unused. A private individual purchased the property and did substantial renovations to make it a holiday home. It is now owned by the National Trust and is a popular attraction.

Although it was meant to be a lovely sunny day by the time we left the castle light rain was falling. Lunched in a cafe and wandered the village a little as we waited for the tide to drop at Iabout 2 pm. No problem with our exit, although yes the tide had definitely been over the causeway! Interesting to see coastal walkers crossing the mudflats, there is a shelter on poles halfway across in case they get caught out... but why wouldn't they just follow the road???

Following cycle route #1 on undulating roads through farmland of mainly cropping, although some sheep and cattle were spotted.

We arrived in the village of Bamburgh for a look at Bamburgh Castle... and you can hardly miss it! A very dominant feature on the coast it started life as a fort also. After it was destroyed by the Vikings in 993 a new castle was built in the 1100's, part of which still stands today. In 1894 the castle was purchased by William Armstrong, a victorian industrialist who did a complete restoration. It remains in Armstrong family ownership with the fifth generation now living there.

We walked around the base of the castle, including along the beach. Very impressive! From there a quick bike to the town of Seahouses which is where we are staying tonight. A lovely meal overlooking the harbour of Seahouses, although you would hardly describe it  as a pretty town due to a bit of a mish-mash of building ages and architecture.

During our cycling today we spotted seals off the coast, as well as a roadkill badger.

Sand... Castle (Bamburgh)

Tuesday, June 18: Coast and Castles continued...

Seahouses - Amble, 44 km

Left the lovely, and very efficiently run, by a young family, B and B about 9:15 am after waiting a while for the rain to stop as was forecast, which it did once on the road.

Riding through farmland, still mostly cropping of barley, wheat, oilseed rape. We are following the suggested Coast and Castles route through Northumberland and it is stunning!! Like all the cycle routes it is largely on quiet B roads in combination with paved and unpaved paths of varying surface, lots of fun!

A very quick stop at Pele Tower an original Preston House with 2 turrets built for protection/defence and a residence in 1415. Following the beginning of a potential England/Scotland union in 1603 half of the tower house was demolished as a sign of peace time and goodwill. The clock in the remaining standing tower was installed in 1864.

After a couple of stops at railway crossings... a lot of trains passing through, a chap we talked to yesterday said a London bound train departed Edinburgh every 30 minutes, and vice versa, plus all the regular commuter trains etc... we arrived at Dunstan Steads, one of the access points to Dunstanburgh Castle. We however decided to ignore that access point and cycled on to the town of Craster instead.

We parked up the bikes (ie, put them through the pedestrian only gate and locked them to a fence) and walked via fields of sheep, along with lots of other people, to Dunstanburgh Castle (ruins). First established in 1313 by Thomas Earl of Lancaster on an existing fort site, predominantly for protection but also as an ostentatious showing of wealth and influence. Didn't do the Earl much good though as he was executed in 1322... perhaps there is a lesson there for some in society!!

The castle was deteriorating by the 16th century and was sold from the Crown to private ownership in 1604, and was described as becoming "increasingly ruinous" throughout the centuries. During WWII in 1939 it became an observation post and is now owned by the National Trust. 

It is quite a spectacle on a stunning coastline and well worth the visit. We lunched in Craster, but not on a famous Craster Kipper.... cause they gotta have 'em in Texas.... 

Turning into a nice day, jackets off even, which was great. Route for a while followed a coastal walk path which at first was a muddy, puddled, manure carting farm track complete with the smells of the country! It turned into a better track after plunging to a sea cove, across a swing bridge and back up. Onto road and path once more beside the road to Warkworth. Stop at a cake shop for fortification (remember one for every hour) then a walk around Warkworth Castle.

A ruined medieval castle whose age is somewhat indeterminable but likely during the 1100's. Originally a timber structure and considered "feeble" so it was left undefended when the Scot's invaded in 1173.

Over the years however it was strengthened and enlarged into an imposing structure. By 1550 it once again had fallen into disrepair although there was still timber and furnishings for the local population to pillage. As the English/Scottish amalgamation became formalised the castle was largely abandoned and any effort went into maintaining the nearby Alnwick Castle. Warkworth Castle is now managed by English Heritage although it is still officially owned by the Percy family, the 12th Duke of Northumberland is the lastest in the family line of ownership since 1377.

We had debated about also visiting Alnwick Castle but it was slightly off our track... and every km is precious!! No, it actually sounds lovely, is still lived in etc, but is somewhat overrun by tourists, and a reasonably high entrance fee, as it is known as the Harry Potter Castle. Since the movies the visitor numbers jumped from 200,000 a year in 2006 to 600,000 in 2016!!). It does however provide such entertainment as Broomstick Flying lessons which did nearly sway our opinion until we read it was for under 13 year olds. Although this trip has likely changed our appearance we don't think it is in that direction sadly...

3 or 4 km more saw us arrive at our accommodation in the seaside town of Amble. A hostel where we were met by a lovely receptionist who showed us all the facilities then pronounced... "right, since you are the only guests I am off home now, enjoy your night".

We were somewhat dumbfounded, the only guests in a 3 year old, 3 story complex capable of sleeping 50 to 60 people. A lovely building overlooking a picturesque marina, fantastic facilities of large lounge, huge kitchen, fully equipped bike storage workshop (which Noel utilised) ... amazing although slightly spooky at the same time as being surreal. Bonus of being able to use a washing machine and get it all dry super quick in the upstairs boiler room.

Fish and Chips for dinner as this is our last night on the east coast of the UK for this trip. Eaten in the hostel after buying at a traditional, and very popular, chippie shop who proudly proclaim "all our products are cooked in beef dripping"

The Northumberland coast is very scenic and lovely riding. The islands off the coast have different bird populations, including Puffin's, so are popular with a couple of port towns having busy tour boat operations in place. Given the ride is branded Coast and Castles it has been fun, and we made the most of being able to visit the castles whilst it is still not peak tourist season.