Tuesday 22 May
An early start today! Cathy was up at 0445 - couldn't sleep, so she made a brew and I had mine laid in bed looking out over the fields. We had a very tasty cooked breakfast, cooked outside on our little gas stove with local sausages & bacon. The sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky. We were packed up and on the road by 0830, first stop Craster. We had the advantage of being the first vehicle in the car park, which meant not only could we chose our spot, but manoeuvring was very easy - top tip: get to your car park early to reduce driver stress! Craster is a small fishing harbour, but it's famous for its smokehouse & kippers in particular. We bought a dressed crab, smoked salmon, kipper pâté and, of course, one kipper to enjoy tonight. The great thing about the MH was that we were able to take these back and put them in the fridge before returning to the harbour. We stopped for a tea & coffee in the Shoreline Cafe. The Jolly Fisherman pub, opposite the smokehouse looked very nice with a fishy menu, but we wanted to move on.
Our next stop was Beadnell, to our next campsite. This appears to be a new C&C site; it's currently quite open but lots of trees have been planted and the site has some lovely views. However the staff knew nothing about the Privilege Scheme. But it is directly opposite the sea and Beadnell Bay has a beautiful, long sandy beach where we spent the rest of the day snoozing. Unfortunately the one shop in the village is only open 3 days a week and then only until midday, so we were unable to stock up. Luckily we bought our basics when topping up with fuel in Embleton; garages are another scarcity in this part of the world. But we forgave Beadnell this (and for hiding its one and only pub!) as the scenery is so lovely - add to that unbroken sunshine & clear blue (but very cold!) sea - and a very relaxing time was had. On our walk back we stopped to visit Ebb's Nook, a small outcrop pushing out to sea,on which once stood a Medieval chapel dating back to the 13th Century, and associated with St Ebba, a 7th Century Anglo-Saxon princess. Cathy's interested in archaeology and we recently watched Time Team dig in this very spot to uncover the chapel and several graves. Now back at the site, Cathy is soaking up the sun while I prepare dinner - all the lovely seafood we bought today, with a homemade garlic & lemon mayonnaise and some tomatoes, onion & aubergine roasting in the oven. I also 'found' a chilled bottle of sparkling Touraine in the bottom of the fridge which will accompany it perfectly! Following that we have some iced fruit cake with a strong brew to finish off the day. It's been hot but relaxing today, no doubt we'll be asleep early again.
Tomorrow is Cathy's birthday so she can finally open the presents & cards stowed away and her treat is a stop in Seahouses and a boat trip to the Farne Islands. Tomorrow night we stop at Waren Mill, near Bamburgh, with views over Holy Island. Right, must go, I can smell the roasted veg is nearly ready!
An early start today! Cathy was up at 0445 - couldn't sleep, so she made a brew and I had mine laid in bed looking out over the fields. We had a very tasty cooked breakfast, cooked outside on our little gas stove with local sausages & bacon. The sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky. We were packed up and on the road by 0830, first stop Craster. We had the advantage of being the first vehicle in the car park, which meant not only could we chose our spot, but manoeuvring was very easy - top tip: get to your car park early to reduce driver stress! Craster is a small fishing harbour, but it's famous for its smokehouse & kippers in particular. We bought a dressed crab, smoked salmon, kipper pâté and, of course, one kipper to enjoy tonight. The great thing about the MH was that we were able to take these back and put them in the fridge before returning to the harbour. We stopped for a tea & coffee in the Shoreline Cafe. The Jolly Fisherman pub, opposite the smokehouse looked very nice with a fishy menu, but we wanted to move on.
Our next stop was Beadnell, to our next campsite. This appears to be a new C&C site; it's currently quite open but lots of trees have been planted and the site has some lovely views. However the staff knew nothing about the Privilege Scheme. But it is directly opposite the sea and Beadnell Bay has a beautiful, long sandy beach where we spent the rest of the day snoozing. Unfortunately the one shop in the village is only open 3 days a week and then only until midday, so we were unable to stock up. Luckily we bought our basics when topping up with fuel in Embleton; garages are another scarcity in this part of the world. But we forgave Beadnell this (and for hiding its one and only pub!) as the scenery is so lovely - add to that unbroken sunshine & clear blue (but very cold!) sea - and a very relaxing time was had. On our walk back we stopped to visit Ebb's Nook, a small outcrop pushing out to sea,on which once stood a Medieval chapel dating back to the 13th Century, and associated with St Ebba, a 7th Century Anglo-Saxon princess. Cathy's interested in archaeology and we recently watched Time Team dig in this very spot to uncover the chapel and several graves. Now back at the site, Cathy is soaking up the sun while I prepare dinner - all the lovely seafood we bought today, with a homemade garlic & lemon mayonnaise and some tomatoes, onion & aubergine roasting in the oven. I also 'found' a chilled bottle of sparkling Touraine in the bottom of the fridge which will accompany it perfectly! Following that we have some iced fruit cake with a strong brew to finish off the day. It's been hot but relaxing today, no doubt we'll be asleep early again.
Tomorrow is Cathy's birthday so she can finally open the presents & cards stowed away and her treat is a stop in Seahouses and a boat trip to the Farne Islands. Tomorrow night we stop at Waren Mill, near Bamburgh, with views over Holy Island. Right, must go, I can smell the roasted veg is nearly ready!
