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At the Lindisfarne Inn on a rather flaky connection (so no pictures) waiting for the tide to fall far enough for us to cross the causeway home (I get a real buzz from saying 'home' there).
Yesterday from Berwick we headed towards Etal, plannng to lunch at the Heatherslaw Mill and then visit Etal Castle. And that's what we did,but not before screeching to a halt in Duddo at a sign promising us a stone circle. You park on the grass verge, and walk up broad field edge paths with the stones on a knoll on the horizon and the Cheviot behind you. The stones are wonderful weathered shapes with wide views to the hills - as well as the Cheviot itself we saw Yeavering Bell and the Eildon Hills, and a landscape of green fields, dark forests and splashes of luminous yellow where the rape is in bloom.
Etal Castle is small - a tower house which became one corner of a rectangular curtain wall, the curtain between the gatehouse and a vestigial third fortfied corner. The inner court now is grass, and the swallows zip to and fro across it. Less welcome, so do the jet planes (at a higher altitude, but so noisy that they're more intrusive).
And today we took the boat trip out to the Farnes. We chose the option of a trip that lands on Longstone, instead of going to Inner Farne - fewer birds, we reasoned, but hey, we'll see puffins in Iceland, and landing on Longhope is something we haven't done before. There was a low mist along stretches of the coast, which gave Bamburgh Castle a very dramatic air - and, as it happens, meant that the foghorn was sounding from Longhope and we weren't allowed into the lighthouse, so our brief landing was restricted to exploring as much of the island as isn't covered at high tide. But we saw plenty of birds from the boat, including (something I haven't seen before) lots of puffins on the water, their little red feet paddling like mad - especially when taking off. So we are happy, if slightly sunburned,
And the causeway should be open now, so it's time to go home to dinner.
Yesterday from Berwick we headed towards Etal, plannng to lunch at the Heatherslaw Mill and then visit Etal Castle. And that's what we did,but not before screeching to a halt in Duddo at a sign promising us a stone circle. You park on the grass verge, and walk up broad field edge paths with the stones on a knoll on the horizon and the Cheviot behind you. The stones are wonderful weathered shapes with wide views to the hills - as well as the Cheviot itself we saw Yeavering Bell and the Eildon Hills, and a landscape of green fields, dark forests and splashes of luminous yellow where the rape is in bloom.
Etal Castle is small - a tower house which became one corner of a rectangular curtain wall, the curtain between the gatehouse and a vestigial third fortfied corner. The inner court now is grass, and the swallows zip to and fro across it. Less welcome, so do the jet planes (at a higher altitude, but so noisy that they're more intrusive).
And today we took the boat trip out to the Farnes. We chose the option of a trip that lands on Longstone, instead of going to Inner Farne - fewer birds, we reasoned, but hey, we'll see puffins in Iceland, and landing on Longhope is something we haven't done before. There was a low mist along stretches of the coast, which gave Bamburgh Castle a very dramatic air - and, as it happens, meant that the foghorn was sounding from Longhope and we weren't allowed into the lighthouse, so our brief landing was restricted to exploring as much of the island as isn't covered at high tide. But we saw plenty of birds from the boat, including (something I haven't seen before) lots of puffins on the water, their little red feet paddling like mad - especially when taking off. So we are happy, if slightly sunburned,
And the causeway should be open now, so it's time to go home to dinner.
