{"id":4463,"date":"2023-10-12T17:45:50","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T17:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=4463"},"modified":"2025-12-24T22:28:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T22:28:02","slug":"6-nunnykirk-to-the-bitter-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=4463","title":{"rendered":"6. NUNNYKIRK TO THE BITTER END!"},"content":{"rendered":"

[pmb_print_buttons]<\/p>\n

In Morpeth, as well as getting ‘flu jabs, Autumn Covid boosters and heaps of tablets we also visited the hotel where we held our wedding breakfast.\u00a0 The Queens Hotel.\u00a0 Except it has now been re-purposed as a posh caf\u00e9 and gin bar.\u00a0 It also has a snazzy new name – “Pleased To Meet You” or PTMY as it’s known locally.\u00a0 Very nicely done out it is, too.\u00a0 But as with all places like this, it has attracted a class of people “working-on-someone-else’s-electricity-and-internet” while occupying a table for four, only drinking one coffee an hour and annoying real customers with over-loud business calls.\u00a0 (A bit like me at the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle – but at least I had a bacon sandwich with my coffee!)<\/p>\n

When we got home from Corbridge (with the over-size parcel which has had to be moved in and out of the caravan\/every day since!) the omens were good.<\/p>\n

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“Red sky at night, shepherds’ delight…” and all that.\u00a0 We need a dry day to take the awning down before we move on Monday.\u00a0 However, Saturday dawned a bit murky.\u00a0 Distinctly damp.\u00a0 \u00a0Definitely drizzley.\u00a0 So, we decided to visit Wallington Hall (a National Trust property just down the road).<\/p>\n

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Apparently, we had chosen the busiest day of the year to visit!\u00a0 A damp, weekend day (a sort of “where can we take the kids today, day”), coinciding with a free visit deal sponsored by a national newspaper!\u00a0 Still, it’s a big place and most of the families with children seemed to favour the tearooms, the shop, the icecream stall, the pizza kitchen and the gardens.\u00a0 So the house was remarkably un-busy!<\/p>\n

The garden had some weird animals lurking!<\/p>\n

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… and some monstrous (out of season) snowdrops!<\/p>\n

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A good mission, finished with a shared icecream as the sun came out.\u00a0 Home to take the awning down ready for departure on Monday.<\/p>\n

Before leaving we had another Sunday lunch at the Three Wheatheads, this time with Peter, Ailsa and Andrew.\u00a0 The Nunnykirk site closes on Monday, and we are going to be the last people to leave!\u00a0 The bitter end has arrived!<\/p>\n

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But not the end of the tour which continues at Craster about 20 miles away on the coast.<\/p>\n

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Life’s a beach up here.\u00a0 Miles of sand.\u00a0 Miles of coastal path.\u00a0 Constructively renamed from the “Northumberland Coast Path” to the “England Coast\u00a0 Path”.\u00a0 Excellent use of resources!\u00a0 Shame they didn’t add the distances to the next points of interest!\u00a0 That would have been useful!<\/p>\n

We walked from Budle Bay to Bamburgh one day.\u00a0 On the way we met a couple of brain surgeons (Paul and Yvonne).<\/p>\n

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We had a long chat about the problem of Robson Green extolling the virtues of Northumberland on TV.\u00a0 His very insistence that it’s an undiscovered county is self-defeating!\u00a0 Perishing visitors from all over are flocking to the area in their camper vans!\u00a0 Some from Chester, even!\u00a0 We also introduced them to the highly calorific Border Tart.\u00a0 An amazing, and amazingly local, delicacy involving thin pastry, loads of dried fruit, sugar and butter with a topping of sugar icing.\u00a0 It’s rarely found more than 1 km from the England\/Scotland border.\u00a0 (I fibbed about their profession, by the way.\u00a0 See Paul and Yvonne, I told you that you can’t trust the veracity of some of my comments!)<\/p>\n

The rotters at the Bamburgh Golf Club, which is situated smack bang on the coast path, won’t serve non-members.\u00a0 Well, it is their club I suppose, but come on.\u00a0 Get real.\u00a0 This is a pair of fully-paid-up, non-members of dozens of golf clubs here – and we need coffees!\u00a0 (To be fair, the bar staff said they would make us coffees, but we declined in case the objecting (objectionable?) members walked in!)<\/p>\n

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Approaching Bamburgh Castle from the north with an unsatisfied requirement for caffeine.<\/p>\n

Apparently, the site of the castle.was originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as Din Guarie.\u00a0 In 647 AD, it was captured by King Ida of Bernicia.<\/p>\n

For the reccord, the territory of Bernicia was approximately equivalent to the modern English counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and Durham, as well as the Scottish counties of Berwickshire and East Lothian, stretching from the Forth to the Tees.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The “Bamburgh fort” was destroyed by Vikings in 993, and the Normans later built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one.<\/p>\n

One interesting fact is that this castle was the first castle ever to fall as a result of the use of gunpowder.\u00a0 It happened in 1464 during the War of the Roses.\u00a0 Allegedly, masonry remnants from this event can still be found on the village green below the castle walls. You just can’t get good council workers to clear the debris!\u00a0 (Well, I thought it was interesting!)<\/p>\n

In the 17th century, financial difficulties led to the castle deteriorating, but it was restored by various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by the Victorian era industrialist William Armstrong (of Cragside fame), who completed its restoration. The castle still belongs to the Armstrong family and is open to the public.\u00a0 (Thank you Mr Google!)<\/p>\n

The next day we walked from Seahouses to Bamburgh on the fabulous sandy beach.\u00a0 \u00a0We had to check out the other side of the castle, looking for points of weakness in the defences.<\/p>\n

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However, if the Hairy Bikers could get in for their TV show, I’m sure we could if we wanted to!\u00a0 Actually, all we would have to do is pay the entrance fee of \u00a315.50 and we’re in!\u00a0 Easier and safer than using gunpowder!<\/p>\n

The following day we decided to visit Scotland.\u00a0 Well, it is less than an hour away.\u00a0 A brief stop at Belford to remind Glenda of her family visits to the Blue Bell Hotel (now a faded shadow of its former self). The town was absolutely deserted when we arrived.\u00a0 The local long-distance hauliers (the only people we could find to ask) recommended breakfast at the Well House Caf\u00e9.\u00a0 The place opened at 10 am and by 10.05 every table was occupied!\u00a0 Where did all those people come from?<\/p>\n

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Into SNP-Land.\u00a0 First stop Eyemouth.\u00a0 A town at the mouth of the Eye Water River.\u00a0 The long narrow harbour is home to a fleet of boats<\/p>\n

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mainly fishing for …<\/p>\n

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Nephrops norvegicus<\/em> is often referred to as the Dublin Bay Prawn.\u00a0 Les Fran\u00e7ais call them langoustines or, very locally, Demoiselles de Cherbourg.\u00a0 Or scampi down at the chippie!\u00a0 Although a local fisherman explained that scampi is the tail of small prawns – often several compressed together to look like one big tail.\u00a0 But then again it can often be bits of monkfish inside that breadcrumb coating!<\/p>\n

The harbour is home to several seals.\u00a0 Common and grey.\u00a0 These are very friendly, undoubtedly because they are very well fed by the tourists.<\/p>\n

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The other main activity in the port relates to the offshore wind-farm industry.\u00a0 The development of the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind-farm has achieved a significant milestone this year with the opening of its state-of-the-art Operations and Maintenance base.<\/p>\n

This 450 megawatt (MW) wind farm is due to be commissioned in 2024.\u00a0 The hope is that this operation will generate 50 jobs in town.\u00a0 But some locals are very suspicious of the allegedly green credentials of offshore wind farms.\u00a0 Just one example is the rate diesel is used in the port.\u00a0 The fishing industry has historically required the storage tanks to be filled once a month at most.\u00a0 Now with all the new activity, the same tanks need refilling every other day.\u00a0 Whether that is sustained long-term remains to be seen!<\/p>\n

One other tragic, local story of interest (apart from all the public toilets being locked) relates to the Eyemouth Disaster.\u00a0 On 14 October 1881, most of the fishing fleet, some 20 boats and 129 men from the town, were lost in a terrible storm.<\/p>\n

On that dodgy note, we moved a few miles further up the coast to St Abbs.<\/p>\n

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The village was originally known as Coldingham Shore, the name St Abbs being adopted in the 1890s.\u00a0The new name was derived from St Abb’s Head, a rocky promontory located to the north of the village, itself named after the 7th century saint \u00c6bbe of Coldingham.<\/p>\n

The plan was to hike to St Abbs Head.\u00a0 About two miles northwards and 300 feet upwards.\u00a0 Sadly, the route upwards revisits sea level part way through.\u00a0 \u00a0But that and the whale sighting will have to wait.<\/p>\n

I’m sooo far behind!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[pmb_print_buttons] In Morpeth, as well as getting ‘flu jabs, Autumn Covid boosters and heaps of tablets we also visited the hotel where we held our wedding breakfast.\u00a0 The Queens Hotel.\u00a0 Except it has now been re-purposed as a posh caf\u00e9… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uk-tour-not-greece"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4463"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4614,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4463\/revisions\/4614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}