The Northumberland Coast Pt1

Exploring the Northumberland Coastline  Part 1 - Cambois, Sandy Bay and Newbiggin.

This will be one of a series of posts about places to visit along the Northumberland coastline. 

Yes I know this is not about our international journey, but that hasn't actually started yet (well it hadn't when I first started writing this anyway)! Hopefully anyone reading this may get some ideas about places to visit along the spectacular Northumberland coast - an often overlooked part of the UK.

Sunrise at the spectacular beach at Alnmouth

What is this all about?

Well the idea behind this post (and the ones to follow) came from lockdown. Given the restrictions we have all had to live with most of us have developed a newfound appreciation for our local area. I'm ashamed to say that, despite living in the North East for 41 years, I hadn't visited most of the county that I call home. Partly, this was because I took for granted that it would always be there and partly because, like most people, if I was going to explore, that was something that had to be done away from home. I think I knew more about the Lake District, Edinburgh or the coastline of Mallorca that I did about the majority of the Northumberland coast.

Okay, this is a slight exaggeration. I'd visited Bamburgh and Druridge (two excellent spots) and I know the beaches of Whitley Bay, Tynemouth and Cullercoats extremely well as this is where I live. However, I had never really spent much time walking the Northumberland Coastal Route or really getting familiar with the many lesser known parts of the coast. Lockdown, once travel restrictions were eased, presented the ideal opportunity to remedy this. 

It also brought about a slightly left field plan - to trail run the entirety of the Northumberland coast (or as much as is physically possible given the terrain). I should point out that the idea is to do this in stages, not as an ultramarathon! I'm not that fit or that crazy. I'll detail some of these exploits in a different set of posts.

This also seemed ideal as there was a distinct (and now definite) possibility that the opportunity to visit these places would soon become restricted to a window of a few weeks each summer. So we began look beyond the well known and well trodden stretches we were familiar with. 

The Northumberland Coastal Route

This is technically the route of the Northumberland Coastal Path. It starts in Cresswell and finishes in Berwick-Upon-Tweed. However, if you only include this route as part of your exploration of Northumberland you will miss out on what are arguably some of the best parts of the county's coastline. That's not to say this 58 mile stretch doesn't have enough to keep you busy for months at time, it does, but I'm going to try to be thorough and also reveal some of the overlooked and at times disregarded sections of the coast.

Starting Close to Home: Cambois Beach and Sandy Bay.

Now those in the know will raise an eyebrow when I say that prior to lockdown I had never set foot in either of these locations. Truth be told I had always (to my shame) looked down on these sections of the coastline, assuming that they would have little to offer given the post industrial dereliction that characterises much of their immediate surroundings.

It's worth mentioning, if you don't already know, the industrial past and present of South East Northumberland. Peppered with mining towns and some significant heavy industry, much of which is still active, there are the marks of the industrial heritage and the neglect of successive waves of underinvestment in the area's infrastructure and manufacturing base. There are many thriving businesses and the prospect of the new gigafactory to manufacture EV batteries in Blyth is testament to the region's ingenuity and attractiveness as a hub for innovation. Yet there is a downside. Much of what had been the lifeblood of the North East was never replaced and the traditional industries of mining, shipbuilding and fishing were neglected, resulting in areas of the region where people were born into 3rd and 4th generation unemployment with seemingly no hope of escape. As a teacher in the area I witnessed the ongoing impact of this on people first hand. Children who came into education with an attitude of hopelessness. After all what was the government (and by extension we in the education sector) going to do for them? 

I mention this as Cambois beach itself sat right next to a former power station. I remember the day it was decommissioned and cooling towers were demolished in spectacular fashion. The beach still sits alongside one end of an industrial port. Thus it doesn't at first strike you as the ideal spot to visit, but it definitely worth a visit - just make sure that it is at low tide.

Cambois Beach looking south towards The Port of Blyth

This particular beach has a few parking spots along its length, but it pays to pick your times as there are not many spaces. Even when the car parks fill up it rarely feels busy. 

At the southern end the beach runs into the tidal estuary of the river Wansbeck and you can walk a little way along the sandy banks of the estuary until you come back to the riverside path near the Cambois boat club.

Not far from here is Charlton's cafe and restaurant. This is great family run place, friendly and serving all the sugary snacks and hot drinks you need to warm you up after a winter's walk.

This google maps image shows the extent of the beach at low tide. 

Cambois is often overlooked because it is sandwiched between two tidal rivers, surrounded by heavy industry and the approaches are from some distance out, meaning that from the main roads through the area you actually can't see that there is even a beach there.

It is, however, definitely worth a visit. The ruggedness and openness of the coastline here is fascinating the fact that this is hidden amongst the industrial bones of the area just seems to add to the peculiar charm of the place.

It's possible to park at North Blyth and walk the full length of the beach, but this end of it is lower lying and more likely to be covered entirely by the tide, so choose your times carefully.

Cambois to Sandy Bay

Again I'm forced to admit that in all my time living in the North East I'd never visited Sandy Bay. This is a fantastic stretch of beach and accessible from Cambois by following the signs for the coastal path which take you over a footbridge I didn't know existed. The views from here are spectacular as you look inland up the river.

This is a rough outline of the route.

This was a brilliant place during lockdown as the handful of times we ended up on the beach we had the place to ourselves. It is, I suspect, a beach best enjoyed on a clear winter's day as the nearby caravan park will make it a far more crowded spot that the one I experienced.

There are more details and some photographs here: https://www.northumberland-beaches.co.uk/sandy-bay.htm

Newbiggin

Now Newbiggin is a place well know to bird watchers, but it is not well regarded locally as the area has suffered some considerable suburban degradation. Newbiggin is really a place of two halves and in many ways typifies what has happened to the North East over the years. 

Across the wide sweep of the bay and immediately behind it there are numerous old houses and new sea view properties that are clearly desirable. There is also a fairly well established run of cafes, bars and restaurants that serve the visitors to the area. Beyond that are neglected council estates and again the mark of post industrial and agricultural decline. The two aspects sit uneasily against one another. 

This does not mean that it is not worth a visit though. In fact the sheer surprise offered by the well kept sea front and the amenities is worth a visit alone.

Again though it is the coast itself which is the main draw.

A spectacular winter's sunrise at Newbiggin

It is to my shame that I found myself surprised by these parts of my local area that I had neglected until lockdown, but I'm grateful that I got the chance to discover them and start to get to know the Northumberland coast that little bit better. 

This is one of the positives I'm going to take from lockdown - the need to look closely at my surroundings and hunt out those brilliant little spots that might otherwise get overlooked.

Until the next post.

Best wishes to all

John