Beaches
The Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was designated well over 60 years ago and if you've never been, then you must, because it is very beautiful, wild, remote and a coast worthy of your time and effort to get there.
There are miles of golden beaches in Northumberland, Bamburgh is the most famous of these, but along the coast there are rocky coves, bays, beaches and inlets to discover. Just north of Low Newton you'll find Football Hole beach, I love the name; the beach is small, discrete and easy to miss. I often sit above it on the dune and watch seals, seabirds and if I'm lucky, perhaps a pod of dolphins will swim by, joyous stuff. Other hidden beaches to look out for are Cocklawburn to the south of Berwick, and the sweet Sugar Sands, south of Craster, a name to match a delightful place if ever there was one.
Where to eat and drink
You can enjoy great fish and chips in one of several chippies in Seahouses, I always use the Neptune Fish Bar (3 Seafield Road), but take your choice, they're all pretty good. You must visit The Old Ship Inn (seahouses.co.uk) and go in the public bar, not to do so is to miss a treat, the pub has been in the same family for more than 100 years and they have a story to tell. Finally, Swallow Fish (2 South Street) will sell you excellent kippers, my favourite I have to say – smoked on site, just follow your nose.
Things to see and do
Perhaps the best coast walk, and certainly the most popular, is the one from Craster to Low Newton. Craster is the starting point, head north and before long you are approaching the remarkable Dunstanburgh Castle (Dunstanburgh Road), a medieval ruin that's stunning, dramatic and romantic all at once. Press on through and follow the coast to Low Newton, where the wonderful Ship Inn sits in a square of former fishermen's cottages. It has its own microbrewery and serves great food, but remember, you're only half way, and you still have to walk back to Craster.
I must mention the Pilgrims' Path to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, perhaps one of the best coast walks I have ever done. In use for over 1,500 years and you need to go at low tide and follow the marker poles. Walk with a guide, always worth it to help identify the birds and to point out the mournfully singing seals, which lie in their 100s out on the sandbanks.
The Farne Islands, lying off the Northumberland Coast, offer at the height of the beeding season one of the best wildlife experiences in the world. This year, 160,000 seabirds were present on the islands. Boats from the harbour at Seahouses will take you there and be prepared for something wonderful. If you're going to land on the Islands, take a hat and wear it, you'll regret it if you don't, the Arctic terns let you know you're on their territory out there.
• Patrick Norris, walking guide at Footsteps – walking the beauty of Northumberland (footsteps-in-northumberland.co.uk)
