Anyone who has read this blog with any regularity will know I'm pretty negative about life in England - drunks, antisocial behaviour, etc. So being here for a few days is a great opportunity to sing its praises a bit - especially the area I come from - the North-East coast and the county of Northumberland. Todays beach of choice was Bamburgh. It was a day of dramatic skies and although rain was threatened, it never appeared.
A pleasant 16C and blustery winds greeted us but you are never disappointed with Bamburgh, one hour North of Newcastle upon Tyne, whatever the weather. I hope you are pronouncing it correctly in your head, by the way. It's Bam burra not Bam berg. A crop of rock, which was forced up by volcanic activity, is crowned with a castle, 150 feet above the waves.
Skimming stones
It doesn't get more dramatic than this and yet the beach was virtually deserted. I think we saw half a dozen people in total all afternoon. Dog walkers, children building sand castles and a photographer. The whole time we were marvelling at the colour of the sky, collecting shells and examining the driftwood.
The beach looks out over the Farne Islands, with their rich history and bird life including the puffins. Lighthouses wink at you as you stand on the shore and it is incredible to think the coastline here is dotted with beautiful beaches like this. It's a rare day when you can sunbathe but there is something about a moody sky that just seems to make this area even more appealing.
Less of a sand castle an more of a sand fort.
I have five days left in England before I return to Montreal and I have a feeling I will be spending a lot more time staring out to sea before then.
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