Northumberland – June 2009

Ben, Mike and Lynette visited the Northumberland coast and enjoyed a great camping trip staying at Proctor's Stead near Craster reminding themselves just what a beautiful location the Northumberland coast really is. On Saturday we set off for the Farne Islands and enjoyed a few choppy bits as we rounded the islands.

   

We were then escorted into the lighthouse stop by some very photogenic and people friendly seals who enjoyed strutting their stuff in a clear water pool and posing for photographs.

We were soon joined by various roaming packs of sea kayakers who were up for the Coquet island race the following day.

Later we paid a visit to the seabird colony and saw thousands of birds at close quarters and enjoyed the comic absurdity of puffins.

We also compared the number of pecks to the head by ferocious terns.

Ben maintained there was a positive correlation between height and number of pecks sustained, but Mike thought he came off the worse by virtue of the state of his hat!

After a damp pub crawl around Seahouses in the evening in search of the well publicised Music Festival we discovered that it had packed up and gone home at 4.30, so we had to make do with listening to a drunken rendition of tunes from the Lion King instead - perhaps we wouldn't have been able to tell the difference anyway!

Next day we launched from the delightfully named "Sugar Beach" in perfect weather and Ben paddled off south to Amble to take part in the Coquet Island Race in the afternoon while Mike and Lynette headed north for Dunstanburgh Castle rock hopping around some interesting clear bathing pools and cliffs. Ben achieved a good placing (25th!? 6th in my age group and one second ahead of my mate Gill!! . . . Ben) despite "not taking the race seriously" and being hindered by using a well loved plank of wood as a paddle!

A great trip.

More photos on the club photo gallery here.