From Bamburgh to Berwick on Tweed (Day 7)

The Coast Route

Distance: 27 MIles Elevation Gain 1,416ft

We had a choice of two routes today, a coastal route or a road route, so we chose the coastal thinking it would be more interesting. On reflection that was a bit of a mistake... Just peeling off from the road to Lindisfarne we were directed onto a cycle track. It was the rough gravel type track which shakes the timbers out of us and the bikes. This went on for a couple of miles until we crossed a small bridge, only to find that the rough, gravel pathway was now only a few inches wide with a swampy muddy river running several feet below the high verge we were on. The image below does not do the reality justice as the drop from the path to the swamp mud below was about 6ft.

As you know I wobble about when I mount the bike and every time I tried to get going I veered toward the drop, so we had to walk until the field passed the river. Eventually I grew brave enough mount up and ride, trying to to ignore the thistles at either side of the track and to bypass the numerous lethal rabbit holes in the middle of the track. It seemed endless! Bob used to be a mountain bike rider so he was in his element whereas I was a nervous wreck, trying to imagine what would happen if one of us fell off and was injured in this completely isolated area. Eventually I realised it was easier to ride if I relaxed my death grip on the handlebars, stopped thinking about disasters that might never happen and just ride. This way we made it to the end with Bob having loved every minute of it and me being on an adrenalin high!

My cycle wheel shows how narrow was the track

We had to laugh, for after all the tension, when we got to the end we were met with a view of a bull busily sniffing the cow's private bits....only to discover she wasn't ready!

The cow wasn't terribly interested!

When the track gave way to a road with a good surface we were delighted to come across Goswick Golf Club where we could relax with a cuppa and have some lunch whilst watching the players finishing the eighteenth hole and coming to the nineteenth. So we set off again and followed yet more rough gravel cycle tracks until eventually we had a lovely view of Scremerston beach which looked beautiful.

Scremerston Beach

Much climbing again only to discover that the route was to take us up on the cliffs with a tiny, wee track similar to the earlier one. I really couldn't face another three or four miles of this and so we decided to divert from the planned route and find our own way into Berwick.

This proved to be disaster. We ended up riding on the main 'A' road into the town with heavy traffic and many lorries racing past. We crossed the main bridge into the town. Bob then thought that we were then back en route to our original course and directed us on a spaghetti tour of Berwick. We then got totally lost in the town and ended up riding up and down massive hills, navigating the one way system in the town to find the guest house.

Joy... we found it... BUT it was the wrong guest house altogether. Google maps came to our aid and we discovered that we were miles away and on the wrong side of the river! We were getting tired and crabby by now but another mile or so and we came to the right guest house, Roxburgh House in Spittle. Allison, our host was friendly, warm and caring and we found ourselves in one of the most lovely rooms ever. It was wonderful just to sit and relax in relative luxury. An Italian meal in town and back to do the blog. Looking forward to bed tonight and Kelso tomorrow.