Detour #337: The Coast and Castles of Northumberland, UK
Floodwaters and firing ranges are just some of the hazards of this Northumberland road trip.
A glance at the satnav screen shows the map abruptly change from green to blue but there’s no bridge over the troubling water ahead.
Instead, to get across to Holy Island there’s a causeway which can only be crossed at low tide. That means there are just two windows a day when it’s possible to drive the mile-or-so to get to the fabled Lindisfarne.
As the name implies it is indeed a holy place, where, in 635 AD St Aidan founded a monastery and began to spread the word of Christianity across the globe. Making the crossing today I imagine that many a driver says a prayer, hoping that they’ve read the tide tables correctly.
The causeway is less than half an hour’s drive from Berwick-upon-Tweed, the border town that’s rich with history. You’ll find Elizabethan walls, Georgian houses and bridges from the Industrial Revolution.
The A1 is single-carriageway here as it runs south in a loose parallel with the coastline and a taking detour over to Lindisfarne is straightforward as long as you time it right. According to the local county council between ten and 20 drivers don’t and require rescuing from the RNLI.
Given that the tide isn’t fully out when I arrive, and a combination of salt water and lithium batteries sounds like a recipe for disaster, I turn the Smart #5 around and head back to the A1 to skirt around the National Nature Reserve, before taking the B1342 to Bamburgh, where the ancient castle has loomed over the town for more than 1,400 years.
The B1340 closely follows the beaches of Bamburgh and Seahouses, before heading a little inland as it leads towards Craster and its picturesque harbour. A quick about turn and Alnwick is the next destination. Again, it’s a castle that most people visit for – even more so since it appeared as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.
Westwards on the B6341 sees a complete change of scenery, over Alnwick Moor to Rothbury. It’s lovely flowing stretch of road, though a series of wild ups and downs can unsettle a stomach. The Smart’s soft suspension soaks it all up and, for a large and heavy, electric SUV, it’s reassuring on the bendy bits as well.
That’s good because beyond Rothbury the road takes a twistier turn as it continues towards the massive 58,000-acre firing range of Otterburn Camp. The red flags, which signify explosive activity, are flying so I don’t stop until I reach Otterburn itself.
From here you could head north towards Kielder Forest or perhaps even complete a loop of the Northumberland 250 route, but for me a long drive south awaits instead.
ROADBOOK
CLASS: COAST ROAD
NAME: THE CASTLES aND COAST OF NORTHUMBERLAND
ROUTE: Berwick-upon-tweed to Otterburn
COUNTRY: ENGLAND
Distance: 78 Miles
Floodwaters and firing ranges are just some of the hazards of this Northumberland road trip.