Northumberland - day 5 - north coast

Ross Back Sands

Rain over the Farne Isles

Bamburgh Castle

In bright sunlight we drive to secluded Ross — glorious walk through the farm pasture to rippling dunes — on the way, a truly disdainful look from a farmhand on a quad bike — wide open, endless sandy beach beneath fluffy clouds — Bamburgh Castle, as ever, looms in the distance — walk through the cool, shallow water, avoiding washed up jellyfish — Bamburgh offers few options for a quick lunch — enter, then rapidly depart the Copper Kettle tearooms — settle on takeaway from the deli — the sun disappears — we stroll around Bamburgh Castle, from the cricket green through the dunes littered with chrysalises, marvelling at its size — walk along the magnificent beach wondering why more people don't choose Northumberland over Cornwall — um and ah about snorkelling at Harkess Rocks — eventually we suit up and join the eider ducks in Table Bay, one of the many plunge pools along the rocks — bladder wrack streams from the stones, jellyfish tumble in the seaweed — a shivering escape from the wetsuit — warm up in the car — a couple in the car next to us stare out to the Farne Isles, sharing a bottle of wine in plastic cups while getting down to Bruce Hornsby and the Range — we sit for a while ourselves, watching rain fall over the Farnes