Voyage to the middle of everywhere

Dunstanburgh Castle

When I was a kid I always wondered where people who lived at the seaside went for their holidays.  Now I live at the seaside I know the answer – or at least I know the answer for us – we usually head for Scotland.  Over the past few years we’ve explored huge chunks of the country but there is still so much more to see – and we haven’t even started on the islands yet.

This trip began just south of the border at Alnwick (and a trip to the rather lovely Dunstanburgh Castle) before heading up to Dunbar, Biggar and finally Moffat. I’m simply not one of those people who can keep returning to the same place time and time again – there’s just too much to explore.

John Muir

In Dunbar we learned about John Muir who was born there before emigrating to America when he was just a child and going on to become one of the founding fathers of conservationism. We also spent a fun day in Edinburgh journeying back to the Big Bang (courtesy of Dynamic Earth).

After all that activity a change of pace was called for so we parked up Delores for a lovely night in the Tinto House Hotel – it’s an absolutely perfect spot for accessing loads of wonderful walks (including the Tinto Hill) and is a great base for seeing lots of the sights in this very pretty corner of Scotland.  It's only an hour from Dunbar, 40 mins to the Edinburgh park and ride (free), 40 mins from the glorious walk up to Loch Skeen (at the top of Grey Mare's Tail) and a short 30 minute tootle from Moffat, home of the toffee, “miraculous health giving spring” and a number of very pleasant and not too taxing family walks.

Tinto Hill

The only downside to life on Delores is the lack of a bath so I made the most of our room with a long hot soak in the huge tub – surrounded by bubbles in the tub and in my glass!  The hotel is a lot like The Haweswater Hotel but bigger and a bit posher with a stunning Art Deco stained glass window half way up the main staircase.

Had the weather been a little warmer we could have enjoyed pre-dinner drinks in their lovely gardens but instead we headed straight for the restaurant.  There’s a good range of food on offer with an excellent selection of vegetarian and vegan options (they even have a vegan night once a month when the chef whips up an array of vegan delights).

After the obligatory whisky and a good night’s sleep we dragged ourselves back downstairs for more food – this time a full Scottish breakfast – after which I couldn’t manage another thing until tea time.  All of the food is sourced locally and cooked just how you like it.

Tinto Hotel Gardens

We reluctantly bade them farewell and continued off on our adventures...  I can’t resist a good roadside monument so we screeched to a halt just after a particularly large one we spotted near the Devil's Beef Tub (awesome name!).  The monument is for two postal workers who died in 1831 trying to deliver the mail during a particularly vicious snowstorm.  You can discover the full story in the small, but perfectly formed, Moffat Museum and their graves are in the local churchyard.

As I write this I’m sitting in the sunshine on Delores with two snoozing cats beside me – it may sound idyllic but we’re actually waiting for someone to give us a jump start as our battery has died...  But it’s not all bad news - for me the very best thing about living “beside the seaside” is that fact that I never dread going home in the way I used to when we lived in a town – it’s so lovely to return home from holiday and feel, just a little bit, like the holiday never properly ended.

PS Delores sorted and now safely home again.  😊

Birthday Blues

I announced to Steve today that, all being well, I planned on having another 50 or so birthdays.  The poor man looked quite worried and who can blame him when my approach to birthdays hasn't changed much since I was 6 - I still find them hugely exciting even though I feel as if I must be talking about someone else when I give my age.  Surely someone of these advanced years would be a bit more grown up by now?

We started by trying and failing to book a couple of boat trips (wrong type of tide) so took a walk along the beach to Beadnell instead.  Having spent 30 seconds or so exploring all Beadnell had to offer we decided to head back to Seahouses.  It was hot & muggy so I stopped to check bus times - there was one due in 8 minutes but, having no idea where the bus stop was we did what any other normal, sane, individuals would do and ran 2 laps of the nearby village green in a blind panic before leaping out in front of a rather startled looking bus driver.

Back in Seahouses lunch beckoned and we found a gorgeous beer garden with perfect sea views & polished off scampi and chips in short order.  I've never really been too sure what a scampi actually is but it looks like the sort of thing that would most likely be very healthy to eat if we didn't insist on smothering them in breadcrumbs and deep frying them.

Following a game of crazy golf on one of the best courses we've seen in a long time - The Bunker, opposite the harbour, all home made and a flurry of local landmarks to navigate - we went for a long stroll along the beach and that's when the birthday blues hit.  The sea and the sky were spectacular - the crispest and clearest of blues and perfectly complemented by the miles of golden sandy beaches with Bamburgh Castle away in the distance.  With the tide out the space stretched all around us so although there were other people around it still felt deserted if that makes any sense at all.

Poetic interlude over it was back to Delores for a quick change before meeting my big bruv and sis-in-law for dinner.  Having no idea where we were headed we set off & followed the first pub sign we saw which thankfully took us to The Joiners Arms in High Newtown by the Sea.   The food and service was utterly superb with an imaginative and varied menu all cooked to perfection - I really cannot praise or recommend them highly enough.

In fact the only thing I can possibly fault them on was the lack of blue foam for my Cookie Monster milkshake (see previous comment re not being grown up) but they did make me an albino one instead.  Another birthday over and if the next 50 or so are as blue as this one I won't be disappointed at all.

Birthday cheer(s)!

Crazy golf through Bamburgh Castle.

Blue...

Spectacular fish and chips!

Albino cookie monster milkshake.