Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
PeterJ
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Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by PeterJ »

Hi

I'll be doing the Coast and Castles (coast route all the way) at the end of April. I expect that the scenery will be lovely, and fingers crossed for the weather.

I'd really appreciate any recommendations from forum members who have previously done this ride in terms of (a) nice places to visit en route, (b) tea shops and cafes.

Thank you.

Pete
PH
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by PH »

I did it a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Highlights were;
Ride out along the Tyne to the start
Fish and Chips in Seahouses (There's plenty to choose from)
Time for a good look round Lindifarne
A bit of a detour out to St Abbs head - well worth the few extra miles
And of course all the coast and castles.
I didn't go into Edinburgh as I turned at Musselburgh and rode back to Berwick on R1
have fun
EDIT - I assumed you were going as far as Edinburgh, then I remembered the route has been extended to Aberdeen, how far are you going?
Andibs
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by Andibs »

Excellent thread as I'm doing Newcastle to Aberdeen in about 3 weeks time !!!!!

Andy
FarOeuf
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by FarOeuf »

Cake Cafe in North Berwick (High St) is good, and has wifi. Cafes in the villages along the coast road to Edinburgh, there's also placards on the coastal path which are worth a stop for a read (local history, etc).

Peters Yard in the Meadows would be a good place to head to in Edinburgh. It's in a pedestrian area (with cycle path) and has plenty of visible space for bikes.
geocycle
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by geocycle »

Landisfarne was my favourite bit and Warkworth castle was a great visit. I wheeled my bike inside. Best novelty tea shop was at chain bridge bee farm near Berwick where the cafe was in an old double decker bus. I took the inland route through the moorfoot hills which were spectacular.
ikenbikeit
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by ikenbikeit »

The barn at Beal is a great place for at least four reasons.
1] Good food
2] great coffee
3] you can camp here and have supper and a cooked breakfast
4] Soon there will be an evening bar and you can have a nightcap if you are that way inclined.

It is a mile or so down the Lindisfarne road from the A1.

Will revisit this summer for sure
PeterJ
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by PeterJ »

These are very helpful suggestions.

Thanks very much.
PH
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by PH »

ikenbikeit wrote:The barn at Beal is a great place for at least four reasons.


Very useful, thanks. I camped at beachcomer which is on the route but doesn't do camping anymore and I was looking for something else in the area.
nickpaton
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by nickpaton »

The Drift cafe just outside (north) of Cresswell on Northumberland coast at the southern end of Druridge Bay.

<EDIT> Drift are planning to build a bunkhouse in the near future which will make it a great overnight stop. <EDIT>
Last edited by nickpaton on 16 Apr 2015, 4:00pm, edited 1 time in total.
iviehoff
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by iviehoff »

Don't forget to check the tide times for Holy Island (Lindisfarne), 'cos you'll waste a lot of time if you misjudge it.

Going on a boat trip from Seahouses to see the puffins and seals etc is my favourite thing to do around there. Depending upon recent weather, it's possible end of April will be a smidge too early for best possible seeing of all the wildlife - it's the time of year when 2 or 3 days later can make a big difference - as the seabirds in particular are migratory, but I found them quite honest in describing what you can see on the trips. But with the present good weather you could well be lucky.

Further north in Lothian near North Berwick you'll have Bass Rock, the world's largest gannetry. Again boat trips to see. I haven't been there, but I've seen gannetries elsewhere and gannets are almost better than puffins. Trips eg http://seabird-centre.seafari-edinburgh ... and-prices
nickpaton
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by nickpaton »

iviehoff wrote:Going on a boat trip from Seahouses to see the puffins and seals etc is my favourite thing to do around there. Depending upon recent weather, it's possible end of April will be a smidge too early for best possible seeing of all the wildlife - it's the time of year when 2 or 3 days later can make a big difference - as the seabirds in particular are migratory, but I found them quite honest in describing what you can see on the trips. But with the present good weather you could well be lucky.

Further north in Lothian near North Berwick you'll have Bass Rock, the world's largest gannetry. Again boat trips to see. I haven't been there, but I've seen gannetries elsewhere and gannets are almost better than puffins. Trips eg http://seabird-centre.seafari-edinburgh ... and-prices

Agreed on both of those.
Did Bass Rock boat trip as part of a Coasts and Castles ride last year, and well worth it. The white colour of the rock is due to the sheer number of gannets covering it and is quite a sight. Was going to attach a photo, but don't want to spoil it for you!
A great fish and chip shop / restaurant near the harbour at North Berwick too.
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TrevA
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by TrevA »

There are some very nice pubs in Warkworth if you are there at lunchtime or in the evening. I'd recommend the Jennings pub ( can't remember the name). The Barn at Beal is a good place to have a coffee whilst waiting for the tide to go out, so you can get to Lindisfarne, which is not to be missed. Also, if you have time, a walk around the city walls at Berwick on Tweed. LS Lowry used to spend his holidays there and painted many scenes from around the town. Buy a guide book and you can see the sites/views from where he painted.

Another nice tea shop in Bamburgh and also the Grace Darling museum there. Also, the second hand book shop in Alnwick.
Sherwood CC and Notts CTC.
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thirdcrank
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by thirdcrank »

I love that part of Northumberland: a bit like my other favourite, North Norfolk, but with the addition of castles. Unfortunately, the strip of land between the A1 and the sea is a bit narrow but it's still a great place. The Grace Darling RNLI museum as already mentioned is well worth a visit. IMO the best exhibit is the brief hand-written report by GD's father, before she was lionised (should that be lionessised? :wink: ) He explains that he knew he would need the help of survivors to return with the boat so he kept watch till he saw some then "amediately" launched the boat. The others whose contribution has been generally overlooked include seven men - including GD's brother - who rowed out from Seahouses, taking several hours to clear the harbour but who reached the wreck after the survivors had been rescued and taken off to the lighthouse. For anubody interested in the history of this wreck-strewn stretch of coast, the RNLI at Seahouses is also worth a visit. Apart from the pictures of lifeboat crews from down the years - most of whom seem to share the surname "Robson" - there's a notice from the lord at Bamburgh Castle outlining the measures he had put in place for rescue and salvage. These include flying a special flag at the castle whenever there was a wreck and firing a cannon each morning and evening until a rescue could be carried out, just to reassure shipwrecked mariners that they had not been forgotten. No Sea King helicopters in those days.

The Ship Inn at Low Newton is worth a visit if you can find room - plenty of benches outside if it's fine - but it's been done to death by Robson Green's programme.
iviehoff
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by iviehoff »

thirdcrank wrote:The Grace Darling RNLI museum as already mentioned is well worth a visit.

Or the Great Stalin Museum, as I once misheard it. I was very surprised, and it was several hours before the internal cogs whirred and I worked out what I had really heard.
PeterJ
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Re: Coast & Castles - Recommended sights & tea shops?

Post by PeterJ »

Thanks again for all the very helpful suggestions. They are going to add lots of interest to my trip.
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