“Don’t tell Gloucestershire how lovely it is here!” begged the retired couples at the bus stop, as we waited to return to Seahouses after walking up Northumberland’s windswept coast past Dunstanburgh Castle. I crossed my fingers and promised not to – until now!

Forgive me for, in fellow travellers’ interest, I’ve sinned! As the bus set off, I got their point. It’s just too easy to miss the relaxed delights of England’s least populated county as you speed up the A1 – as we’d done for years.

The perfect start to a relaxed September week

So it was that, like Simon and Garfunkel, we took a week out, pointed our little van north and set off to look for, not America but Northumberland. After overnighting in Yorkshire, we reached Morpeth, walked into the historic market town from our countryside eco campsite, and refuelled with delicious brownies and scones at Keenan’s. It was the perfect start to a relaxed September week!

On the coast, Alnmouth rewarded with a lazy walk by the Aln Estuary and – a pattern was emerging – mouth-watering sweet and savoury treats at Scotts’ delicatessen. A morning – and our tummies – filled, we drove inland to Alnwick Garden. We could have been in Italy or Vienna while exploring its 42 acres of exquisite landscaping, quirky modern sculptures, romantic arbours and precisely-orchestrated ‘performing’ fountains. Unmissable!

Another morning found us by the mist-swathed River Coquet between Amble and Warkworth’s imposing castle. Weirdly, the atmospheric three-mile stroll past beached yachts and stacked lobster pots reminded me of Deauville in Claude Lelouch’s romantic 1966 movie, ‘A Man and a Woman’. A path-side sign summed up our grey-
day mood: ‘Today I’ll be happier than a seagull with a stolen chip’. And we were!

The van-life standout

It was Coast! Coast! Coast! for the rest of the week. The Barn at Beal campsite overlooking Holy Island was the van-life standout. So was the breezy causeway hike to Holy Island and Lindisfarne Castle – and an even windier return. And of course there was Bamburgh with yet another magnificent castle, seafood at The Potted Lobster, delicious pies from Carters and a moving visit to Grace Darling’s grave beside St Aidan’s Church.

Home time really did come too soon. Northumberland’s coast and skyscapes were breathtaking, its people were lovely, the food was delicious, and a return visit was always in our minds. Sorry! The secret’s out. If you know Northumberland, you’ll know what we mean! And to think that we’d barely touched this wonderful county!