Toot toot we made it…

Our route up from Northumberland took us past Edinburgh (which they have previously visited) and over the newly opened Queensferry Crossing. Quite a bridge and not one Elaine could drive over without vertigo induced histrionics. Needless to say she was in the passenger seat.

Heading up along the North Sea coast our first stop was St Andrews for a few days. A small town that has everything; a castle, sandy beaches, a university, historic golf courses and, most importantly, dog friendly pubs. We liked it a lot.

A couple of hours up the coast, our next destination was Stonehaven…

The caravan site was on the larger bay and as normal we pitched up only having booked one night but ended up staying a week. This was fortuitous as it was also our first need for a Kwik Fit thanks to a puncture. Here I am offering my much appreciated guidance…

Stonehaven a lovely old fishing town, but by far the best thing around is the dramatic Dunnottar Castle. It was captured by William Wallace in 1297 and visited by Mary Queen of Scots and James VI in the 16th century. Whatever it was truly breathtaking…

This magnificent beach is Seahouses and was absolutely perfect (apart from the howling gale blowing sand in your face!) In the distance you can see the imposing Bamburgh Castle…..

So 6 months in and our planned circumnavigating of the UK is finally less zigzag. We’ve worked our way up north to the fabulous beaches of Northumberland. Whitley bay was lovely, albeit bad weather, and Seahouses a gem of a town. Sadly due to high winds we couldn’t take the boat to the Farne Islands but I did meet up with some northern pals for a chin wag….

Lindisfarne was pretty but to be honest compared to Bamburgh it was a little disappointing. The most exciting part was the tide coming up over the causeway.

And then up the coast to the surprisingly splendid Berwick upon Tweed. An attractive old town with a castle, 3 bridges and quaint pubs. We spent several days mooching about and following the Lowry trail.

All in all Northumberland, and N Yorks before, gets a big paws up for beaches and pubs. 

Dogs on site – losing count, everyone, yep everyone, has a pooch. 

Oh and the daily robin visit had been back for a while so Elaine is pleased! 

I didn’t find Dracula nor did I see any black dogs but Whitby was fab. The abbey and it’s 13th century remains are high on the hill overlooking, well, everything…

Fish and chips and tourists abound, even on a murky Monday in September. It must be packed like sardines on a sunny Sunday!

The caravan sites were very busy so forced to move on we stayed at the very picturesque Runswick Bay just up the coast.

The weather was better and it was truly stunning. Needless to say the beach is amazing for a zoom and the one pub in the bay is doggy friendly.

A decent walk along the Cleveland Way path takes you to Staithes, a once thriving fishing village and now seemingly holiday cottages. Again very dog friendly and well worth a mooch as it’s an unusual looking village.

So a quaint and interesting section of North Yorkshire but a distinct lack of me so here’s a live action photo. It’s a dog’s life…