It was a perfectly calm day, so ideal for a boat trip out to sea. We cruised out from the harbour at 10:00am, to reach the edge of the Inner Farnes, pausing at Big Scarar and Little Scarar to watch seals and shags on the rocks.
A few of the seals were very accommodating and posed for their pictures.
Leaving the seals to relax on the rocks, we continued further out to view Longstone Lighthouse.
It was from here in 1838 that Grace Darling and her father the lighthouse keeper rescued nine people from the Forfarshire, a ship which ran aground on Big Harcar in a bad storm.
The trip then took us back in and around Brownsman Island heading towards Inner Farne. Along the way we saw more seals in the water.
We landed for an hour on Inner Farne island. Most of the nesting birds had departed, unfortunately this included the puffins that the island is known for. There were still a few gulls and shags dotted around the cliff edges.
The lighthouse on the island is at the closest point to the mainland, with good views towards Bamburgh.
As we left the island the clouds began to clear and the sun came out. Our final view of the island was of the chapel, dedicated to St Cuthbert.
It was 12:30pm as we arrived back in Seahouses at the harbour. The trip was very enjoyable and well worth the visit. We would like to return in the spring during the breeding season to see the difference.
We walked along to the beach where we sat and had our packed lunch of Craster kipper pate sandwiches. This was only a short break here before heading to our next destination, the island of Lindisfarne.
It was busier than we anticipated, which meant we had to follow crowds of people out towards Lindisfarne castle. This was our third castle visit of the holiday and was very different to both Warkworth and Dunstanburgh, being still complete with furnished rooms. It was very busy and warm inside, with occasional queues in the corridors.
The castle is perched on a prominent rocky crag to the south east point of the island and provides good views towards the Farne Islands and Bamburgh castle.
After looking around the castle we returned to the village and had a brief look around the priory and at St Aidan's winery, where we tried a sample of mead. We then returned via Bamburgh for our evening meal.
19.The Castle Hotel, Bamburgh - 6:45pm
Very busy pub, with efficient service. Good pub food with generous portions.
20.The Lord Crewe, Bamburgh - 8:00pm
Passed by as we were too full from our meal at the Castle Hotel. Looked very nice.
We ended the evening with a gentle stroll down past Bamburgh castle to the beach.
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