Alittlebitoutoffocus

Alittlebitoutoffocus

Walk to Ross Back Sands around Budle Bay, Northumberland, England

Jude and I have recently returned from a holiday in Northumberland, staying in Bamburgh. We had pretty good weather and Jude was keen to re-visit the Farne Islands. We had been there back in 2016 and it’s a birder’s paradise (see my post here). Not surprisingly, dogs are not allowed so, after Jude had dropped me off at Waren Mill, I set off with Tomos, along the England Coast Path, to circumnavigate Budle Bay and discover Ross Back Sands.

It’s also home to a lot of nesting birds, but a large portion of the beach is sectioned off and there are warning signs saying it’s illegal to enter. Accordingly Tomos and I kept to the vast open expanse of sand to the south. Indeed it took us nearly 10 minutes to reach the sea!

After a quick paddle (not by me you understand 🥶) we returned, back to Waren Mill and then on to our accommodation in Bamburgh. As you’ll see below, the coastal path takes in part of the Bamburgh Castle Golf Course. 🏌️‍♀️ 👍😊

I should have mentioned that I forgot to take my camera😲🙄, so the images below were all taken on my (increasingly aging) phone. However I was rather pleased to get some relatively decent photos of the Orange Tip in pics 22 and 23. That’s not easy with an energetic dog around! 🐶👍😀

24 responses

  1. restlessjo Avatar
    restlessjo

    Tomos looked like he was having fun. Beautiful butterflies and I love Bamburgh Castle xx

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Tomos would have had even more fun if I’d let him off the lead all the way, but he did get to run around at the end of the beach (where the sea came in and there were no nests). And, we still haven’t been into the Castle after many visits to that area. The weather was too good this time (if a little cool).

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  2. Pepper Avatar
    Pepper

    Looks like a beautiful and peaceful place for a walk. 👍🏽

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Yes, Ross Back sands are quite remote. Even if you drive to the recognised parking area, it’s still about a mile walk to the other end of the beach. We must have covered about 2 miles or more to get to the southern end. We didn’t see anybody, only one set of footsteps, curiously heading towards the river outlet.

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      1. Pepper Avatar
        Pepper

        Worth the longer walk. 😊

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          Definitely! 👍👍😊

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  3. Laura Newhampshire Avatar
    Laura Newhampshire

    Wow.Several “first” thoughts: 1) What god did you bribe to get you that gorgeous, clear blue sky? Or, if not that, “I declare these AI because no way you had all that clear blue sky in England!” :DYour cell phone did just fine.Tomas, as always, looks very enthusiastic and adorable.I love it when people take photos of the educational signs. I was taught to do that way back last century and I’m always glad when I do.I always appreciate the maps you include.I don’t think we made it this far down into North Umbria on our little day trip. It is definitely on the to-do list! Look at all that white sand on the beaches! I had no idea.Have you ever watched Netflix’s “The Last Kingdom”? The main character is Uhtred of Bebbanburg, which is Bamburgh in real life.

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Where do I start…?
      No AI involved, yes, we do have blue skies sometimes, but it was still only about 11 degrees max. (Sorry that’s 52 to you. 😉)
      Tomos (note the Welsh spelling) is always enthusiastic, except when he’s chilled out on the sofa or the floor or his (or sometimes our) bed.
      I wanted to convey the importance of the area to the birds and other wildlife, with those information boards, as well as the gorgeous beaches of course. (We keep saying we should have moved up there, but then we do have some pretty good beaches in Wales. I was going to say that I’ve never seen as much sand as I did on that stretch (other than in the Sahara) but then I remembered some of the other walks I’ve done and there are quite a few like that.
      Hopefully I’ve whetted your and other’s appetite for visiting this fantastic area of the country.
      I’m not a film (or Netflix) watcher, so I’ve never seen The Last kingdom. You maybe already know though that Alnwick Castle, which is just a few miles down the coast, is one of the filming locations for Harry Potter, (Hogwart’s School).

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  4. blhphotoblog Avatar
    blhphotoblog

    Looked a lovely walk.

    Never visited this part of the UK, maybe one day.

    Yes, nice shot of the OT. You don’t always need a camera (but it helps sometimes).

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      The only drawback was that it was a long way around Budle Bay to get to (and from) that fantastic beach. It’s a lovely area, with plenty of other things to do, like Barter Books in the old station in Alnwick, plenty of Castles to visit obviously, Lindisfarne and that Farne Island boat trip. I’m hoping to extract some of my wife’s photos from her ipad to post… 🤞🤞

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    2. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Yes, I’m sure I replied too… Very strange! I’m replying to everyone via the reader, (normally I do it one by one from the emails, so maybe that’s affected it.

      I said it was a fantastic part of the country with plenty of other things to do apart from the beaches and walking, like Barter Books in Alnwick, the Castles obviously and the Farne island trip. You should visit. 👍👍😊

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      1. blhphotoblog Avatar
        blhphotoblog

        My comment went to moderation so there was probably some delay.

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          All of the comments on my site (I think) await my approval. Initially I maybe thought there could be some junk coming through but that’s not the case. But I always like to reply anyway so it works out quite well. That is, unless I’m away or have had a lot of comments, (as with this one) in which case there’s a delay.

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  5. Laura Newhampshire Avatar
    Laura Newhampshire

    PS. I shared screen with David and we once again looked over your photos together, with him adding “color.” He asked if I had heard of the Bamburgh Worm/Werm. No. So he suggested I look it up. He’s gone to bed now, and I found a really nice video. You probably have heard of all this, but there’s some nice photography of the area along with the lore. 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ymL5uD_w7M

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      No I’ve never heard that story. I’ve just watched the video and it’s fascinating that these myths and stories are all over the UK and Europe. I suspect a storyteller roamed Europe regaling audiences with these stories (as the truth) and some of it was passed on. But, you never know… (Just watch out for that toad when you visit!)

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  6. blhphotoblog Avatar
    blhphotoblog

    I’m sure I left a comment?

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Hopefully you got my (2nd) reply?

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    2. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Just thought… Maybe I hit the Cancel button instead of the Reply… 🤔
      So thanks for mentioning it Brian, otherwise I wouldn’t have known. 👍👍😀

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  7. Anita Avatar
    Anita

    Such beautiful views, Mike!! And your coastal and wide‑open shoreline shots are absolutely stunning.

    It’s always a bit of a shame when dogs aren’t allowed, but setting off with Tomos along the coast seems like the perfect alternative. I love how he appears in several of your photos. 🐕❣

    Your phone really did a great job capturing the whole walk, and I’m a bit jealous you managed to photograph that Orange Tip. I’ve seen a few here in Cyprus this spring but haven’t managed to catch one with the camera yet.😁🦋

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks Anita. I’m glad you liked the photos. Tomos isn’t the greatest of models, but he does sit sometimes. I just have to be quick pressing the button!

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  8. Bay Photos By Donna Avatar
    Bay Photos By Donna

    Lovely collection, the coastline is gorgeous!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thank you Donna. It is such a lovely part of the UK. I’m hoping to post some of my wife’s photos of her visit to the Farne Islands, but we’ll see. 🤔

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  9. Mélodie Avatar
    Mélodie

    Nice walk with great views.

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Many thanks for your comment Mélodie. Yes it was a lovely walk and the beach was so large, it was amazing. 😊

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