North East England visit – Day 2

Hello again people and pooches. Joe the Cocker here, following up on our first days visit to Northumberland with my human assistant. We had a lot planned for our second day, so we were up early for our hour long drive to Blyth to meet Dave, my dads friend.

A lovely still, fresh morning greeted us as we took our morning constitutional walk. The area around our accommodation was lovely in the autumn sun.

We had a nice walk along the deserted lane next to the farm so that I could do my stuff and claim more territory. The Vikings claimed this area during their many raids on the Nort East coast. I claimed it back!

We met some friendly sheep as we walked. One had a very twisted neck, and I felt sorry for it. We sniffed each other’s noses through the fence. It made a funny sound, but I didn’t understand it. It was probably a Geordie sheep!

The drive to Blyth took us an hour, and we stayed for a short while in my new friends house so that the humans could drink tea and have a chin wag. The first place on our schedule for today was Woodhorn Colliery Museum.

The museum is on the site of Woodhorn Colliery, which was located in what was once the largest pit village in the world. A large part of the museum is dog-friendly except for the main museum exhibit. Dave has produced a pen and ink drawing of the colliery, which you can buy on Redbubble.com

I had to remain on-lead during our visit but I didn’t mind because I am a good boy! My human always tells me this when I have to do something that I don’t really want to. Obviously, I would prefer to be running around crazily, but apparently, there is a time and a place. Really?

My human took us around some of the displays that pooches are allowed in. The Stable Block was where the pit ponies lived and had their shoes fitted.

I bet it wasn’t as clean when the colliery was in operation.

I stayed with Dave while my human visited the main exhibition, where pooches aren’t allowed. We had a nice walk around the grounds and I behaved for my new friend.

The main museum is a modern building with a variety of exhibitions, archives6 and displays.

Miners banners adorned the walkways, each carried during parades and rallies.

These original banners were used during the Miners Strike in the 1980s. Much of the displays refer to the famous strike, which still evokes strong feelings within the community to this day.

I was still being a good boy for Dave.

Clothing and badges adorned the walls to commemorate the strike.

My human enjoyed the Coal Town display that recreated the interior of miners’ homes in days gone by. It’s probably because he remembers those days! 😀

He even saw his undies on a washing line!

A bit rude 😀😀 Dave, you must get a shower curtain fitted!

I knew that he would remember that!

My human particularly liked The Ashington Group gallery that displayed pitmen paintings. This one of The Bedlington Terrier by William Scott was his favourite. My human is definitely a dog lover. As long as I stay number 1, that’s fine!

We had a mooch around some of the original colliery buildings, including the one with ‘The Hole’ where the mine shaft was. You wouldn’t get me to go down there!

We had a final walk around the grounds where my human took a photo of the Ashington Miners’ Memorial. Dedicated to those who died in an explosion at this colliery in 1916. Thirteen men died due to a gas build-up underground caused by the use of naked flames instead of safety lamps after a fault with a compressor.

My human said that the visit was fascinating, and he learned a lot about the mining industry.

On leaving the museum, we called at the Queen Elizabeth 11 Country Park in Ashington to soak up some sunshine and to see the birds. The man-made lake is part of a large reclamation operation to convert the old industrial landscape into recreational use.

I’ve learned to keep my distance from those long necked hissing creatures. I don’t fancy a nip off one.

Our next stop was for lunch. Yes! My dad had a lovely pizza, and I think that Dave had a whole whale and chips! It was big enough to be mistaken for a whale, anyway!

I had sausages, as you can see. Oh, and half of Dave’s fish. Oh yes, and some of his chips. Result! When our bellies were full (and mine definitely was), we headed to the coast.

Amble is a great place for an amble! I couldn’t resist that. It’s obviously not original, but it had to be done. The harbour village is so picturesque with its array of little shops and eateries.

As we neared the harbour, the views opened up over the River Coquet estuary and the North Sea. We were so lucky to visit Amble on such a still, dry, and sunny day.

My dad loved this place and said that we would definitely return. Boat trips leave from the harbour to encircle Coquet Island, where seals and puffins can be seen close up.

Views along the coastline are stunning, and Warkworth Castle can clearly be seen six miles away to the north.

My human was excited to see and smell a rather large building that said ‘Fresh Seafood Shop’ on the side. Could this be where he would buy some Craster Kippers? He fell in love with them when we visited Craster last year? Craster is only 13 miles away. Surely?

Oh yes, he almost did a cartwheel. Well, in his imagination. He bought 4 pairs. He was ecstatic.

I was itching to run off-lead at this point. He was busy swinging his carrier bag full of rather yummy smelling fish.

We came across a beach where I could have a burnout. I wasn’t allowed to go for a dip because we were kindly being driven by Dave in his car. I didn’t want to make a mess. I didn’t mind. It was a run in the sand that I was content with.

I was still off-lead as we walked along the harbour towards the boardwalk and pier. Considering the weather was so mild and really sunny, the area was almost deserted.

We arrived at the end of dry land before we turned left onto the boardwalk. In the distance, 0.75 miles off the coast we could see Coquet Island. You will have to zoom in on the above photograph.

My human zoomed in on his smartphone and managed a half-decent shot of the island. There are allegedly 36,000 sea birds nesting on the island along with a colony of seals. Dolphins regularly appear, too, if you are lucky enough. The first lighthouse keeper was William Darling, the brother of Grace Darling, the heroine of the shipwreck rescue of the Forfarshire 1838.

The pier protrudes from the boardwalk with its lighthouse perched on the end. The pier is partly blocked off to pedestrians and pooches.

My human said that he would love to experience a storm here. Not a severe one. Just one that would produce a dramatic photo. He talks such nonsense at times.

We continued around the boardwalk as my human continued to click away, taking snaps. You are lucky that he doesn’t post every one that he takes. You would need to take regular rest breaks.

Here is the last one. Relief! Then he remembered that he had seen another fish shop by the harbour on our way onto the harbour. He only went in and bought 2 more pairs. This time, they were Seahouses Kippers. They are not as famous as Craster Kippers but are from a seaside town a few miles away. He said that he needed to compare. I’ll let you know his verdict sometime soon.

We left Amble to head north along the coast to Warkworth to see the castle and village. But first, it was a trip to an ice cream farm. Dave knows how much I like doggy ice cream, and he wanted to buy one for me. Nice man 🤩.

That hit the spot 😋

We spent a few minutes admiring Warkworth Castle from the comfort of the car. We decided that to do it justice, we needed to spend a few hours visiting the 13th century castle. Next time we are in the area, we will do just that. The village deserves more time, too. It is a beautiful place with the River Coquet meandering through it. Below are more examples of Dave’s work, including his unique ‘wobbly’ versions.

Our final port of call for the day was Newbiggin by the Sea. It’s a popular seaside resort with a large expanse of beach. One of Newbiggin’s latest attractions is ‘The Couple’, which stands on a plinth in the bay. You can just see it in my dads photo. The sculpture depicts an everyday couple, casually dressed, looking out to sea. It is by the renowned sculptor Sean Henry.

Fortunately, there is a land based replica on the promenade. My human was going to swim out to the full-size one to take a photograph. In his dreams, maybe!

Our final walk back to the car along Newbiggin promenade marked the end of a fantastic tour of the area. Our tour guide, Dave, had done a fantastic job of showing us some of the highlights of this part of Northumberland. He had chauffeured me and my human around an area that we were unfamiliar with and now can’t wait to return to.

The day ended back at Dave’s house, where we were spoilt again with another lovely meal. Oh yes people, I was given a meal too! So, that was our trip almost over. We said our farewells to Dave and his lovely family before we set off to stay another night in Jessie’s Hut.

Till next time!

Thank you to Dave Edwards, BLYTHART.