humberland is England’s least-populated county, and sits on the northeast coast, just under Scotland (the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed is England’s most northerly town, and even has its own tweed, as it has swapped sides from England to Scotland many times).
The coast is something else. Miles of wide sandy beaches overlooked by ancient castles. There are no big towns here, but the small ones stand alone. And the Farne Islands is the favourite domestic wildlife-watching spot of Sir David Attenborough.
The seaside villages of Beadnell and Bamburgh are stunning. The latter known for its majestic castle that looks over one of the most stunning beaches (likely on earth. Northumberland sits on the same latitude as Scandinavia, so bring an extra jumper! You used to be able to sail to Sweden from nearby. But lack of interest (and stronger environmental laws in Sweden) means that’s no longer the case for personal passengers.
The other must-see here is Lindsfarne, otherwise known as Holy Island. This is where all the religious hermits (like St Cuthbert from Durham) would spend years in meditation. Today it’s more known for scatty motorists not looking at the tide times, and getting stranded on the tidal causeway.
Puffins: Sea Parrots of Northumberland!
Puffins are stars of the show on the Farne Islands, just over the water from the busy port of Seahouses. Native to Iceland, they spend most time at sea, coming ashore to raise ‘pufflings’ who live in burrows underground. They dive for around 30 seconds a time, using their wings to ‘fly through the water’.
Although you can see thousands congregating in colonies, these ‘sea parrots’ (whose beaks only turn orange during breeding season) are in peril, due to over-fishing of sandeels (the silvery fish you see in puffin photos – there are plans to ban sandeel fishing, to help numbers recover – other seabirds affected include gannets, kittiwakes, guillemots and razorbills). Other risks to puffins are oil spills, sea pollution, freak storms and even rat invasions (affects chicks and eggs).
Seals off the Northumberland Coast
England has two native seals: common (harbour) seals (small round heads and v-shaped nostrils) and grey seals (larger with longer snouts and horse-like profiles). Both are fiercely protective of pups, so never go near seals (keep dogs away especially) or you’ll get a nasty bite. Experts say to keep at least 10-metres away (if a seal is looking at you, you’re too close).
If you accidentally disturb a seal by the sea or in the sand dunes, don’t speak and avoid sudden movements. Don’t touch or feed seals, and gently move away, call British Divers Marine Life Rescue. Never put pups back in the sea (they don’t have enough blubber to survive as they are mammals and will drown or freeze or both). Read more on how to help our grey & harbour seals.
Why Red Squirrels Thrive in Northumberland
This entire county of Northumberland is a national park, known for its ‘dark skies’ with little light pollution. Interestingly, it also has one of the best populations of endangered red squirrels (native to Scandinavia), proving that retaining native pine forests is the answer.
There are actually plenty of easy solutions to help endangered red squirrels, without culling grey squirrels. This includes moving them to islands (so they would be free from squirrelpox to which they have no immunity) and vaccinations. But the idea most touted by ecologists is to rewild pine martens. Previously hunted almost to extinction, they are still more found in Scotland, yet hunt grey squirrels, to keep nature in balance. Read how to help both red and grey squirrels.
