Liss Historical Northumberland Saturday 14 July

Saturday 14 July




No phone, no internet! Am lost!

I want to put my laptop on the coach before breakfast and also plot today’s route along the coastal road to Craster, Seahouses and Holy Island.

As soon as I walk outside my phone is beeping and shaking informing me of missed calls and unanswered texts!
Robert has been trying to reach me which is probably bad news as he is doing our Farnborough Air Show excursion today.
It is bad news. He has broken down just after the Hindhead tunnel. As I am in Northumberland I feel a little helpless and Brian is in Derbyshire so he won’t be much help either!
Fortunately we only have 14 passengers (I didn’t think it was fortunate last week!!) and Wendy is able to contact Wheeldrive who can supply a couple of mini-buses to pick the people up and take them home later.
One of the mini-buses had only just dropped off at Beacon Hill very close to Robert’s stricken vehicle.
It is always horrible when a breakdown occurs but it is also very important how you handle the situation without too much panic and (luckily) we have salvaged the day with very little inconvenience to the passengers.
Not the start to the day I was hoping for but all sorted before I left at 09:45.

Before we depart this morning I rush back to my room and pack my case ready to be moved on my return later to a room with an internet connection.

Today should be a nice easy drive along picturesque roads and through pretty villages. Our first stop is going to be the small fishing village of Craster famous for its kippers and crabs.

Northumberland is not an area I have been to very often so am relying on my old friend, and sometimes foe, the sat nav!
True to form as we are within one mile of Craster my route is blocked by an 8’ bridge, a little low for a 12’ high bus!
I am stuck at a crossroads blocking the traffic as I decide which way to proceed when a van appears from the low bridge road and says to follow him to the road I need into the village. This I do and am soon in the coach park of Craster which is a little walk from the village. As we were only going to stay for half an hour it is decided not to stop and to press on to Seahouses, which is only seven miles away. A couple of the passengers seemed a little disappointed not to be stopping but Bob spoke very well on the microphone to explain the decision and all is well.
We arrive in Seahouses by 11:20 and are stopping until 12:55. Seahouses is a small seaside town that doesn’t have a lot except for a good coach park, boat trips and lots of fish and chip shops.
I am not hungry yet so just enjoy a coffee and a stroll.
Our destination this afternoon is Lindisfarne and Holy Island. To reach the castle at Lindisfarne you have to drive over a causeway to Holy Island and then either walk the mile to the castle or pay a pound to ride on the shuttle bus. The only problem is the tide as it covers the causeway when in and you have to be very careful when choosing your time to visit.
Joy has been informed that the tide will be out and the causeway open between 13:45 and 22:00.
We depart Seahouses on time and drive past the mightily impressive Bamburgh Castle situated on the beach between sea and village. It is an extraordinary sight and I want to come back and visit. Fantastic.

We turn off the A1 and begin our drive to Holy Island about five miles away.
It is all exciting stuff as we drive along a road that goes across the sea! You can see in places where the tide has only very recently gone as the roads are wet and slippery.
The coach park is as far as you can drive and we are the first bus here. Some of the group are walking to Lindisfarne Castle while others will catch the shuttle bus which appears soon after we arrive.
I have a stroll around the village and have some beans on toast for my lunch before returning to the coach for a sit down and a relaxing couple of hours reading the paper.
The sun comes out and it proves to be a lovely warm afternoon and the view across to the castle is wonderful. I wish I had walked there now! Must come back one day and visit.

We are away from here at 17:00 and an hour later am back at the hotel. Everybody seems to have enjoyed their day and I have to as it is always nice to visit new places and today hasn’t been a rush, just a nice steady day with great weather and destinations.
I drop all of the passengers off at the hotel and am left with two ladies still on the coach.
“She’s lost her shoe” I’m told as they fiddle about looking for it.
How do you lose a shoe on the coach?!!
“She’s found it”
They are still on the coach looking for something even after finding the shoe.
“She’s lost her wellington boot!”
“What?!”

The lady in question changed her shoes for wellingtons when we arrived at Holy Island and changed back again on the coach but seems a little forgetful when it comes to her footwear! I can maybe understand losing a small shoe but a wellington boot!

There is a wedding party in the hotel but apart from one or two in the bar you don’t seem to know they are there. It was the same last night when they had two weddings on and you would never have known except for seeing the boys and girls all dressed up.