Spring Walking weekend in Bamburgh - 25 - 27 April 2025

Beaches and Castles - by Steve Howard

This year’s Spring Weekend away was from Friday, 25 April 2025 till Sunday, 27 April 2025 for the SFWC, with 22 members of the club staying for two nights at Sunningdale Hotel in Bamburgh, Northumberland.

Friday 25 April 2025, 20 members met at the Links Road Car Park off the B1340, for an 8.5mile circular walk via Seahouses. Heading into Bamburgh, we turned right onto The Wynding, this road led us to the beach, then followed the beach south until we reached the outskirts of Seahouses, climbing up some steps to join the King Charles III England Coast Path, heading into Seahouses. 

We spent around 45 mins for lunch, heading back north out of Seahouses, we turned left onto the Northumberland Coast Path, joining the St Oswald's Way at Shoreston Hall, following both routes north back to the finish at Bamburgh.

Saturday 26 April 2025. Some of the group visited Bamburgh Castle and took a bus ride into Seahouses, where they took a boat trip over to Farne Islands to see the puffins and other seabirds. The remaining seventeen did a 10 or 8.5 mile circular from the hotel. Heading to and walking around the side of Bamburgh Castle, we joined the King Charles III England Coast Path until we crossed over the B1340 Links Road near Armstrong Cottages, then joining the St Oswald's Way at Redbarns. 

Leaving St Oswald's Way after Fowberry, we followed the footpath over fields, heading for East & West Burton, taking a coffee stop at Glororum. After the coffee stop we followed the road passing Glororum Holiday Park and Brada Lodges, which are built into a disused Quarry.

Once past the disused Quarry and a slight climb, we turned right onto a footpath heading towards Shada Plantation and joining the B1342, heading north along this busy section of road, some members turned right across Lonsdale Hill and to meet up again with the others near Heather Cottages. The remainder turned left and followed the footpath, turning right for Bundle, crossing the B1342 and joining the King Charles III England Coast Path at Kiln Point. When both groups met up again, we sat on the beach to have lunch and some even took a paddle in the North Sea.

After lunch, the plan was to follow the beach back to Bamburgh, but due to the high tide at Bundle Point, we joined the King Charles III England Coast Path, heading for Bamburgh Castle Golf Club and Bamburgh Lighthouse, joining The Wynding to the finish in Bamburgh.

Sunday 27 April 2025, sixteen members of the club drove around 20 mins further north to Holy Island (Lindisfarne), with the tide been in our favour until 12.35pm. We did a 4.4 mile circular walk, leaving from the main car park and following King Charles III England Coast Path around the island heading for Lindisfarne Castle, then north for Emmanuel Head Lighthouse and back to the main car park.