Further Tales From Northumberland: exploring and foraging along the coast

With over 30 miles of beaches, the Northumberland Coast is a truly stunning part of the world, and it was here Robson Green concluded his travels around his home county, on the TV programme Further Tales of Northumberland.

The journey this week began on beautiful Bamburgh beach – which Robson classes as the “finest beach on the planet” – and it’s not hard to see why.

But aside from the obviously stunning views, including the nearby sight of the imposing castle, Robson was looking for another treasure: delicious seafood and shellfish hidden among the rock-pools

Searching for his dinner from nature's larder, he joined coastal foraging expert Bruce Ferguson, who showed how the beach is full to the brim with edible delights, including seaweed and limpets. Attractive they may not be, but the foraged items proved to be the perfect ingredients for a hearty seaweed soup and laver bread, cooked over an open fire at dusk, which was dusted off before Robson spent the night camping on the beach. (Remember, if you fancy camping on the beach you need the landowners’ permission.)

Rock-pooling is just one of the activities provided by NorthWildlife Trust. Find out more here. 

Here’s a blog on foraging in the rock-pools of Northumberland: http://blog.visitnorthumberland.com/2015/04/10/forage-for-free-in-northumberland-rock-pools/

From mountain biking to sailing in a tall ship, to flying high above the Nothumbrian sights, Robson has used every possible mode of transport during his latest explorations of Northumberland. But there was still one method he was yet to try: kite buggying, and it was time to give it a whirl, at Beadnell Bay.

This sport might look fun but it takes a bit of discipline and hard work, something the TV star quickly realised, as he fought to get the hang of the controls before whizzing along the golden beach.

This company offer kite buggying and other sports in Northumberland, if you’d like to try it yourself: http://www.kitesurfinglessons.co.uk/

Robson ended his travels around Northumberland by exploring another little-known spot – a National Trust reserve called Long Nanny, which is home to Little Terns, the second-rarest seabird that breeds in the UK, which migrate to Africa for winter but come to Northumberland to breed every spring.

A group of wardens work and live here for three months without electricity or hot water, and are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all in a bid to ward off predators which could put the Little Terns and their chicks at risk.

The Little Terns Recovery Project is a five year project, and there are hopes after this time the numbers will be high enough for the Little Terns to thrive without the need for human interaction. Find out more about the Little Terns Recovery Project from the RSPB website. 

Also check this out: http://www.northumberlandcoastaonb.org/little-tern-recovery-project/

And with that, Robson’s quest to discover the lesser known side of Northumberland was complete.

“At times its’ been challenging, but always surprising. And whatever the weather, spectacular. And that’s why I’ll always be proud to call this incredible region home,” The TV star explained of Northumberland. We couldn’t say it better ourselves!

If you’ve  been inspired by the many wonderful activities and places to explore in Northumberland,check out all our properties available for your next stay.