What a gloomy look the morning had for us here! But, it’s amazing what an hour can do. By the time we had breakfast and were lining up to get on a boat for the Farne Islands, I was putting sunscreen on the kids. These amazing seabird islands are three miles offshore of that fishing village we visited two days ago, Seahouses. We saw all sorts of birds on our 1 and ½ hour trip.
We even saw puffins!
View of the castle from our boat. St. Cuthbert made an appearance today. We went past the tiny chapel built in 1370 in memory of him and his favorite hermit outpost on Inner Farne. But Cuthbert plays second best to Grace Darling on this tour. Grace was was the lighthouse keeper’s daughter on Outer Farne who, in 1838, braved the North Sea in a tiny rowboat to rescue 9 people grounded in the middle of a storm. Grace Darling this and Grace Darling that.
We had a picnic lunch in the shade. This sign was on the back of an ice cream truck, but the point was not lost on Alex and Eleni.
Then we set off for Bamburgh castle. It was built in the 11th century and was the first English castle to fall in 1464 during the Wars of the Roses. In the 19th century, Lord Armstrong cleverly restored the castle (his various collections fill the place) and his family still lives there. It’s quite impressive and we all were interested in parts of it, but at different intervals.
Take note of this big sandy pit in the middle. We'll be there soon after our walk around!
Alex trying to carry the knight armor!
Curtain made by Russian Prisoners, from their uniforms, in the Crimean War in recognition of their Humanitarian Treatment.”
The real excitement, of course, was the beach and that big sand pit you saw.
Fully sanded, we ate dinner in Bamburgh and headed back for our last night in Northumberland. This was number 3. We're out of outfits for the kids. Some creative cleaning in store for the evening...
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