Northumberland Coast Path to Lindisfarne

Wednesday 3rd September 2025

A year ago I bought a Mac in a Sac poncho and throughout the Cambrian Way in May and until the end of my walk the day before this one it had proved very useful, especially during short showers where I could quickly put it on without taking off my rucksack. It wasn't perfect though, mainly in windy conditions when it was very difficult for me to put on, which I found very frustrating, and then it just flapped excessively in the wind. Despite this I loved that mac so I was upset when I couldn’t find it at the start of this day. The day before I had used it briefly, near the end of the walk, and when the rain stopped I had hung it onto the back of my rucksack, but now there was no sign of it. I can only think that it had fallen off having not been properly secured, which was distressing for me. Inevitably, it was raining this day, so just when I really needed it I no longer had the poncho. I just hope that someone found it and they needed it more than me. I tried retracing my steps to the point where I remember having the poncho but it was hopeless. Soon I got very hot in my waterproofs, which the poncho would have prevented, and this is a common problem in the warm, humid conditions that often occur in Britain. After wandering around Berwick-upon-Tweed wondering whether I could find something to replace my lost poncho I disconsolately gave up and set off along the Northumberland Coast Path, crossing the River Tweed on the historic Berwick Bridge and soon I reached the magnificent sight of Spittall Beach.

After walking along the promenade at Spittall I climbed up towards the railway line that is part of the East Coast Main Line and I had walked beside on the previous day into Berwick-upon-Tweed. I now followed it again on a track with the sea to my left all the way to a car park at Cocklawburn Dunes. From there I walked along a quiet road with views across the extensive sands and as the rain eased my route became a path through the dunes. I appreciated being able to put my hood down as this made me feel less claustrophobic, isolated from the environment and free to take in my surroundings. The walking was very easy on flat ground, but there was nothing interesting to look at and especially when the path plunged deep into the featureless dunes with the sea hidden beyond the undulating grassy mounds. As the rain started up again I eventually had a change of scenery with a line of concrete blocks dating from the Second World War, but even this didn’t last long with the dreary landscape not improving.

Eventually I crossed the South Low river where an alternative route follows a cycle path while I stayed on the official route along a faint, wet path beside the river to another line of concrete blocks that brought me to the road at the start of the Lindisfarne Causeway. A line of cars was waiting for the tide to fall sufficiently so they could cross over to Holy Island with the official safe crossing time just ten minutes away but as I looked on some cars started to risk the crossing while I pondered whether to walk across myself. I was unsure. Lindisfarne has been a place of pilgrimage for over a thousand years but I didn’t really care. The Northumberland Coast Path doesn’t cross the causeway and while there are the ruins of an abbey and a castle on the island they would probably not be very appealing in this weather. Eventually I turned my back on the cars streaming across the causeway and followed the Northumberland Coast Path, which soon turned inland to avoid crossing Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, and brought me to the railway line. 

To cross this I needed to phone the signal box to get permission, to make sure a train was not coming, and this terrified me, either because I had to talk to the signal box or just because I was crossing the railway line. I think it was the latter because the trains were passing at more than a hundred miles an hour. Despite my trepidation I safely made it across and five minutes later two trains passed each other at the level crossing. Moving further away from the coast, I passed over a hill, across Fenham Burn and to the A1 main road, which was much more easily crossed than the railway line. Soon I entered the village of Fenwick and there the coastal path turns left but I ignored the turning and eventually returned to the A1 where I found my accommodation. This was a disappointing walk, mainly because of the weather, though losing my poncho was not a good way to start the day. Fortunately the rain was mostly light and I wasn’t too severely affected by the loss. However, even when I had a view of the coast it wasn’t the dramatic sea cliffs that I had enjoyed on the Berwickshire Coastal Path and instead all I saw was sandy beaches, which don’t look good in this weather. 

Berwickshire Coastal Path

Tuesday 2nd September 2025

While waiting for the bus in Berwick-upon-Tweed to take me back to the village of St. Abbs, so I could resume my walk along the Berwickshire Coastal Path, I had a wander around the town walls while enjoying the gorgeous, warm sunshine. The weather was still fantastic when the bus eventually deposited me in St. Abbs with the strong winds of the day before now much lighter. On that day I had started the Berwickshire Coastal Path from the village of Cockburnspath covering about half the total distance to reach St Abbs, which left me with the rest of the trail to do this day, while taking my time to relax and enjoy the walk. After dropping down to the pretty little harbour I made my way back up the hill, but soon I was feeling very tired and weak, possibly due to a poor night’s sleep. It wasn’t long before the trail took me down to the sands of Coldingham Bay and eventually I just had to stop, sit on a rock beside the beach and have a rest while trying to summon up some energy from somewhere. When I felt refreshed I set off again to climb steeply off the beach through a cleft in the rocks to reach the top of the cliffs and head towards the village of Eyemouth. My route was diverted around a caravan park before finally I descended to the beach where I took advantage of the many facilities in Eyemouth including getting something for my lunch and topping up my water. 

After eating some of my lunch, and having another rest, I set off again to walk around the harbour at the mouth of the Eye Water before following a road for a tedious few moments until I could take a footpath that led me back onto the coast. With stunning sea cliffs to my left and the ubiquitous golf course to my right I enjoyed the fabulous weather and the easy walking along an undulating path that always offered me with amazing views along the coast. Eyemouth Golf Club was soon left behind and a steady climb brought me to the top of Blaikie Heugh with the cliff top walking continuing until I turned inland to reach Burnmouth where a lovely, overgrown path brought me down to the harbour and an even better, overgrown path took me steeply back up, away from the sea to reach the railway line, the East Coast Main Line, which I have travelled along many times. Flat, easy walking led me to what I consider to be the most scenic section of the whole line and I was thrilled to be now walking beside it. The line at that point runs along the edge of the cliffs with stunning views out to sea across craggy headlands. I loved every moment when a train came zooming through at high speed and took loads of pictures, though the sun and the trains never appeared together, which frustrated my artistic eye. 

A low, craggy ridge of red sandstone runs between the railway line and the sea affording the passenger with fleeting glimpses out to sea, which just makes the whole scene even more enticing. Eventually the dark clouds that had been spoiling my pictures started to drop rain, though it was never heavy, and I finally came to the English border. I was now leaving Scotland behind including all the stunning scenery that is inherent in that beautiful country, however the stunning coastline continued and even though the Berwickshire Coastal Path technically ends at the border, in practice it keeps going into Berwick-upon-Tweed. Tall cliffs provided me with fabulous views up the coast when I was not negotiating a caravan park at Marshall Meadows or another golf course, which shows that the Scottish obsession with golf is not unique. Fortunately no one was playing there so I was able to safely walk past until I reached another caravan park with the stunning coastline ignoring such trivial man-made intrusions and continued to provide me with amazing views around Sharpers’ Head. As the weather worsened again, the golf course reappeared on the other side of the caravan park to get in my way before I finally descended onto a road and turned right past the mouth of the Tweed and into Berwick-upon-Tweed.

I enjoyed walking along the Berwickshire Coastal Path, though my walk this day was marred by my lack of sleep. I was never in a hurry so I was able to stop frequently to take a rest and walk slowly, keeping at the pace that I was able to maintain. The coastline was stunning and occasionally there were some truly wild stretches of path, which I enjoyed, as well as seeing the trains on the railway line while walking beside the best section of the whole East Coast Main Line. Even though I was now in England that didn’t mean the coastal walking had stopped because I was now in Northumberland which also has a famous coastal path and I was looking forward to starting that next.