A weekend away with no internet and good friends is something everyone should do throughout the year. Last time I was in the foggy Lake District with good friends and a rabbit. This time the escape took up right to the top of Northumberland in the seaside town of Seahouses. As well as visiting Bamburgh in winter. Being only a stone’s throw away from the main road that would take one up even further north to Scotland, the location is quiet yet surprisingly accessible.
Visiting Bamburgh in Winter
February never seems to be consistent in the weather it keeps, with my memories being an entwined spectrum of luke warm, clear skied february’s on one end, and frozen snowy february’s at the other. This year February has shown us a gentle ease into spring time with generic grey skies, frequented by blue patches and the occasional storm off the Atlantic. To me, there is no better weather than just before the turn of spring with the ominous black, blue and purple clouds hanging in suspense in a windless sky. Our weekend away emanated this perfection.
The North is a lot like Wales, but without the proud Welsh mountains and rolling hills. This means that is has the natural beauty Wales possesses and a view on the flat to see for miles. For driving its nice to see where you are trying to get to, for example you can see the Holy Island, Lindisfarne off the A1 just past Belford. This is also true for viewing the coast line from the beach. There aren’t many cliffs hiding the coves, just the ebbing and waning of the sand against the sea.
Unlike the Lakes, we didn’t walk up a hill. Instead joining the general touristic love of visiting old houses and castles.
Being Privately owned, Bamburgh castle is a little more pricey than English Heritage and National Trust places. Nonetheless it is still almost worth the extortionate price to get in for the elaborate well kempt state rooms, museums and array of interesting historical objects. The views from the battlements with the many cannons is also a sight not to miss giving it a clear vantage point from oncoming seabound marauders and from either coastal direction.
It also boasts a fantastic view of the Farne Islands. A place that is on my adventure list on a day where the sea is my friend, not my enemy.
The Castle is pleasant to walk around and very informative on the former inhabitants. Definitely worth a trip up north just to look at.
Lindisfarne
Another beautiful place that needs to be talked about is Lindisfarne. An Island that does not necessarily need a vessel to visit it, Lindisfarne also named the Holy Island, is situated on a causeway. Being one of the pilgrimage places of St. Cuthbert, the Northern Saint, the Island has the structural ruins of its priory as well as a later dating castle on the higher point of the Island.
Beautiful. Even with scaffolding.
All these photos were taken on my mum’s camera as my 6d went for repair. This proves that any DSLR is capable of greatness with commitment and work! (Trust me this 550d needed a lot of patient and minute changes on settings to get this far)
With a 550d the iso maxes out at 6400. Personally I would set the max to 3200 so not to tempt distortion and graining. With my 24-105mm lens the aperture balances out okay but with the lower capabilities of the 550d, it has made me very aware and conscious of settings I should be paying more attention to and not being reliant on auto brackets.
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