Rob, Brock and I had a night staying in
Alnmouth on Tuesday 6 November. We stayed at
The Saddle B&B, which was dog friendly and catered for vegetarians and gluten free diets, and also has a free wi-fi connection.
Brock had his first walk of the day at
Birdoswald, taking in part of Hadrian's Wall. Then it was on to Heaton, Newcastle for lunch at the
Sky Apple Cafe. Interior seen below.
It was hard to choose from the many vegetarian and vegan choices on offer, but I went for halloumi and aubergine in gluten free batter served with chips and peas. I also had a cappuccino, which was excellent. The chips and tartare sauce were very good, but I was less keen on the batter. I would happily return and try out some of the mix and match starters, such as aubergine parmigiana, mezzes and koftas. Plus there are many sandwiches, wraps, burgers and other 'mains' to try. It had a nice atmosphere and the waitress was friendly.
We drove on to
Lindisfarne (Holy Isle) and crossed the causeway. The main car park is outside the main village on the island. From there, you can walk to the castle (below) and visit the various shops, restaurants etc. Many are shut at the end of October, though. We did enjoy a green tea and tasty cake in the Post Office, which had a couple of tables to sit at, and also sold maps and guides to the area.
Up-turned boats are used as sheds next to the castle and in the port area.
At Alnmouth, that evening, we enjoyed a walk on the beach, and a meal at the Hope & Anchor hotel/pub.
There are at least three pubs/hotels that welcome dogs in the village and there were five dogs in there the night we went. The menu includes three vegetarian choices:- mushroom and red onion stroganoff with rice (I had this and it was quite tasty); vegetable and coconut curry with rice and nan bread (Rob had the curry and enjoyed it - plenty of spice!); and Quorn and vegetable cottage pie with veg. We had puddings: apple tart tatin with custard for Rob and I had pear poached in red wine with cream - lovely.
The next morning we had our breakfast at the B&B (a good choice of fruit, yoghurts, cereals and fruit juice, followed by your choice of cooked breakfasts, including porridge).
Brock had two runs on the beach - first thing in the morning and again after breakfast.
We drove on to Berwick and walked round the city walls, before having coffee in a Cafe Nero.
The artist
Lowry used to stay in Berwick for his holidays and painted lots of scenes from the area. This is the house he used to stay in, which has views out over the sea and it is next to the allotment patch.
Melrose in the Scottish Borders was our next stop, for lunch. It is a pretty town with lots of independently owned shops, and a ruined abbey and the Harmony Garden (closed end of October!).
Hawick was our last stop, for a final walk, around the park before heading for home.
Our Christmas tree this year.
My favourite decoration - a tiny mouse with his hobby horse toy - bought many years ago from The Christmas Shop in Lechlade.
A lovely new decoration this year, courtesy of my Mum, who bought it at a craft fair in Edinburgh. It is a little handmade tartan teddy with green bow tie and button joints. So cute!
