The Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
The area is best known for its sweeping sandy beaches, rolling dunes, high rocky cliffs, castle-topped crags and isolated islands. Amidst this striking landscape is the evidence of an area steeped in history. A host of conservation sites, including two National Nature Reserves, testify to the great variety of wildlife and habitats to be found here.
Along the coast there is a string of picturesque villages and harbours to tempt you with Craster Kippers or Lindisfarne Mead. Rolling back through time, perched on the sea cliffs at Howick sits a reconstruction of a Mesolithic hut, on the site of the original, giving a glimpse of the earliest phases of human settlement in the country.
Islands are also important features of this coastline. Historic Holy Island is only accessible across the sands when the tide falls. The Farnes, reached by boat trips out of Seahouses provide one of the wildlife spectacles of the world they are packed full of noisy nesting colonies of seabirds, including the charismatic puffin.
To help explore this wondeful area a series of walks, including subjects like birdwatching, wildflowers and history have been organised. |
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