I had a really crappy nights sleep with my knees giving me some gyp. Usually a dose of Ibuprofen an hour before bed dulls the pain (which only really manifests itself when I’m lying down) but I’d been experimenting with Ibuprofen gel and that don’t hack it !
After very little shuteye, I gave up the ghost around eight and as Sue was starting to stir, decided it was time to get up.
It didn’t take long to pack up our meagre belongings and deposit them back in the car before going for the hotel breakfast. I went for the full veggie breakfast including spinach and grilled tomato which I don’t normally eat but did today. Sue looked at me quizzically and I thought of Airplane !
With me feeling tired, Sue volunteered to drive. The M1 was about a mile from the hotel and we were soon whizzing North towards our final destination of Seahouses in Northumberland.
We made good time, not stopping until we reached Durham Services where we did for a comfort break.
Returning to the motorway, we continued our trek getting held up a bit in roadworks.
When the SatNav suggested leaving the motorway, we did only to rejoin immediately. Presumably we shaved a few seconds off by bypassing some of the near static traffic but Sue wasn’t happy having to get across busy lanes to get off and then back on.
Those roadworks were the only hold up that we had on the entire trip up.
After leaving the A1, we passed through, although not straight away due to a level crossing, the village of Chathill. Whilst waiting for the trains to pass, Sue asked if there was a SideTracked cache here – unfortunately not.
Once clear of tracks we were soon arriving at the Camping & Caravan Club site at Beadnell Bay where we would be spending the next seven nights.
The site staff were very efficient and we were lead to our pitch by a guy riding an e-bike. The pitches either side of us have been reseeded so we shall be neighbour-less during our stay.
The tent was soon erected (even quicker than last time) and then we, probably, spent longer putting all the bits and pieces inside.
The most amazing thing is that we never argued once.
With base camp set up, we took a drive to the nearby town of Seahouses primarily to get provisions from the supermarket but on checking the Adventure Lab website discovered a series around the town. Geocaching.com provided a virtual cache not too far away.
A stroll around town took us to a viewpoint of the nearby Farne islands, the lifeboat station, a war memorial and a pub.
A short stroll along the harbour road brought us to the Gunpowder Hut where gunpowder was stored, away from anything else, during the construction of the harbour. Obviously, there are no explosives there now but it is the location of a virtual cache.
Returning to Seahouses, we called in at the Co-op for some odds and ends before retiring to a seafood restaurant called Hook.
Replete, we made our way back to the tent, filling up our water container en route before zipping up for the night.
The forecast had been for rain but apart from a few showers whilst driving up, we have escaped any further precipitation and even ended the day with a blue sky.
