Craster harbour

The inscription on the memorial at the harbour reads

Hodie Felix Craster ( happy day Craster?)

Craster Memorial Harbour

Constructed in memory of John Charles Pulleine Craster

46th Punjabis

Who fell in action during the Tibetan expedition

June 1904

He took a deep interest in the provision of a harbour

at Craster and his brothers and sister chose this way

of perpetuating his memory

AD 1906

Additional historic notes are here:

The 46th Punjabis were later redesignated as the 10th (Training batallion) within the 16th Punjab Regiment. After partition it was merged within the Pakistani army as the Punjab Regiment. This entry shows that they were still a separate unit throughout the 1st world war.

For a general overview of the Tibetan invasion see Wikipedia

Sunset over the Cheviots, from Hethpool Mill,xmas 2008

Sunset over the Cheviots, from Hethpool Mill,xmas 2008
Originally uploaded by Northumbria Byways

Sometimes we were really lucky and the sunsets over the College Valley were spectacular.

Hill Fort,Great Hetha, College Valley

Hill Fort,Great Hetha, College Valley
Originally uploaded by Northumbria Byways

We climbed Great Hetha on a clear beautiful day over xmas 2008. On the top it took us a little time to realise where the hill fort was.It was all around us....too big to see with one view

Hethpool Mill from Great Hetha

P1010241
Originally uploaded by Northumbria Byways

This is a view from Great Hetha looking down towards the Mill house.Taken on a glorious day over christmas 2008.

Blogging about Northumberland

We are reading so much in the news about how businesses are looking to the internet to make that extra sale and keep their profits healthy. So we wondered how is Northumberland marketed and talked about on the internet? Who is writing about the county? It's not just the large tourist board web sites. They do their bit, advertising accommodation, places of interest and what's on, that's their real job. But we wondered who is talking about the county for the simple reason, they want to?

To help answer this we spent a little time searching through Google to make the following selection. These are not necessarily the best blogs about Northumberland, but what they do is provide a varied cross section of people who are proud to live and work in the North of England, and in their own way they provide a rich fabric for our society.

Wife in the North. This is probably the most famous blog about Northumberland and certainly the only blog which we know has been turned into a book. Judith O'Reilly's meditations on the perils of moving from London to coastal Northumberland, whilst her husband stays to earn a crust in the City have certainly struck a chord with many people. Although to some of us this is almost a rerun of the temporary popularity of the Peter Mayle books about Provence.

Mary's blog at Barter books. Most book lovers will know about or will have visited Barter books in Alnwick. What they might not know though is that the owner, Mary, has her own charming blog. Sure enough it's not regularly updated, but hey, working in a place with so many books who would have the time? And the blogs when they come are invariably charming.

Ptyxis, botany and fungi. This was a real surprise. Who would have thought that the fungi and mold growing on trees could be so interesting? John and Clare O'Reilly ( no relation to Judith...from wife in the north?) live and work in and around Haltwhistle. Their life seems to revolve around ecology and in particular fungi. So what's so interesting? Well, they blog about their walks in the woods, what they find and then show their photographs. So you start to think...yes , I went on that walk, I've probably been passed that tree and next time I'm out with the dog I'm going to have a closer look!

The blog ecelectic. Strange, one this. It mixes Buddhism and business, but with more down to earth common sense than the average improve yourself book. There aren't a lot of posts to browse through and we found the navigation a little quirky, but yes, this was a blog we would recommend and one which is truly set in the north east.

The Blog on the Tyne. For all of us who remember Lindisfarne, the band not the Island that is. We couldn't really talk about blogs and miss out the over riding passion Geordies seem to have for their football club. This blog looked like one of the better ones but not being followers of NUFC we felt unable to judge here. For all those Northumbrian ex-pats out there it will be one not to miss.


Newcastle photos. This is what the web allows you to do. Take one area, say photos of Newcastle, and then indulge yourself as much as you want. Great to see the pictures of places you know and over time sites like this will become the key resource for historical images of the city growing and changing.

These are only 6 of our random choices covering a huge cross section of subjects. If you have a particular hobby or interest try typing it into Google with the words "in Northumberland" at the end. You never know, you may find your passion in the north east!!

Christmas Farmers' Markets

From now until Christmas many of the towns and villages will be holding Farmers’ Markets with extra festive goodies on offer. Crafts stalls start to appear at the markets providing some excellent ideas for Christmas presents and to help get yourself into the festive mood. This is the perfect opportunity to get prepared for your Yuletide feast with fantastic Northumberland grown produce on offer. Why not try Northumbrian Hill lamb, pork, beef or excellent game birds like pheasant or wood pigeon. The shellfish season along the Northumberland coast is in full swing. Some lobsters and langoustines might just find their way to local markets rather than being whisked off to continental markets so keep your eyes open. The hens, ducks and geese are still laying well, so there are plenty of free range eggs to be had. And of course, there are always the great Northumbrian cheeses, ham, bacon, sausages so don’t forget to save room in your baskets for them!

This year the Farmers’ Market from Barnard Castle will be holding their market on 21st December at the Bowes Museum from 10.00am to 4.00pm. There will also be artists running an activity workshop with a festive theme. Inside the museum the educational team will be inviting children to make snow globes and seasonal ornaments including metallic Victorian angels. If this is of interest to you and you would like to stay in the area East Briscoe Farm Cottages are close by.

Santa can be found in his grotto with gifts for the younger visitors just before dashing back to Lapland to load up his sleigh ready for Christmas Eve.
There will be ample free on site parking for a stress free day.

Other Farmers’ Market venues are listed below. Click on the links to view cottages in the area.

Saturday 1st - BARNARD CASTLE - Market Place 10am-3pm

Saturday 1st ** NB: new day ** - MORPETH - Morpeth Market Place
- all morning from 9am

Friday 7th - NEWCASTLE - Grey's Monument

Saturday 8th - HEXHAM - Market Place 9am - 1.30pm

Sunday 9th - GREENHEAD - 'Hadrian's Wall Market'
from 10am

Friday 14th - CHESTER-le-STREET - Market Place

Saturday 15th - TYNEMOUTH - Metro Station

Thursday 20th - DURHAM - Market Place
9am-3.30pm

Saturday 22nd - HEXHAM - Market Place
9am - 1.30pm

Saturday 22nd - STANHOPE - Durham Dales Centre

Interview with Jon Monks from Shepherds

Interview with Jon Monks of Shepherds Walks.



Many of our visitors to Northumberland will have heard of Jon and the company he runs from Kirkwhelpington. This is where those marvellous Shepherd's walk booklets come from!



Shelagh: When did you first start work as a shepherd?

Jon: I was 20 years old when I took my first full time job as a shepherd on the Isle of Man.

Shelagh: Where did your work take you next?

Jon: Australia, more specifically New South Wales where I worked on a sheep station owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Shelagh: What were the main differences between your job back on the Isle of Man and what you found in Australia?

Jon: The scale of the Australian operations were amazing.Over there you have large commercial farms with over 80,000 sheep compared to the average of say 1,500 for a UK farm. Also when they muster the sheep ( a good Australian term) you are talking about 12 to 13,000 sheep. Back in the UK it would be very rare to have more than 1,500 to round up.

Shelagh: What is your fondest recollection from shepherding?

Jon: Helping the ewes to lamb in heavy winter weather.

Shelagh: With all your travels around Northumberland where would you recommend for remote or undiscovered places?



Jon: Windy Gyle is my favourite place. Here is the full list

1. Windy Gyle

2. St Oswald's Way (on the coast)

3. Dunstanburgh area to Embleton Bay

4. Harbottle Castle (where his Radio 4 interview was recorded



Shelagh: And your favourite 5 walks?



Jon: Windy Gyle is still top of the list but here are the others





1. Windy Gyle

2. St. Oswald's Way

3. Carriageway Drive Rothbury

4. High Style Horshoe

5. Harbottle Craggs





Shelagh: Apart from the walkers notes what else do you do?

Jon: Well we sell Mohair socks and we are developing guided walks. These walks are usually just 1 day but next year we plan to walk Hadrian's Wall over 7 days.





Shelagh: Thank you for your time and help.


Oh...and here is a picture of Jon with one of his Border Collie's

Otter tracks on the Farne Islands!

Great excitement today when we heard that otter tracks have been spotted on Brownsman Island ( one of the Farne Islands). The Island is over 3 miles from the coast and the otter left over 60 yards of tracks.

When asked about what the future held for the otter, the head warden David Steel, had this to say:

"There'll certainly be plenty of food, plenty of crustaceans and fish to feed upon, but unfortunately, unless another animal swims out here, it might have a lonely existence. "

Of course there is also the possibility that the otter will eat bird eggs :-(

This otter picture is courtesy of the BBC report.

The Bathing house - Craster - and the 2nd Earl Grey

One of the joys of working with our clients across Northumberland is looking through the history and background on many of the houses. The Bathing house near Craster has a history going back into the 19th century when it was built by the 2nd Earl Grey.With this in mind we were very interested when the opportunity arose to purchase a signature of the Earl from this period.
It's from the front of an envelope sent from Alnwick to Queensferry back in August 1816.You can see the picture below.

We hope to find out a little more about the Earl and what it was like to live in Northumberland back in the 19th century. So will keep you posted!

David Haffey's "Walks in the Cheviot hills"

One of the pleasures which comes from exploring a wonderful county like Northumberland is when you pick up a book which talks about the area and you can then see how what the author thinks about the things you see and love.
So it was with keen anticipation that we opened the newly arrives "Walks in the Cheviot hills" by David Haffey.
The 1st walk he discusses is Hethpool,Great Hetha and the Elsdon burn. An area we know a little about having spent a week in Hethpool mill.
Ok so what does he say about the walk?

1. The College valley is one of the most unspoilt in Northumberland....well we agree 100% with that.
2. There is an iron age hill fort on the summit of Great Hetha. Well we must have seen that on the map but we hadn't managed the climb....so mark that down for our next trip.
3. "The cheviot hills have one of the greatest surviving concentrations of bronze and iron age settlements in the British Isles". The one at Great Hetha dates from about 500 bc with stone ramparts surrounding a central area which would have contained timber built round houses.
4. The walk takes you down to Trowupburn at the head of Hetha burn which then becomes the Elsdon burn. Well we got half way up the burn on our last trip.....so Trowupburn will be a new place to see next time round.
5. Oh....this is interesting...he says that there is a Wych Elm here. That will be worth seeing.
6. The book then mentions the Collingwood oaks and Lord Collingwood who grew the oak trees on his estates to boost the timber stock for the Royal Navy. Each ship needed about 2,500 trees!
7. The Hethpool cottages. Well we had seen and marvelled at these.They are beautifully done.....the picture at the top of this blog shows the cottages from Hethpool mill. But he then goes on to say that they were designed in 1926 by Robert Mauchlen for Sir Arthur Sutherland in the "arts and crafts" style.We hadn't known who designed them....so that's interesting.Also with this knowledge we clicked through to Wikipedia to learn that Sir Arthur had donated substantial funds to establish the now thriving medical and dental schools at Newcastle University.

So a good start and we will read through the other walks and report back :-)