Escape From Hartlepool

We were reunited with the boat and the dog at about 11pm - dog very pleased to see us!  No further bomb making stuff found!  We did however feel we had seen more than enough of Hartlepool by then and decided to leave at the next available moment.

So - another early start, and we were in the 0700 lock heading North.  Fantastic sailing conditions:  15 kts of wind, tide and wind going our way ...

The only problem with going at 8.5kts is that you reach your destination too early!  Still, it gave us plenty of time to view Coquet Island and its bird colony for the next two hours - unfortunately couldn't get very close to the island in our boat.

When we finally had enough water to get in, we found Amble to be totally delightful:  a quaint little Marina, but the shower facilities have just been refurbished and have to score a 100%!

The next day was designated a Dog Day, so it was a long walk along the beach at low tide - Zilla happy - and again it was delightful.  There were families of Eiderducks paddling around the rock pools - apparently they lay their eggs on the island, and at one day old the family paddles back to the mainland!  Serious Survival of the Fittest!



Coquet Island, seen from Amble - Quite some paddle!

Coal used to be mined in this area, and there were areas of the beach where the coal was clearly visible

The tide was coming in, so we came back along the dunes.

We came across this graveyard just outside Amble - all that was left of the Church is the Spire - apparently in the 1970's the rest was demolished and the stone used for housing!  The spire was only left as it was considered to be an Aid to Navigation at the time.


Who stole my Church?

Inspired by the sight of all the Puffins, we took a boat trip to Coquet Island - Sprigs did have to be dragged, but even he was won over!  It is a Nature Reserve, so we couldn't land. The puffins were very well established there - they look about as unlikely flying as a bumble bee, but seem quite keen on walking ...

Health and Safety?

Dave, the Boat Driver of the Puffin Trip also lays pots for crab and lobster - we learnt that they are laid in chains of 25, with a float at each end, and that he has 900! That is the number you can have a permit for, so lots of fishermen have that sort of number of pots. No wonder we are having to dodge them all the time!

Attention All Shipping!  These are a Big Hazard round here!

Our last sight of the day was the postman - is this Amble answer to Pigeon Post ?

Postman Pat and his Black Headed Gulls

We have just checked the weather for the next few days:  Forecast : Gale to Storm 10, perhaps Violent Storm 11 later.  I think we may be here for a few more days ... in fact we'd better head back to the boat to put on a few more mooring lines, and maybe a couple more fenders.

Next Stop:  Scotland