2020 and early 2021 has seen the world turned on its head. Finally we had the chance to get away for a decent break in the larger camper (Wolfgang Senior) as the restrictions were gradually lifted.

Within a few miles of our intended destination we stopped at a quaint village called Great Ayton for a comfort break as the journey had taken a lot longer than anticipated due to delays on the roads which were unexpected. This extended the travel time from just over 3 hours to almost 5. We both agreed that we could afford ourselves that luxury of an hour to stretch our legs knowing we only had a few minutes travel to contend with.

However, this place seemed to have a reel vibe. It was late afternoon, the sun was shining as it had been for most of the day, and there was plenty of activity as we parked up next to a recreation area. Families and groups were taking advantage of the sunshine, chilling, playing ball games and having barbecues.

We decided to have explore the village to see what Great Ayton had to offer. There were some nice eateries and coffee shops, although these were closed due to the time of day, but we did sit outside The Royal Oak pub and have a drink.

When we got back to the van we had a look to see if there was any signage to say that overnight parking was forbidden. This turned out not to be the case and we both agreed that we were far enough away from the main road that traffic noise wasn’t an issue, so we decided to make this our first overnight stop.

The following morning we awoke to another blissfully sunny morning. We pretty much had the whole park to ourselves except for the odd jogger and handful of dog walkers.

By 10am we were ready to scout the village. We knew from the previous screenings walk that the area was famous as the boyhood home of Captain Cook, and his old school had been converted into a museum to celebrate this. We didn’t venture inside so see what was on display, as there the village itself had enough to provide us with entertainment outside such a nice sunny day. A coffee and cake at The Velveteen Rabbit Luncheon Club, and a shandy at the Royal Oak was much more appealing.

We made our way back to the park to find it even busier than the previous day, but we weren’t surprised as it was now the weekend and it appeared that everybody had the same idea. We weren’t complaining, it was nice to see everybody enjoying themselves. We contemplated a second night, but by late afternoon we had made the decision to move to the coast.

Saltburn-by-the-Sea was a place we had visited for the first time last year. It would only take 20 minutes to get there, and we knew it was a rally nice location with lots to offer. We knew that if we could park on the main parade, we would be fortunate enough to experience a fabulous sunset as the evening went over the beach and out towards the sea at Redcar. As it turned out, we were not disappointed. After a short wait for some vehicle to move on, we found ourselves in an even better parking spot than we had last year.

We spent a couple of hours wandering along the beach collecting pebbles for our garden, and also got chance to walk along the pier, which was nice as last year it was closed as a result of Covid restrictions. It was great to visit Salrtburn again, but we both decided that we would move on in the morning and head North to Northumbria. There seemed to be a lot of places we could stay for very little money, or nothing at all. There is a community of people who share their experiences of locations where they have parked with no issues, and knowing we had a very well equipped camper van, we wanted for nothing more than a parking spot. If the surroundings were pleasant then that’s a bonus.

The following morning we were up, showered and ready to roll by 9am. We had chosen Bamburgh as the most northerly place we were willing to drive to due to from a cost / time to get there point of view. The drive was actually quite pleasant, and we arrived at a campsite near Bamburgh just before midday. The information we had was that it was £10 per night with water and waste. The views were really nice but we didn’t commit as we wanted to visit the castle a few miles down the road, and there were other options available.

We drove to Bamborgh and parked just in front of the ‘Lord Crew’ Public house. There were no parking charges which we felt was a bit strange as we were so close to the castle. As it turns out Northumbria encourages tourism by not charging for parking. As we would find out later, they also allow for free stops using a disk system throughout the county.

We were both hungry so had a sandwich in the van before we left for a stroll around the castle. As is usually the case, we had no idea what to expect as research is never high on our agenda, but we found ourselves on the beach enjoying the sunshine after meandering by the castle through and some sand dunes. It was so nice to be surrounded by so many people enjoying themselves, and a real boost to the moral that things were finally getting back to normal after the pandemic.

We considered a couple of overnight parking spots in Bamburgh itself, but there seemed to be a fair few other places along the coast available within a short distance of our location. As nice as the castle and beaches were, there wasn’t a great deal else to do and we would have ended up moving on the following morning anyway.

After consulting the camping app we found ourselves in a parking spot literally right next to the sea. We couldn’t believe just how amazing it was. There was a wall and then the sea. Due to the height of our van, our living quarters were sufficiently elevated that the wall didn’t hinder our view at all. As the afternoon turned into evening, all of the other cars disappeared leaving just ours. The road was pretty much a no through road which meant it turned out to be a really nice quiet evening.

As Idyllic as the Beadnell was, we didn’t see it as a place we would spend a day at when there was so much else nearby to explore. So after breakfast we back tracked up the B1340 to Seahouses, a place we had driven through the day before. We had been told it was worth a visit, but I guess our expectations were high due to the recommendation. No photos to show so I guess that says it all.

With the lions share of the driving done the previous day to get to Northumbria, everywhere we traveled over the next few days was going to seem remarkably accessible with journeys of 30 minutes or less. After the brief stop at Seahouses we got back on the road and continued south. We stopped at a nice coffee bar for a mid morning caffeine fix before continuing our journey.

Most of the locations we visit are either recommendations from people we had spoken to previously, or nice spots to camp suggested by the Park4Night app. It was a fluid approach to exploring the area, but it seemed to be working quite well so far. Newton-by-the-Sea was on our radar due to a personal recommendation from a couple that lived in Northumbria, who were visiting Great Ayton. They were parked close to us at Ayton and we got talking about overnight camping. They were full of suggestions when they found out were were travelling to their home territory. Very useful.

We found a car park at Low Newton-by-the-Sea Beach. It was a really picturesque and I think an extract from the northumberland coast website describes it far better than I ever could..

“A delightful village which is popular for sailing and windsurfing with a lovely sandy beach and fine views across Embleton Bay to Dunstanburgh Castle. The area is renowned for bird watching and the National Trust owns most of the village and surrounding countryside.”

We spent a couple of hours walking along the beach paddling and collecting shells for the garden back home. Unfortunately there didn’t seem to be any place to park there overnight or we would have considered it an option. However, it had been another place enjoyed so now on to our next destination.

It was approaching mid afternoon as we trundled along the coastal road with Mandy consulting her phone to find the next possible camp over. It was parking for approximately three vehicles overlooking the sea at Howick. We disregarded it at first and drove past, as it didn’t look like a particularly spectacular spot at the outset. However, we were both hungry, and decided we should at least park up and make something to eat. So after getting a few hundred yards up the road we spun round and went back to have a better look.

As we positioned the van in between two other vehicles we realized that we had made the right choice to come back. We slid the side door open, climbed into the living space and sat down to admire the vista. This was amazing!

Between the van and the path to the beach was a well trodden part of the coastal path popular with walkers. There was a steady number of people passing, and they were all very friendly as the strode by. There was another smaller VW campervan at the rear of us, and our initial thoughts were that they had seen the location as a suggested overnight camping spot, as we had, and were. We engaged in conversation and found that they were in fact locals just out for a day break enjoying what was on their doorstep. Can’t fault that! This actually turned out to be quite fruitful as they had plenty of suggestions of places to visit.

Later that evening we were joined by another campervan, and the day ended reading and enjoying another sunset as we reflected back on another action packed day.

Alnwick was on the map, and our agenda for a number of reasons. It was where they had done some of the filming at the castle for Harry Potter, It had award winning gardens, the town looked to have plenty of independent shops and restaurants (something we prefer to the national chains), oh and it had been suggested by the local couple the day before! There were also a few places we could stay in the van according to the internet. One, a rugby club which was inexpensive, and another a free carpark.

We checked out the camping locations and decided that the free car park was best situated for walking into town. It was very central, where as the Rugby Club would have required a lengthy walk, and £10 for a pitch. We found that the Castle was closed for the filming of Dungeons & Dragons, and the Raiders of the lost Ark. Yes, Harrison Ford was in town. We could see the castle, so we were happy with that, but decided not to do the Gardens due to its expense. We felt that the town had a lot to offer, and took full advantage of the shopping, restaurants and coffee shops.