A long weekend in Seahouses

Seahouses is the kind of village that rewards an unhurried weekend. Here is how three days tend to go for our guests.

Day one: the harbour and the beach. Settle in, then walk down to the harbour. The boat operators have their kiosks along the harbourside and it is worth booking your Farne Islands trip for the next day while you are there. Fish and chips eaten on the harbour wall is practically compulsory, and the beach walk north towards Bamburgh starts a few minutes from the village centre. If the tide is out you can walk a long way on firm sand with the castle growing larger the whole time.

Day two: the Farne Islands. The boats leave from Seahouses harbour and the crossing takes about twenty minutes. Depending on the season you will see puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, terns and one of the largest grey seal colonies in England. Landing trips visit Inner Farne when it is open; sailaround trips run all year. Take a windproof layer whatever the forecast says. Back on dry land, warm up with a pot of tea in the village.

Day three: castles. Bamburgh Castle is ten minutes up the coast and worth a full morning, with the Grace Darling Museum in the village below. In the afternoon, either head inland to Alnwick Castle and its gardens or drive south to Craster and walk the coastal path to the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, one of the finest short walks in Northumberland. Kippers from Craster's smokehouse make a good souvenir.

Then home, whichever cottage is yours for the weekend, to the fire and the sound of the sea.