Northumberland Day 7 - Seahouses & Brinkburn Priory
Day 7 was another beautiful day! It was our last day. The last day of our trip is usually a shopping day. This time wasn't an exception. We went to Seahouses, a village on the coast that had another famous kipper shop. We walked around the village first, which didn't take long. We checked Trotters Family Bakers, at the most popular bakery of Seahouses and bought some North East specials - a Stotty, two Singing Hinnies (similar to Welsh cakes), and a Sly Cake (a shortcrust pastry filled with currants and raisins that is similar to Eccles cake but in a square shape).
Then we stopped by Swallow Fish, a traditional smokehouse established in 1843 to buy kippers. A lady at the shop was very friendly and we had a nice chat with her.
The sea was calm and beautiful! We could see Farne Islands over there, where are a famous place to see Puffins and other seabirds as well as seals.
We stepped down to the rock beach. I was hoping to find puffins or seals around there, but there wasn't any. Instead we saw dolphins! How lucky we were!!
I could watch waves all the day, but it was time to leave. Good-bye, the sea!
We went back to Alnwick and put kippers in the refrigerator. Our next destination was Brinkburn Priory. The priory was hidden in secluded, deeply wooded countryside, which let us walk for several minutes from the car park. We had thought that we wouldn't walk a lot on the day, but we were wrong!
I treated myself with a little cup of ice cream that was sold at the English Heritage ticket/gift shop on site. It was Doddington Dairy's Heather Honey Ice Cream. In fact I was interested in visiting Doddington Dairy that is located near the north end of Northumberland National Park to taste their famous ice cream during this trip, but we haven't had a chance to do so. On the very last day my dream came true suddenly and surprisingly! The ice cream was lovely by the way.
Brinkburn Priory is the 12th-century church of the Augustinian Priory, one of the best examples of early Gothic architecture in Northumberland. It was completely restored in the 19th century and is currently available for a wedding ceremony. It's also a filming location of an episode of the first series of Blackadder that we just watched!
There was a manor house next to the priory.
Like other country houses we have seen, I expected to find a beautiful interior that could be used as a party venue, pairing with the priory, but it was totally ruinous! The manor house was built in the 16th century on the ruins of some parts of the priory, and renovated and extended in the 19th century. I don't know what happened after then; now there was not any furniture and even some floors were missing. The manor house certainly had potential although it would cost a lot to improve it. On the other hand, the current status was surreal and kinda attractive. I'm curious about the house's future.
It was time for lunch! We had a wonderful Afternoon Tea at The Running Fox Bakery. It was a bakery that I found during my research about good bakeries in Northumberland, but it was very by chance that I saw a signboard of the bakery when we were driving in a small village called Longframlington on our way to the priory because I didn't remember the exact location of the bakery. We were so fortunate!
Having Afternoon Tea was J's idea so that we could sample both savory and sweet. What a great idea, J! Among many options, we chose coronation chicken sandwich, roast ham & pease pudding sandwich (a North East staple!), corned beef & potato pie and roasted vegetable frittata; fruit scones with jam and cream; bakewell tart and white chocolate & orange cake. Each piece was huge and we knew it would be impossible to finish all. We strategically ate pieces that won't travel well and took the leftover home. Everything was well-made and delicious!
Seven days in Northumberland was memorable. Magnificent castles as well as abbeys and priories with fascinating stories. Picturesque coastline and rolling hills. Tiny villages and charming manner houses and gardens. It was a fantastic way to celebrate our 11th anniversary. Plenty of sunshine during the trip, which was a miracle!
