The River Blyth is little more than 100 metres wide at its mouth. On the far side is the heavily commercialised spit of North Blyth. As part of the Connect2 program, Sustrans proposed the installation of a ferry over the river, but the idea came to naught.

So I had to go a long way inland to cross both the River Blyth and the River Wansbeck. This is Regent Street alongside the wall of the Port of Blyth.

Cycle path alongside the Blyth estuary.

The Kitty Brewster Bridge carries the A189 over the River Blyth.

With a convenient walkway for cyclists and pedestrians.

The route then wanders through the highways and byways of Bedlington Station. To the left is one of the 1000 mileposts donated by Royal Bank of Scotland to the National Cycle Network project. This example is an "English" one designed by John Mills, entitled "the Fossil Tree".

And on along Sandfield Road, East Sleekburn.

Back to the coast and the road and railway which run the length of the spit at North Blyth.

The seaside again at Cambois Beach.

Charlton's Bar at Cambois Beach, run by John Charlton, son of North East football legend and World Cup winner Jack.

Cycle- and foot-path alongside the A189 on a bridge over the River Wansbeck.

Back to the coast at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

The beach at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

"The Couple" sculpture at the northern end of the breakwater in Newbiggin Bay are forever looking out to sea.

There follows a bleak area dominated by past industry before regaining the coast at Lynemouth Beach.

Snab Point.

Cresswell Beach at the southern end of Druridge Bay.

The low-lying Northumberland coast was very vulnerable to attack during World War II. Anti-tank defences are a common feature along the coast.

A wild day on Druridge beach.

The Coast and Castles Cycleway runs the length of the coast, although the quality is variable!

Sand dunes and beach at Druridge Bay.

A short way inland an old opencast site has been converted into the attractive Druridge Bay Country Park.

Hauxley Nature Reserve has been created on another old opencast site a short way inland. The visitor centre seen here was destroyed by fire by vandals in 2010 but has since been replaced.

The beach at Hauxley.

Seaside houses at Amble in a very exposed location, subject to everything that the sea and the weather can throw at them.

Warkworth Harbour, Amble.

Giant sundial in Town Square, Amble.

Retail pods, each housing a small craft workshop or retail shop at Harbour Village, Amble.

To cross the River Coquet, I had to travel upstream on the cycle path adjacent y the Warkworth road.

Warkworth is dominated by its very fine Castle.

The old bridge over the River Coquet at Warkworth. Since the opening of the new road bridge immediately downstream in 1965, use of the old bridge has been restricted to pedestrians and cyclists.

Round on the north bank of the Coquet estuary, what appear to be the ribs of four derelict ships stuck in the mud.

Eider - both male and female - and a solitary herring gull on the sands of the mouth of the River Coquet.

Seen off Warkworth Beach, Stavros S Niarchos is a tall ship, formerly owned and operated by the Tall Ships Youth Trust. Since this photo was taken, it has been sold and renamed "Sunset"

Warkworth Beach; the Stavros S Niarchos out at sea, with Coquet Island further off.

Whilst walkers have to negotiate some high dunes behind the beach.

Lovers Walk, an attractive footpath along the north side of the Aln estuary brings walkers into the village of Alnmouth.

Formerly the mouth of the River Aln was some distance south of its present position. In 1806, the sea broke through the dunes to create a new course for the river, leaving the old church isolated on what had now become its southern shore.