Low Newton

A poor forecast for the upcoming weekend forced us to cancel our proposed trip to the Bass Rock. As the day progressed on Saturday a track was slowly starting to appear in the hall carpet with all my pacing back and forth.  Cabin fever sets in early in my house! Soon after lunch time the forecast had stated to improve. A last minute U turn late evening saw us arranging to meet at Low Newton early on the Sunday morning.

When we arrived at the Sea the wind was F3/4 SE and white caps were evident in places. No problem with that as we were all fresh and ready for a challenge, well almost all of us. Richard was the exception to the rule, to be honest he looked like death warmed up ! A night out on the town had left him looking like one of the fifty shades of Grey. No soft porn involved here though just 8 pints of Guinness.

We put in and made South for Dunstanburgh Castle. We soon  found ourselves being dragged through the overfalls in the race off Castle point.  Richard had now turned from one of the 50 shades of Grey to a lighter shade of Green.

We made an unplanned stop right under the castle so Mr Green could answer a call of nature. Having experienced a paddler in this condition before a decision was made to turn back and skirt the beach back to Newton Haven.

Feeling better ?

We headed back through the race and made a sharp left turn into the bay, the swell soon decreased and spirits were raised. Unfortunately Richard managed to raise a bit more than his spirits. I had been keeping a close eye on him  and I noticed he had gone quiet. Within a minute he was re-arranging the topping on his spray deck pizza. Now was a good time to head for the nearest bit of shore we could land on.

Good timing for Richard though as it was now lunch time and because of an earlier route change we were only 100 yards from a  beautiful deserted stretch of sand.

A spot of lunch and an hours sleep made all the difference, We were soon  good to go and spent an enjoyable hour playing in the surf.

Richard back in action!

All the while Brian had been on a training paddle and had went in the opposite direction from us at Castle point. He had made his way to Boulmer, and was now on his way back up. By the time we got back on the water we could see the paddle flash appearing out of the gloom as he drew nearer.

Our last hour or so was spent brushing up on some rescue drills before we made a dash for the ice cream van for a well deserved treat. By now Richards hang over was a distant memory and he was ready for more beer!!!!!!

Low Newton can get very busy in the Summer months with tourists but the large natural harbour gives access to some really sheltered paddling. This is a fantastic piece of coastline, best viewed from the water. Parking is restricted at the bottom of the hill but you can quickly unload and park in the metered car park back at the top of the hill. Tides in this area generally run at  less than 1 knot but the headlands at Newton and Dunstanburgh can produce overfalls under the right conditions.