Sarah’s Story ~ Wild Camp Alnmouth
Introduction from Avalon One. I met Sarah last year on a wet windy day on Hadrians wall. She had been for a wild camp and after a chat and the weather turning, I gave her a lift home. Whilst in the car, we discussed a lot of things but namely the outdoors and wild camping. This is Sarah’s first blog for Avalon One. I admire this young lady for her determination to get out and enjoy the countryside. I hope there are many more short stories to follow. Thanks Sarah ~ Andy.
Wild camping at Alnmouth.
Just at Alnmouth there is a secluded beach which is really good for wild camping. If you are worried about coming into contact with other people when wild camping, this is a really good option. Coming out of the train station and after going downhill for about 5-10 minutes, walking, you come to this roundabout. Instead of going to the well-known stretch, go right, along the main road toward Warkworth. This will take you along the hiker’s route, which is a lovely walk during the daytime!
When I visited, I wanted to remain stealth. This particular spot is really good because there isn’t a car park, meaning there are virtually no visitors. There’s actually a lot of private beaches in the northumberland area, which have no car park access and require a bit of a hike to get to. Because of this, there will sometimes only be a few visitors per day in these particular areas. On my visit, which lasted 24h on a foggy Thursday, there were only 2 or 3 couples. This option is really brilliant for solo female campers, or anyone who feels at risk sleeping out in public areas. And when you do set up camp, there is no need to constantly watch out for psychopaths, ensuring you get a good rest and peaceful nights sleep, ready to take off in the morning.
At this particular spot, the tide comes right up to the dunes at night, so it is best to camp in the dunes. Keep in mind, there is no fixed ground in the dunes, so pretty impossible to set up a tent. I slept in a 4 season sleeping bag, and it did the job. I would recommend a 3+season sleeping bag, inflatable sleeping mat and a bivy to keep you dry. This is fantastic for stargazing and having an experience of sleeping outside, not just in a tent. And a sea dip in the morning too will wake you right up!
High level map from train station to beach
When you follow the walkers path down to the dunes, straight ahead of you is the best place to camp. If you walk straight ahead into the dunes, just before you get to the ocean is an extremely tall dune, which can offer you protection from the often fierce sea winds. Behind that is a really good camping option. At night the ocean can also be quite loud, so this breaks up this noise a bit.
For absolute stealthiness, park your car in the train station car park.
I highly recommend it, it is a beautiful beach undisturbed by people, the landscape is amazing and you don’t have to worry about others wandering around at night.
My recommended essentials in the packing list:
The 10 essentials:
Bivy & or tent (with sand anchors)
Stove
Cooking Kit
Food
Fresh Water
Sleeping bag suitable for the season
Sleeping mat
Waterproofs
Clothing suitable for the forecast
Lip balm and moisturiser (you’d be surprised how much the salty air dries out your skin!)
Just a note there are no supermarkets in Alnmouth, so make sure you bring everything you need beforehand.
There is an amazing stretch of dunes if you walk from the recommended camping spot to the south, looping around to the beach. At the far end of the beach there are some nice rocks, felled trees and idyllic sea houses. Enjoy your trip.
Cautionary Note Here: Please be aware of the tidal streams, ensure you are away from the high tide mark, always check the weather forecast ~ click the links below for further information ~ see also page footer.
