Craster

We decided to go to Craster so that the fit ones could walk to Dunstanburgh Castle while I sat in the Jolly Fisherman to wait for them. After waiting to see how long it would take the barman to notice a woman on her own and serve her I decided 10 minutes was long enough. (I know I could have demanded attention - it was just an experiment).

I had a short walk to some benches overlooking the harbour but it was quite cool in the wind. When I went back to the pub every table was taken so I went back to the bench the hobbled along to meet the others coming back. It was sad to see most of the houses overlooking the harbour were holiday rents. The local young woman at the coffee cart said she was local - her father and brothers had fishing boats there - but she couldn’t afford to live there.

We went back to the pub and got an outside table which had a view to the sea. We had chowder. If you fancy a £12.75 cup of soup with a few slivers of crab and 6 minute bits of smoked haddock, buried in loads of potatoes and sweet corn, that’s the place. They must rely on the tourist trade. Chloe said it was London prices. And it was served on a slate. If there’s a petition for plates not slates, I’m in.

I bought some pickled herring and kipper pate for starters tonight and some kippers for the freezer at Robsons traditional oak smokery. The woman there said they get the herring from Norwegian waters as we put an embargo on fishing for them in our waters to allow them to re-stock. That has happened but in the meantime the fishermen moved on. The other woman in the shop comes to Rothbury to teach the pipers in the pipe band. She said at one time there was an issue with the old lags about having women pipers but they’ve had to get over that.