Boulmer and Newton Point, 27 March 2023

[plug]

The gate guardian at the RAF Boulmer admin site near Alnwick in Northumberland. It's been positioned frustratingly close to the fence, with no way of getting a clear view.

XV415 Phantom FGR2 by Dan Sprague, on Flickr

XV415 Phantom FGR2 by Dan Sprague, on Flickr

Then on to one of the best coastal walks in the country, the route from Craster to The Ship Inn at Low Newton, via Embleton Bay. Not far from The Ship, at Newton Point, lies this Cold War navigation relic. The LORAN side was shut down in the 1970s; I don't know whether the TACAN is still working. I expected it to be completely derelict, but it looks reasonably well-maintained. That's Dunstanburgh Castle on the other side of the bay.

Former LORAN/TACAN station at Newton Point by Dan Sprague, on Flickr

[Deleted]

A beautiful part of the world, plug. I lived in Blyth for a number of years and used to go for a drive and a walk up that coast most weekends. Thankfully, the area is not too well known, (apart from Alnwick of course, but Harry Potter hadn't been born when I lived there), and it's all the better for that.

RAF Boulmer performs other functions too, most of which, I am reliably informed, take place underground. I would imagine that the Newton Point TACAN station has been put to another use as well.