Latest news with #GavinMaxwell
Daily Mirror
27-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
‘I visited the UK's undisputed best seaside town - it's massively overrated'
With plodding, clockwork-like predictability, Bamburgh has once again been crowned the UK's favourite seaside town. The Northumberland village claimed the number one spot in Which?'s annual battle of the beaches — the fifth year in a row it has made it to the top of the slippery seaside pole. It earned five-star ratings for its beach, seafront, scenery, and peaceful atmosphere. Situated about an hour's drive from Newcastle, Bamburgh attracts thousands of people every year. And this is part of the problem — and why I found myself left cold by its alleged charms. When I visited earlier this month, the sheer number of people crowded along its narrow pavements really took the calm edge off the village's peaceful reputation. Cars are also a big issue. On a hot June day, the stream of traffic on the arterial road that runs through Bamburgh's centre is relentless. The closest train station is seven miles away in Chathill, and the buses are sporadic, so any hopes of embarking on a relaxing, car-free day trip will prove difficult. Gripes about logistics aside, the real issue with Bamburgh is its vibe. Central to the charm of Britain's great seaside towns is a slightly edgy, salty quality in some way connected to large quantities of sailors. Bamburgh, with its Farrow and Ball doors and memorial benches, has none of this. The stars of the show in Bamburgh are the beach and the castle. It is undeniable that the combination of the two — how the 1,400-year-old fort hangs above the broad, sandy shore — is magnificent. You won't find me criticising Bamburgh Castle. The beach, however, is arguably a little one-note. Once you've waded out half a mile to get to a patch of water deep enough to paddle in, you'll be frozen by a North Sea that rarely swells itself into anything remotely as interesting as what you'd find on the UK's Atlantic coast. If you're in search of a very long beach, Camber Sands near Rye in East Sussex not only enjoys a lot more sunshine — as one of the sunniest places in the country — it also has superior sand dunes, particularly so if you're a teenager interested in launching yourself off their summits. If you're looking for pure picturesqueness, there are plenty of more peaceful seaside towns that give you space to contemplate the waves and commune with nature. Glenelg, on the west coast of Scotland, is one. It's home to not only the best pub garden in the UK — courtesy of the Glenelg Inn — but also the staggeringly pretty beach of Sandaig. The peaceful spot was immortalised as Camusfearna in Ring of Bright Water, a book written by Gavin Maxwell about his life living alongside pet otters. With its winding paths, craggy islands, and coves, it delivers a lot more than the flat track on offer at Bamburgh. Of course, the Northumberland coastline is a stunner. But if you're in that neck of the woods, then why not travel a few miles further north from Bamburgh to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, where you'll find a unique species of orchid, the remains of St Cuthbert's hermit hole, a castle and — when I went — a choir of mournfully singing seals? At the end of a yomp around the achingly beautiful island, there's the thrill of driving across the causeway that connects the tidal island to the mainland. As warning signs in the car park gleefully note, many an overconfident Range Rover driver has found themselves bobbing around in the salty drink in a belated effort to make it across. Clearly, I am in the minority when it comes to my indifference to this chart-topping coastal spot. One Bamburgh visitor told Which? what they love about it: 'It's a gem. The beaches are sandy, clean, and stretch for miles. There are walks galore, the food on offer is top notch, the feel is of a time gone by, and there's enough history to delve into to last several holidays.' An average night's stay in Bamburgh costs £130, which is reasonable. If you're looking to splash out, then the castle's current owners, Francis and Claire Watson-Armstrong, will have you to stay. Francis is a fifth-generation custodian of the Grade I listed building — originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as Din Guarie, dating back around 3,000 years. 'The castle's history goes back 3,000 years. It has been in his family since 1894, which is relatively recent in the grand scheme of things. The first Lord Armstrong, who bought the castle, was an incredible inventor who was called 'the Magician of the North',' Claire told The Mirror. For Claire, the fact that Bamburgh won the Which? survey yet again shows how remarkable a place it is — especially given that it is not gifted with the sun and warmth of seaside counterparts in the south of the country. 'There is nowhere like Bamburgh. You can see dolphins, the sunsets, the sunrises. You just stand there and breathe in — the smell of the sea. It is unique. As it has been over the centuries, there is something about the soul of the place,' she said.
Daily Record
17-06-2025
- Daily Record
The Scottish bridge that was the world's most expensive crossing before toll was scrapped
Scotland has more than 500 bridges but few have caused quite as much uproar as this one. Scotland is home to hundreds of bridges, with crossings throughout the country linking islands and spanning rivers and lochs. But few of them sparked as much national attention, and outrage, as the Skye Bridge. With 577 bridges across the country, Scotland plays a key part in the UK's total of 3,680 structures that connect towns, cities, and regions. Among the most iconic are the trio of bridges across the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh and Glasgow's Kingston Bridge on the M8. But it was the Skye Bridge, which links the Misty Isle of to the mainland, that once held the title of the most expensive bridge in the world to cross, The Mirror reports. Opened on October 16, 1995, the Skye Bridge was built by Scottish firm Miller and designed by German engineering company DYWIDAG Systems International, in partnership with Arup. Its main structure is a sweeping concrete arch supported by two piers, stretching from the mainland to the smaller island of Eilean Bàn, and then to Skye itself. Eilean Bàn, meaning 'White Island', plays a central role in the structure, as it is the land upon which the main arch of the bridge rests. The island is home to a 21-metre-high lighthouse that sits just beneath the arch. Before automation in the 1960s, lighthouse keepers lived in the cottages on the island. These were later purchased by the renowned naturalist and author Gavin Maxwell, best known for his work with otters and his celebrated book Ring of Bright Water. Today, Eilean Bàn is a protected wildlife reserve, managed by the Bright Water Trust. One of the cottages now houses the Maxwell museum, a faithful reconstruction of Maxwell's 40-foot living room containing original artefacts. The museum was recreated with the help of Virginia McKenna from the Born Free Foundation. The entire bridge stretches 1.5 miles, and the central arch rises to a height of 35 metres, offering 30 metres of clearance at high tide for passing boats. Before the bridge's construction, which cost around £28million, Skye residents had to rely on the ferry from Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin, often queuing for hours during peak seasons. Though the bridge improved access to Skye, its tolls triggered a storm of controversy. Charges rose from just 40p to an eye-watering £11.40 within a decade, making it the most expensive crossing in Europe, and at one point, the world. Local humour reflected public anger, with the crossing getting an unwanted tag from islanders: 'The Skye Bridge – the only place in the world where you get mugged AND get a receipt!' The backlash led to the formation of a protest group, Skye Bridge Against Tolls (SKAT), who argued the tolls were extortionate. Campaigners claimed the operating company collected over £33million in tolls, despite the bridge's running costs being just £3.5million. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. After years of protest, the tolls were finally scrapped on December 21, 2004. The Skye Bridge now stands as a vital connection between island and mainland. After the Skye Bridge toll was scrapped, few remained across Scotland - and they followed suit in the years afterwards. One of the country's most-used crossings, the Erskine Bridge, remained as a toll road until March 31, 2006, at which point traversing the River Clyde there became free. The Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge both had their tolls scrapped on February 11, 2008. Scotland no longer has any toll roads or bridges.
