Northumberland may have once been a county of mining, but much of that is unrecognisable from the time coal was king. A number of former quarries across the county have been transformed into nature reserves, such as East and West Chevington at Druridge Bay, Stobswood near Morpeth, and Weetslade in North Tyneside . One community success story is that of Embleton Quarry on the Northumberland Coast, which was the first place in the Northumberland Coast National Landscape to be awarded a dark skies designation in 2022 .
The tiny village is one of the quieter spots on the Northumberland Coastal Route, at least on a sunny Wednesday morning in August. The crowds of Bamburgh and Seahouses aren't quite so common here, but you can reach both in 20 minutes by car - and Craster is just eight minutes south. Read more: The Northumberland circular walk to a piece of forgotten North East mining heritage Keep up to date with all the latest local news from Northumberland with our free newsletter I enter the quarry through the Quaker's Row Entrance, passing Scandinavian style houses before the whole of the reserve opens up in front of me, the North Sea glistening behind it.
Paths lead down towards a lake, where a platform has been built to observe the birdlife. Coots, moorhen and ducks paddle lazily across the surface, and I spot little grebes from their red throats, informed by a hand bird guide to the wetland on the platform. Every so often a bird shakes itself dry, causing ripples to break a.