Coastal activities
Watersports
You cant get much closer to the water than Radcliffes Lodge, and for watersport enthusiasts Amble has so much to offer right here on our doorstep. Radcliffes Lodge looks up the river towards Warkworth and offers a great location for paddleboarding and kayaking. Druridge Bay Country Park is only a few miles away and has a large lake perfectly safe for children and beginners in all areas of watersports. Opposite the lake are miles of unspoilt beach where you will often find kite surfers, windurfers and it is home to the North East Skinny Dip.
Northside Surf offer both lessons and hire in surfing and paddleboarding at various locations and are based next door to us here in Coble Quay, Amble.
Coquet Shorebased Trust operate from Amble And Druridge Bay offering kayaking, paddleboarding, windsurfing and sailing tuition and hire.
Birding
The Northumberland coast is a birdwatchers paradise. In the summer internationally important numbers of seabirds come here to nest. In the autumn, hungry and tired migrant birds stop off to feed for their onward journey and in the winter, wildfowl and waders come from their northern breeding grounds to spend the winter here.
Coquet Island is an RSPB reserve about a mile offshore from the port of Amble. It is home to a huge number of nesting seabirds including the very rare roseate tern Coquet Island holds more than 95% of the UK population of this beautiful seabird and is the best place to see them in the UK. Several thousand nesting sandwich, arctic and common terns accompany the roseates in May, June and July, and thousands of puffins occupy the main part of the island.
Nesting birds are everywhere on Coquet Island and for this reason, visitors are not allowed to land on the Island. The birds can be viewed incredibly well from boats that sail around the island.
‘Puffin Cruise’ boats, which was established in 1969, offers boat trips to Coquet Island from Amble Harbour and they sail around the island before anchoring-off, giving passengers fantastic views of the nesting roseate terns and puffins. Seals can be seen around the Island and if you are really lucky dolphins too. You should book in advance during the breeding season and don’t forget your camera!
Just a few miles down the coast is Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre and Nature Reserve. One of the best wildlife-watching spots in the North East, renowned for its bird life. Right next to the beach, it offers fantastic views across the length of Druridge Bay.
Fishing
Amble is a small coastal town and has a long history with fishing. Today its pier is a very popular spot for casting a line or you could charter a boat from Amble Marina. The River Coquet is one of the most respected salmon and sea trout rivers. It rises in the Cheviot Hills and flows some 40 miles east through the Northumberland countryside to enter the North Sea at Amble. Northumbrian Anglers Federation controls much of the Coquet’s best fishing with many fine holding pools. Federation waters include some fine Salmon water downstream of Felton and around Warkworth. Federation waters also include fishing on the tidal section where fresh fish just off the tide can be caught.
Monarch Marine is run by Martin Smith and offers Sea fishing charter and is available throughout the summer. He also runs Mackerel trips and commercial boat hire. Libby 2 also runs out of Amble Marina offering everything from sight seeing trips to fishing charter.