Day 14: N is for North Northumberland
North Northumberland is famous for her wide and endless skies, for her huge open landscapes and expansive views. From the Cheviot Hills in the west, to the river Tweed along the northern border and the North Sea to the east, poets and artists have waxed lyrical about the county which so many of us are privileged to call home.
When I first moved here in 1996, many residents said to me that I was not to tell too many people how lovely it is, because it maintains that unique splendour in part due to its sparsely dispersed population, to its smallholdings and the fact that it is a very long way from London! And all of those things are true, but we can and should be proud of the fact that Northumbrians are the most welcoming of hosts to the 7 million tourists to our coasts and castles, our mountains and rivers, our ancient towns and villages every year.
Whilst our location 350 miles from London may always ensure that this county remains rural at its heart, I continue to support a holistic perspective on new housing within existing communities: the Willoughby Park estate recently completed in Alnwick is proving just how well we can integrate mixed residency homes into ancient conurbations. I will be looking to work with the new Conservative administration at County Hall to encourage the right balance of privately owned and social rented homes is built across North Northumberland along with the infrastructure investment into school places, medical provision and transport which can sustain more families properly.
In North Sunderland (aka Seahouses!) today, at the harbour, I was able to catch up with some of the fishermen and boatmen who run tourists out to the Farne Islands, that unique part of our United Kingdom which every year welcomes over 25 species of birds to nest and breed.
From ducks to terns, puffins to guillemots, Inner and Outer Farne and the other 20 or more islands welcome these winged tourists to our shores, providing sand eels in abundance for their sustenance. The seals and dolphins look on benignly, as our human visitors discover the extraordinary sight of colonies of wildlife safely protected by the National Trust's wardens.
North Northumberland is, without a doubt, the United Kingdom's most beautiful county. - and I am happy to take on any challengers!
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