A Romance Writer’s Love Affair …

Whenever we have guests up from the south, I feel jealous that they are about to experience that ‘wow’ moment I had when I arrived here over thirty years ago. Before the end of the visit someone will invariably say - usually while staring out over yet another fantastic view -‘I had absolutely no idea this was all here …’

I can’t blame them. Before I moved to Northumberland, I had a very sketchy idea of the county. Now I am almost evangelical in my attitude towards the place and happy to bore anybody’s ear off about how wonderful it is.

It’s hard to remember what impressed me the most when I first arrived, although I know I was struck immediately by the light – on a clear day there’s a diamond sharp clarity that can’t fail to lift your spirits and I loved the freshness of the air. Sure it was a couple of degrees colder than I was used to, but it seemed a small price to pay. Another big plus was the people. The humour here is wry and self deprecating and the warmth feels genuine. The overall tendency is to include rather than avoid eye contact and sidle away.

The rich history of the place also pulled me in – the Romans, the Scots, the great landed families, the English Civil War – they’ve all left their mark with walls and castles, churches and bastle houses.

What really clinched it for me though was the wild, often rugged, nature of the scenery. There are clipped and managed places here, and very beautiful they are too, but it’s the untamed things I love the best. The places that offer a sense of space and freedom, from the high moors to the dark, pine-sweet forests and, of course, the stunning coastline.

 Ah, that coastline and those beaches. On the very best days the light is blond, the sea is blue, there’s a castle or a lighthouse somewhere in the picture and the sand is a great sweep of pale, soft yellow that rears up into sand dunes behind you. Even on the worst of days as the wind whips sand into your face and takes your breath away, and the spray flies off the waves pounding towards the beach, you feel alive and part of nature. And you’ll rarely have to lay down your towel to reserve a space.

So, my favourite beach? When the children were younger it was Alnmouth with its old-fashioned bucket-and-spade feel or Bamburgh for sledging down the sand dunes. But what about Warkworth, Embleton, the mighty Druridge Bay? They’ve all afforded hours of good walking, nature watching or just sheer enjoyment at being out in the fresh air with the taste of salt on my lips.

If pressed though, I would choose Low Newton.  I defy anybody who comes in by road not to be stunned by that first view as you clear the brow of the hill. It’s a cracking combination of sand, rock, grassy dunes, little beach huts and the great, ruined beauty of Dunstanburgh castle. Oh, and the pub is pretty fine too.

When I set my second book in Northumberland, I made some of the most poignant scenes happen on that beach and I had Mack, a dyed-in-the-wool southerner, completely bowled over by it.  I guess I wanted to show that original ‘wow’ moment that I had. Who knows, in the process, I might also have encouraged people who haven’t discovered the county, to give it a try.

Hazel Osmond’s second book ‘The First Time I Saw Your Face’ is set in Hexham, around Wark and at Low Newton. It’s available in paperback and on kindle. Her first book ‘Who’s Afraid of Mr Wolfe?’ was shortlisted for Romantic Comedy of the Year.

For more information visit www.hazelosmond.co.uk