We’re standing on the dunes just south of Alnmouth, looking south towards Amble and Coquet Island. It is a very changeable day with many clouds, some dark and carrying rain. A band of sunlit sea lies just beyond the island. A small boat heads into Warkworth Harbour. The long beach is utterly empty of people.

As you walk across a hollow in the dunes, the wind drops off and the warmth of the fitful sunshine becomes evident – a quiet sun-trap. There are many grey snail shells scattered among the dunes, and numerous rabbit burrows. A skylark sings invisibly, high above. To the left stands the cross marking the site of the former church.

West of Alnmouth, on the mud flats, rivulets dribble towards the estuary, but meet the inexorably rising tide, which reverses the flow with increasing strength on each thrust. The mud emits a sizzling sound as the air escapes from it in multitudinous bubbles. The tide seems to come in fast here.