Beautiful Beaches: Ross Back Sands

Sitting on this quiet beach the visitor can see Lindisfarne Castle to the north and Bamburgh Castle to the south. The view is particularly impressive from some of the higher dunes.

This is a 'T' shaped stretch of land that sticks out between Holy Island and Budle Bay and for that reason it does tend to be breezy. However, the many dunes provide shelter and on the hottest days conditions can be sizzling.

A walk to the very northern end of the 'T' is interesting. A massive triangular pillar helps boats navigate the waters and it's easy to see why it's necessary. Lindisfarne Castle seems surprisingly close at this point.

Elderly residents reminisce about walking from here to the Island at low tide when they were children some 70 years ago. This is definitely not something to be attempted unless you are accompanied by an expert. There are treacherous quicksands and the tide sweeps in extremely quickly.

The beach is quiet for two reasons. People don't know about it and also because there's a 1½ mile walk to get from the nearest parking point to the sand. However, the walk is one of the joys of going to Ross beach, as the second half passes through a nature reserve. For this reason, visitors are asked to keep to the designated path.

Finally it should be mentioned that this beach has a reputation for attracting naturists and this is worth bearing in mind before you wander through the dunes to the far north of the official path.

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