Beautiful beaches and stunning castles

The beach was messy today - not untidy but uneven.... and uneven in a different way to before... that's what I like about the beach it's always different!  The tide was just past high and it hadn't been a very high tide compared with recent ones which is why I suppose the beach was undulating in different directions even within a square metre radius.  Contributing to the 'messy ' look were lots of pesky footprints above high water line - people dogs, horses, birds and probably a few less distinguishable ones who knows what frequents the beach on a dark moonlit night.

The sea was full of coal dust but there was very little evident on the sand but there were vast areas of miniature windswept pinnacles - tiny spikes with long trails where the wind had carried the grains of sand, close up up it would resemble a martian alien landscape.   On a larger scale there weren't many people evident considering it was such a nice day.  A few dog walkers and a couple of sunbathers catching the indian summer sun.

I sat sketching the sea trying in vain to capture the movement and waves in a bit more detail.. I keep trying but never quite manage it -

After the beach we went to explore Edlingham castle a lovely ruined building sat in the valley near Rothbury, climbing the remains of the spiral staircase and sitting up there surveying the landscape wondering what it would be like to be living there in a different century, trying to imagine the hustle and bustle of a thriving community and a fully intact building.

There's something compelling about ruins, the history but more so the outlines and mounds of stones and undergrowth that slowly invades. Edlingham Castle belongs to English Heritage and is very well maintained but still has a slightly unkempt appearance with interesting lichen and mosses slowly covering the ancient stones.  We didn't expect the weather to be so good so I didn't take my sketch book but we took loads of photos for future inspiration.  There is so much to draw- shapes, texture, silhouettes, colour and all the different combinations... I'm looking forward to experimenting..