Additional information
Terrain
- Paths and tracks, with good walk on beach, no stiles
Landscape
- Dunes, seashore and lakeside
Dog friendliness
- On lead within nature reserve
Parking
- Car park at Hauxley Nature Reserve
Toilets en route
- Druridge Bay Country Park Visitor Centre
About the walk
The story of Druridge Bay's pools begins 300 million years ago, when the area basked in a warm climate and was cloaked in a dense forest swamp. The gradual accumulation of decaying vegetation eventually gave rise to extensive coal deposits, which today extend far out to sea. Although coal was dug... from shallow drifts or bell pits since the medieval period, it was only during the Industrial Revolution that mining began in earnest. Pits were sunk ever deeper, and mining developed as a major industry along the northeast coast, with villages such as nearby Broomhill springing up to house miners and their families. Opencast mining As the 20th century progressed, many pits became worked out or uneconomic, yet with the onset of World War II, the need for coal had never been greater. A new approach was tried, with the country's first opencast operation beginning on Town Moor, near Newcastle. Cheaper and simpler than deep mining, the scale of opencast workings increased, as the equipment needed to excavate and move immense quantities of rock was improved. Work began on the Radcliffe site in September 1971, and a staggering 100 million tons of overlying rock was removed to extract some 2.5 million tons of coal. Within seven years all the coal was out, leaving behind a crater 170ft (52m) deep. The Northumberland Wildlife Trust bought part of the site in 1983 and has turned the derelict wasteland into the nature-rich lakes and islands we see today. Nature reserves Hauxley Pool is typical of the several flooded workings along the coast, and although huge numbers of trees, shrubs and other plants were originally brought in, there is now a remarkably natural feel to the water and its surroundings. As the fertility of the once-barren land has been improved, many species have become established on the banks, and in spring and summer the place is alive with colour from bloody cranesbill, yellow wort, kidney vetch and a host of other flowers. Look carefully and you'll spot the delicate pink petals of ragged robin, a rare sight in today's countryside. The attraction for many visitors, however, is the variety and numbers of birds that visit these coastal lakes, a spectacle that is ever-changing throughout the year. Resident populations are joined by those migrating between the summer feeding and breeding grounds in the far north and the warmer climes of Africa, where many spend the winter. Dunlin, whimbrel and sanderling are amongst the many species passing through, while redshank, plover and bar-tailed godwit are some that winter here. You will also see whooper and Bewick swans as well as many favourites such as tits, finches, blackbirds and robins.
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