I was born in Alnwick, moved South at the age of 5 and returned to Northumberland in 2000 with my Welsh husband and 3 year old son, Rob who is now founder of Lundgren Tours and our boss. Seems strange to have a 22 year old boss who happens to be our son, but apart from the odd disagreement, it works quite well.
So even though I spent most of my life in the South, I can honestly say it never felt like home to me. My spiritual home remained in my beloved Northumberland. It was as though, at times, that I had never left. I spent a lot of my school holidays staying with my Grandmother not far from Druridge Bay, a beautiful stretch of golden sand on the Northumberland coast. From a young age, I loved the wide open spaces, the unspoilt coastline and above all the warmth and friendliness of the people. In those days, it was very much a close-knit community which sadly, no longer exists due to the closure of mines and demolition of the pit villages. We’ll never get that back again unfortunately but I still love the friendly folk up here.
Growing up in the South and far away from the coast, I had a yearning to live back near the sea. I don’t miss that claustrophobic feeling I used to get in the Summer when you couldn’t escape the oppressive heat with a walk along a deserted beach and a refreshing breeze blowing in your face.
So to sum up, I think it has to be the sense of freedom that I love the most about this county; the fact that you can sometimes travel for miles along country roads without seeing another car, spend hours on a deserted beach with stunning views and drive just a bit further inland to admire the wild and rugged countryside and the majesty of the Cheviot Hills. I also love our big skies, the definition of the clouds that you can only appreciate in an unpolluted county such as ours and the twinkling stars in the darkest of night skies.
I think that you sometimes have to move away from an area to truly appreciate what you’re missing. I’m home again and here to stay!
An example of one of Northumberland’s stunning beaches at Seaton Point and demonstrating our big skies
photo credit to GEORGE TAYLOR
Karen Lundgren Jones
March 28th, 2019
