When having a look at where to go for this week's visit, I decided to look at somewhere on the coast as it had been a while since I'd been to somewhere like Tynemouth or South Shields.
I don't recall every going to Craster when I was younger, but I had a little bit of background knowledge on the place. I knew that it was famous for the fishing industry and specifically its famous 'Craster kippers' , but that was about as far as it went.
As I pulled up and got out of the car, being the Gen Z person that I am, I immediately noticed that there was no service on my phone, which was actually quite refreshing. I was able to walk around the village chatting to people without any distractions.
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My first stop was the place that feels like the hub of the village, The Jolly Fisherman pub. I had a nice sit down in the outside seating as the weather was perfect, with a light breeze and just warm enough to sit in.
The village just felt so peaceful and relaxing to walk around, and it was clear to see exactly why a lot of tourists from all over the country come up to visit Craster and many other coastal places like it in the North East.
This became even more apparent when I had a chat with Lloyd Allen who is visiting Northumberland along with his wife and his dog Bruno. Lloyd is originally from London and is now living in Lancashire, and the trio are staying in Seahouses for their holiday. It is their first time in Craster, and Lloyd spoke to me about how he found the place and what his first impressions are.
"It is our first time in Craster and we are having a great day so far. It is very pet friendly and our dog Bruno is loving it too. We have just had some of the best fish we have ever tasted in the cafe and we're going over to Dunstanburgh Castle soon.
"We have definitely seen in the North East so far that there are loads of places that are waiting to be found, and everywhere is very accessible for us. We will certainly be coming back here again, without a doubt", he said.
As I went further on around the village, I found a host of different local businesses, including the aforementioned Shoreline Cafe, The Mick Oxley Art Gallery and several holiday homes that are available to allow people to stay directly inside the village.
On my journey, I stopped to have a chat with Ron Morris and his dog Molly, who were visiting from North Wales, along with Ron's wife. They had previously been to Craster and explained why they decided to come back and what it is that attracts them to the village.
"We have been to Craster before as it takes about 4 hours to get to from where we are so it isn't too bad. It's a great place to bring pets, and Molly is a huge fan of all of the amazing she found she gets to have a bit off.
"We've just been into L Robson and Sons who are known for their amazing kippers, so I'd definitely recommend there to anyone who is visiting. We were last here weeks before Covid started we have very good memories here of the time before the pandemic", he said.
I decided to take Ron's advice, and payed a visit to L Robson and Sons fishmongers myself. As soon as you get into their courtyard, the delightful smell of smoked herring hits you, and I couldn't wait to get into one of the smokehouses and see how it all works.
I spoke to Graham Coxon, the owner of L Robson and Sons, about his family's history in this business, and he also explained the process that the fish have to go through in order to meet the high standards of the village's famous kippers.
"I have worked in Craster for over 20 years now and it is such a brilliant place. My family have been in business here for well over 100 years and everything we do in the smokehouses is done in a traditional way that honours their legacy.
"The process is nothing too complicated, the fish are put into a salt water brine for around 30 minutes, and then they are transferred onto the hooks on which they will hang in the smokehouse for 16 plus hours, depending on the type of fish", he said.
It was an amazing experience seeing these people who are so passionate about what they do, create a local delicacy in a way that is so steeped in tradition. It was the perfect way to end my day in Craster, as I left not just smelling of smoke, but with a new sense of respect for an industry I knew very little about.
Craster is a fantastic place that I will certainly be visiting again, it is the perfect fishing village, as peaceful as it is lively, and it is clear to see why so many tourists visit the village every single day. I couldn't resist some chips on the way home to end this coastal day in the best way possible.
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