Today was Christine’s birthday. Breakfast was not included at the Budget Lodge so we bought provisions for breakfast and lunch at Morrisons and set off at 9:45. We headed towards the coast to rejoin Sustrans route 1, meeting it at Warkworth, a lovely old village with a castle. A track took us past nature reserves then at Lynemouth we hit the edge of the industrial area, the route taking us around obstacles such as main roads, the headwind making up for the lack of hills. A run along the seafront then up the Esplanade took us to the Metropolitan guest house. It looked nothing special from the outside but our impressions were transformed as soon as Stephen opened the door to a warm welcome and took our bikes to lock them away securely for the night. Our room was spacious and beautifully decorated, all the fittings were top quality and there was comprehensive guest information. Stephen recommended places to eat which was really useful. We opted for an Italian restaurant along the promenade for Christie’s birthday meal, she chose a pasta dish while Rowan and I went for pizza.