SPITTAL and DOG POOH

Spittal may not be the middle class watering place and spa it once was before the railway closed down thanks to Dr Beeching but it remains a pleasant if rather sleepy sea side village with a good beach and memories of Lowry. It used to have more dog pooh per square inch than anywhere else I knew but the recent anti crap campaign seems to be leaving its mark or rather not leaving a mark. Little old ladies clutch leads (attached to dogs) in one hand and black plastic bagsin the other before depositing them in the appropriate containers-not the dogs of course-their noisesome droppings. Hefty fines, threat of, seems to have focussed minds herabouts being much more expensive for a canine to crap on the sea front than for a human to relieve itself in Berwickshire-in a public toilet that is.

'Development' has seen the end of the old textile mill but the brick chimney, featuring in a number of Lowrie paintings has been saved, for the moment at any rate. Once the new bijou sea side mansions are up at half a mill a shot, down it will come for safety reasons.

The strand is as good as the one Lowry admired and painted but if you are looking for Northumberland's answer to Blackpool you may be disappointed. Very disappointed. One cafe, one snooker hall, a childrens playground, a non (mostly) bouncy castle and, er, thats it.

Lowry did not seem to mind the lack of 'amenities' Probably too busy watching where he put his feet  ¶ 6:46 PM