Coquet Shorebase
The Coquet Shorebase Trust runs canoe, kayak and paddleboard sessions from The Braid, on the tidal River Coquet between Amble and Warkworth. The estuary here is sheltered, with Warkworth Castle visible upstream and Amble harbour a short paddle downstream.
The Amble half-tide weir crosses the river a short distance upstream of The Braid. It maintains water levels through the reach at low tide but is submerged as the tide rises; in 2018 more of its flow was redirected down the dedicated fish pass, after seals had taken to catching salmon, sea trout and eels using the main notch. The reach is tidal below Warkworth Dam, and the Environment Agency's gauge at Warkworth records a normal range of 0.32m to 3.08m.
Downstream, the estuary opens into Warkworth Harbour, a working fishing port and marina run by Warkworth Harbour Commissioners, a trust port and registered charity governed by its own Act of Parliament from 1847. A 4mph speed limit applies within the harbour. At the harbour mouth, a shoal called Pan Bush can break in strong onshore conditions or heavy swell.
The estuary's mudflats and salt marsh draw wading birds and wildfowl, and seals are seen around the weir. The water here forms part of the Coquet to St Mary's Marine Conservation Zone, designated in 2016, and overlaps the Northumberland Marine Special Protection Area.
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The Amble half-tide weir lies just upstream of The Braid; it maintains water levels through the reach at low tide but is submerged near high water, and its fish pass was adjusted in 2018 to route more flow away from a notch where seals were catching fish.
SourceThe reach is tidal below Warkworth Dam. The Environment Agency's gauge at Warkworth records a normal range of 0.32m to 3.08m, with a recorded high of 4.59m on 21 October 2023.
SourceWarkworth Harbour, immediately downstream, is a working commercial fishing port and marina with a 4mph port speed limit.
SourcePan Bush, a shoal at the harbour mouth, breaks in strong onshore conditions or heavy swell.
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