Our Time at Edgewater Cafe
Breakfast on opening day
We visited Edgewater Cafe for breakfast on its opening day back in July.
There is always something slightly brave about visiting anywhere on day one. Everyone is finding their feet, somebody is invariably discovering which cupboard the teaspoons have been put in and you probably shouldn't judge too harshly if everything isn't running like clockwork yet.
But first impressions here were very good.
We had a lovely breakfast, the staff couldn't have been friendlier and, on the beautiful summer morning we'd chosen, sitting outside in the sunshine looking towards the sea felt rather wonderful.
It seemed like a very nice addition to Beadnell.
The dog question
There's really only one reason we haven't become regulars.
The dog.
We're obviously dog people, and during peak season dogs at Edgewater are welcomed in the outside garden rather than inside the café.
On the morning we visited, that wasn't remotely a problem.
It was July, the sun was shining and sitting outside was probably exactly what we'd have chosen to do anyway.
But this is Northumberland.
The difference between dog friendly and dog friendly outside becomes rather more significant once summer disappears.
When we're deciding where to stop for breakfast or coffee, there are other places locally where we don't have to think about whether we can take the dog inside, whether it's going to rain or whether we'll spend lunch wearing three layers and pretending we're perfectly comfortable.
Those places naturally become our regular stops.
And that's genuinely a shame, because we liked Edgewater.
One for a sunny morning
None of that would stop us going back.
Quite the opposite.
Give us a warm morning, a table outside and a walk around Beadnell afterwards and Edgewater makes perfect sense.
Its position is one of its greatest strengths. Edgewater describes itself as the only spot in the village with uninterrupted sea views, and sitting outside with breakfast while looking towards the coast certainly gives it something a little different.
It's also family-run, which perhaps explains some of the warmth we felt from the staff on that first morning. The family behind it have long-standing connections with Beadnell and also run the adjoining village shop.
Sometimes whether somewhere becomes your place comes down to something incredibly small.
For us, this one simply comes down to the dog.
Heather & Sand verdict: A lovely addition to Beadnell with friendly staff, good breakfast and a sunny outside space with sea views. We thoroughly enjoyed our first visit and would happily return. The outside-only dog policy during peak season means it hasn't quite become one of our automatic year-round stops, but give us a sunny Northumberland morning and we'd have no hesitation going back.