NORTHUMBERLAND VISITOR GUIDE

7 places to visit on the Northumberland coast

Film and TV makers have known for years what surprisingly few other people have recognised - the Northumberland coast is an absolute gem.

What is Northumberland famous for?

Castles - Northumberland boasts more castles than any other county in England (and the largest inhabited castle after Windsor).
Wildlife - in spring, nesting puffins; in Autumn, grey seal pups and all-year-round colonies of shags, turns and cormorants (with occasional sightings of dolphins and whales).
Beaches - miles and miles of golden sandy beaches, undeveloped, unspoilt and nearly all of them dog-friendly.
Seafood - from fish and chips to lobster, locally caught and freshly prepared on the premises of family-owned businesses.

©Mosey Travel

Alnwick Castle ©Matthew Hartley CC BY-SA 2.0

Farne Islands Puffins ©Charlie Marshall CC BY 2.0

Beadnell Bay Beach ©Alan Murray-Rust CC BY-SA 2.0

Craster Kippers ©Kim Fyson CC BY-SA 2.0

Why visit the Northumberland coast?

It's not very crowded - it is Britain's least densely populated county.
It's not very touristy - it gets half the number of visitors than does, for example, the Lake District. Most shops, hotels, restaurants and pubs in Northumberland are independent, family-owned businesses rather than chains.
It's an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - since November 2023, these have been renamed National Landscapes, which doesn't seem to us to describe them quite as well.
It's accessible - there are exhilarating walks with spectacular views without the need to hike and regular, safe, organised boat trips to see puffins, seals and dolphins.
It's varied - there are ruined castles, inhabited castles, cliff-top walks, beach walks, museums, market towns and fishing villages.

Places to visit:

1. Alnwick

A bustling, cobbled market town famous for its castle and formal garden.

Alnwick Market ©Steve Knight CC BY 2.0

Things to do in Alnwick:

Take a tour (or two) of Alnwick Castle - we found both the indoor State Rooms and outdoor Filming Locations tours fascinating.

Alnwick Castle ©Smudge 9000 CC BY-SA 2.0

Visit The Alnwick Garden - a modern take on a formal garden built by the indefatigable Jane Percy, Duchess of Northumberland. It features a poison garden, rose gardens, a Japanese cherry orchard and a massive fountain.

The Alnwick Garden ©Amanda Slater CC BY-SA 2.0

Have a snack at Barter Books - located in a converted Victorian railway station; it is one of the largest second-hand book stores in the country. It also has a charming cafe, The Station Buffet, in the former waiting rooms.

Barter Books ©John W. Schulz CC BY 2.0

Take the Aln Valley Railway - and travel by steam train to the nearest beach at Alnmouth.

Aln Valley Railway ©Steve Knight CC BY 2.0

2. Seahouses

A bustling fishing port and classic seaside town, Seahouses offers amusement arcades, crazy golf and splendid beaches. It's renowned as the gateway to the Farne Islands.

Seahouses Harbour ©Matthew Hartley CC BY-SA 2.0

Things to do in Seahouses:

Take a boat trip to the Farne Islands to see the bird and seal colonies and visit the Grace Darling lighthouse.

Farne Island Boat Trip ©Ian Preston CC BY 2.0

Take a coastal walk - pick up the Northumberland Coastal Path and head south to the tiny fishing village of Beadnell with its curious harbour, lime kilns and the sweeping sands of the bay, a mecca for water sports enthusiasts.

Beadnell Harbour ©Ian Preston CC BY 2.0

Have Fish & Chips at Neptune's - not the prettiest place we ate on our Northumberland holiday, but the best for fish & chips.

Neptune Fish & Chips ©Dave Morton PDM

3. Craster

A tiny fishing village with only one road in or out, famous for its kippers and one of the best places to eat seafood in Northumberland.

Craster Harbour ©Dave_S CC BY 2.0

Things to do in Craster:

Enjoy a seafood lunch at the Jolly Fisherman - a cosy pub at the front and a seafood restaurant with spectacular views out to sea at the back.

©The Jolly Fisherman, Craster

Visit Dunstanburgh Castle - romantic ruins a short walk along the coast and only accessible on foot. Run by the National Trust, it is a ruin, so there is little to see inside, but it is worth the admission for the views from the walls across Embleton Bay.

Dunstanburgh Castle ©Mark McNestry CC BY 2.0

Have a pint or a snack at the Ship Inn. After visiting Dunstanburgh Castle, you can continue your walk along the sand across Embleton Bay to Low Newton-by-the-Sea to visit the Ship Inn before returning to Craster along the dunes.

©The Ship Inn, Low Newton

Sample some kippers - smoked on the premises at L. Robson & Son's smokehouse.

©Alex Brn CC BY-SA 3.0

4. Bamburgh

For three years running, Bamburgh topped the Which? survey of 118 British seaside towns, earning five stars for its beach, scenery and tranquillity. It certainly gets our vote.

Bamburgh Village ©Matthew Hartley CC BY-SA 2.0

Things to do in Bamburgh:

Tour Bamburgh Castle - not as good a tour as Alnwick Castle, mainly because it doesn't have in-person guides. Nevertheless, the video presentations give a fascinating potted history of the castle's tumultuous past, and the interiors are sumptuous.

Bamburgh Castle ©Gary Campbell-Hall CC BY 2.0

Learn about Grace Darling - the Victorian lighthouse keeper's daughter who, in a row boat with her father, performed a daring rescue of shipwrecked sailors. Though she lived on the Farne Islands, Grace was born & died in Bamburgh. You can see the famous row boat and other artefacts in the village at the RNLI Grace Darling Museum and visit her monument & grave in the churchyard.

Grace Darling & her father rescue survivors.

Take afternoon tea at The Copper Kettle - a short walk into the village from the castle, these tearooms are often deservedly busy. It's worth the wait, though, as the food, especially the cake, is simple, fresh and home-cooked, and the courtyard out back is charming.

©The Copper Kettle Tearooms

Walk along the beach - through the dunes below Bamburgh Castle is one and a half miles of sandy beach, offering some of the best beach walks in the North East, perhaps in England. On a clear day, you can see Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands.

Bamburgh Beach ©David Dawson CC BY 2.0

5. Amble & Warkworth

Sadly, we found the town of Amble itself a little run down. Still, it was worth the visit for the two delicious meals we had in fish restaurants in the harbour area and the riverside walk inland to nearby Warkworth.

Amble Marina ©Gerald Murphy CC BY-ND 2.0

Things to do in Amble:

Eat seafood at The Fish Shack - located right on the harbour, constructed from re-purposed timber from a boat called "The Seaquest" you can either eat inside or, if the weather allows, in individual wooden booths at the back.

The Fish Shack Amble ©The Old Boathouse Group

Take a Riverside stroll to Warkworth - A scenic three-mile walk along a flat path next to the river Coquet, which loops around the village.

Visit Warkworth Castle - the views from the tower back along the river towards Amble on the coast are breathtaking.

Take a boat trip to Coquet Island - depart from Amble harbour to see puffins in spring and grey seals in Autumn or visit the lighthouse all year round.

6. The Holy Island of Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne was the one place we visited in Northumberland that was crowded, commercialised and touristy. But it is a unique place, and no trip to Northumberland would be complete without a visit.

Things to do on Holy Island:

Visit Northumberland’s best beach - O.K., so this is on the way to Lindisfarne, not on Holy Island itself, but worth stopping for. Ross Bank Sands is accessible only on foot, a twenty-minute walk across farmland and dunes. However, its relative inaccessibility means if you arrive early enough, you could, as we did, find you have it to yourself.

Visit Lindisfarne Castle - many rooms were closed for refurbishment when we visited in 2023. However, it was still worth going inside for the view from the top, back along the island to the village and the ruins of the priory.

Take in the views - Most tourists make a bee-line for the castle and return to the priory and the village. If you go off the beaten track and walk up the ridge from the harbour's south side, you will be rewarded with stunning views over St Cuthbert's Island and Lindisfarne Bay.

Picnic overlooking the harbour - The cafes & pubs in the village are busy, and it can be challenging to find a table even out of peak season. We avoided the queues and the crowds, packed a picnic lunch and ate it on the benches overlooking the small pebbled beach and harbour.

7. Berwick-upon-Tweed

The most northerly town in England. If you fancy a car-free day trip during your visit to Northumberland, Berwick could be your best bet. All the attractions are easily walkable from the train station.

Things to do in Berwick:

Arrive by train - from the south over the spectacular Royal Border Bridge.

Walk The Lowry Trail - the famous twentieth-century painter L. S. Lowry was a frequent visitor to Berwick and painted the town numerous times. Following the waymarked Lowry Trail is an easy way to take in all the sights and learn about the town and Lowry's connection to it.

Take a Harbour Cruise - to appreciate the walled town's fortifications and two famous bridges from a different perspective.

Where to stay:

We stayed in Alnwick, and that would be our recommendation because it has:

A good range of supermarkets, including Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, plus Turnbull's Northumbrian Food Hall - a sister shop to a traditional butcher in the town centre, this out-of-town food hall has a great range of food-to-go from local producers.
Accommodation to suit all budgets, from boutique hotels to cosy cottages.
A good range of pubs and restaurants.
The Alnwick Playhouse offers both theatre and cinema for evening entertainment.
Easy access to the A1, a train station at nearby Alnmouth, and all the major bus routes (including the aptly named Coasts & Castles Connection) stop in the town.

Northumberland