Welcome to the Northumberland Coast
If you are planning to have a holiday along the Northumberland coast then this blog might just be able to help you decide where exactly to find your ideal holiday cottage.
The coast line is just over 100 miles and is mostly an area of outstanding natural beauty. There are long sandy beaches, quiet bays and dramatic cliffs. Traditionally very few houses were built next to the sea so “seafront” houses are less easy to find than down along the south coast. However it is fairly easy to drive around and parking is rarely a problem so you do have good options.
If we start off with a little geography. The first thing which visitors to the area will see if probably the A1 road north from Newcastle to Edinburgh. This runs parallel to the coast and is the quickest way to get around Northumberland.How close it is to the coast is also a major factor when looking at journey times.
If we start in the south and head north then these are the main coastal areas.
Newbiggin-by-the Sea. At the north end of the long sandy bay running south to Blyth. The last of the older “town” beaches. Plenty of facilities and a nice bay. Go here for an old fashioned sand and bucket holiday.
Druridge Bay. Just to the north of Newbiggin a lovely very quiet sandy bay. The first large sand dunes. Access points are limited and this is also popular with bird watchers.
Amble and Warkworth. The Castle and the Marina. Also Coquet Island just off shore. Very popular and great walks. Access to the beach north is limited which makes it very quiet.
Alnmouth. A medieval port for the larger town of Alnwick with its castle and grounds. Great little bay with shops and good pubs.
Craster. After leaving Alnmouth and heading north the coast starts to become rockier, there are small sandy bays ( near Boulmer for instance) but it isn’t until you come to Embleton that the long sandy beaches start again. Craster is a gem, like Alnmouth it seems almost to have stepped out of the past and there are lovely walks here. For instance the coastal path to the ruins at Dunstanburgh castle.
Embleton and Beadnell are small villages near to or on the coast. You then come to Seahouses.
Seahouses. The most popular of all the seaside resorts. It is also the landing point for trips to the Farne Islands. Very busy, lots of people and great fish and chips.
The sandy beach between Bamburgh and Seahouses is, in the opinion of many, one of the finest stretches of sand along the Northumberland coast.
Bamburgh. With it’s magnificent castle and quaint cricket ground Bamburgh is very much upmarket and wealthy.
Budle bay to the north of Bamburgh. Tidal inlet very popular with birdwatchers.
Holy Island and Lindisfarne. Some of the largest sand beaches but hugely influenced by the tide. Goswick sands cover the largest section.
North of Lindisfarne you have Cheswick sands and Cocklawburn beach before the rocks start again and you enter the southern environs of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Access and getting around. Alnmouth is the easiest of the coastal locations to get to.It is very close to the A1 and the main town of Alnwick. As the coast heads north the distance to the A1 increases and places like Craster can be a slow drive. Not many miles but slow country roads. Once you are past Seahouses then access improves as the A1 swings close to the coast again.
Finding somewhere to stay. You have two main decisions to make.
1. First do you want to stay on or within easy walking distance of the beach? Whilst there are few properties actually on the beach there are quite a few more within an easy walk.
2. What type of house would you like to rent? If you want something really special or different then these are rare and finding one close to the beach is even harder. However there are a lot of new or recently built houses within the villages. For Seahouses you also get quite a few apartments available.
What to see and do.
Boat trips and sea fishing. Travel to the Farne Islands from Seahouses.
Walking and exploring the beaches and dunes. Plenty of choices.
Visit a castle. You have a choice from Warkworth, Dunstanburgh,Bamburgh, Alnwick or Lindisfarne.
Explore the gardens at Howick Hall.
Birdwatching. Either a RSPB sanctuary or maybe a trip to the Farne Islands. You can watch the gulls nesting below you from the top of the cliffs at Dunstanburgh.
A video to introduce Northumbria and Bamburgh in particular
