Mrs. T and I have a fancy to spend some in Northumberland this summer – everything I see of it looks looks lovely but I don’t know it at all. So, Massive, where to stay, where to go, what to see?
Thanks!
ATM Northumberland
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I don’t think you’ll be disappointed wherever you go. Bamburgh, Otterburn, Kielder Water, Alnwick. Coast or Inland?
Both. Really want to investigate the countryside but the coast seems essential too. Castles etc.
Yeah, the big question is coastal or inland.
Farne islands
Northumberland is simply stunning – only downside can be the weather which is “mostly changeable”. I’d base myself in Alnmouth which despite becoming bohemian chic (and correspondingly expensive) is damn near perfect and well positioned to visit Holy Island, Alnwick, Bamburgh, Craster etc etc. Enjoy!
My son and girlfriend are visiting the Farne Islands this week.
I reminded him of the time we went there when he was young. We were on the boat and this chap was sat opposite us in a rather nice jacket. A small drop of water landed on it and he complained about about his jacket being ruined to his friends. I think you can guess the next part, completely drenched by a wave over the side of the boat. Oh how we laughed, internally while offering sympathy.
They’ve been seeing orcas off the Farnes the past week or two – fingers crossed they’re still about when your son goes out.
Ta I’ll let him know.
And dolphins too.
Alas no viewings of either though we’ve seen dolphins off Aberystwyth.
Hexham, the dark skies around Kielder water, and Kielder water Observatory. The beaches up the coast near bamburgh are great, too.
Those were going to be my two votes as well.
Possibly a little large for two people, but there is a great converted church in Hexham to stay in
As Vincent says, Kielder is amazing. We take the A68 when we go up to the Cairngorms and the Northumberland National Park is so lovely, I wonder why we bother with the seven hours ahead of us.
Pack your passport, and nip over the border to Jedburgh in the Republic of Scotlandshire.
Craster for crab, Dunstanbrough castle on the coast, Holy Island. Hadrian’s wall. Cragside is a very impressive stately home. Berwick – walking the old town walls.it’s wall good.
We stayed in Low Newton by the Sea many years ago – not much there but a decent pub and stunning beach. The second hand bookshop, in Alnwick, Barter Books was great for a mooch around
Stick to the coast for the ‘glamour’. Inland can be bleak, the landscape isn’t harsh but you’ll find it’s virtually empty. You won’t see a soul for miles. The roads are narrow, hilly and twisty and you will eventually find yourself driving through simply wonderful little towns and villages. Corbridge, Rothbury etc. Filled with houses and shops built from golden sandstone. Rothbury being the childhood home of Alexander Armstrong, though you’d never guess.
Hexham is the big market town hugging the Tyne at the south of the county. Go and see the Abbey. Morpeth is canny too. Oh, do say ‘canny’ a lot to impress the locals. It means lovely/nice/cute in Northumberland.
So, the coast. Bamburgh, Alnwick. Amble, Craster, Seahouses. And if you want, dip right down to Cullercoats and Whitley Bay to rock away, rockaway…
Use any of those as a base to see all the castles, especially Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh. Drive over the Holy Island Causeway.
Finally try at day at the beach at either Beadnell or Druridge Bay. Long wide arcs of soft sand, marram grass and dunes. It’ll be yourselves and a maximum of 6 or 7 others. There’s nobody there.
Where I was born and I love it.
That’s fab thanks Beez.
Love the coast, from Amble all the way up to Berwick, with the obvious highlights of Alnmouth beach, Bamburgh, the Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle walk, and Lindisfarne. Can’t go wrong.
The maternal side of my family is from the northeast, so I have covered the county with various family members; (we are all walkers). My mother grew up in a house called Druridge; in turn, I grew up in a house called Otterburn. Echoing Retro, the walk from Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle is one of the finest anywhere in my ken. I’m rather fond of the wildness of the interior, and the journey over Hartside into the South Tyne Valley, passing the warning signs for red squirrels, then up and down to Allendale, is all etched into my mortal soul.
To add to the many places to visit mentioned above:
The Wild Cattle of Chillingham, Wallington Hall, Howick Hall and Gardens, Etal village and castle.
Your post was rather timely as next month is a reunion for my wife’s ex morris side up in Wooler next month so I’ve booked for three nights in Embolton. Home Service are playing in Alnwick that Saturday night so that’s part of the holiday sorted too.
A stay on Lindisfarne would be good as you can hear the seals at night, very eerie.
Call in at Northumberlandia (The Lady of the North) on your way up. It’s near Cramlington and it’s free. A nice way to spend a few hours especially if the weather is favourable.
https://www.northumberlandia.com/
Cheers!
Cramlington. Birthplace of Ross Noble and the scene of Gordon Summer’s brief sojourn as a school teacher.
I’m getting a map to start circling stuff.
The National Trust property Cragside is a nice place to visit – especially if you’re a fan of rhododendrons.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/cragside
If you’re a sucker for a really good cafe, look out for the ones in Northumberland called The Running Fox. They have five or six now. My nearest one is at Kirkharle, which is worth a visit anyway (birthplace of Capability Brown…etc). I walk the dog there a couple of times a week and it’s obvious it’s attracting at least double the number of visitors since the cafe changed hands.
You’ve had a lot of excellent suggestions for things to see, enjoy.
https://www.kirkharlecourtyard.co.uk/
Ooh, I didn’t know about that one, although the new one at Powburn is on my to-do list.
You must be near one of my favourites then – the little cyclists’ tea room at Capheaton.
Yes, we’re pretty near Capheaton (but didn’t know there was a tearoom).
On the way to Kirkharle, on the A696, I pass our only local petrol station, which has been closed for years. Not long ago, we thought it was reopening, as a load of workers arrived and even installed a steel rain canopy over the pumps, which we’d never had before.
But it was only Danny Boyle setting up for filming part of 28 Years Later. They turned the site into a Happy Eater (remember them?) then scummed it up to look derelict. When they left they even took the canopy down.