Explore with Amie

The August bank holiday proved the perfect opportunity to spend a weekend in Northumberland. We had been hoping to squeeze in a visit to the national park this year and I’m so glad that we managed to do it!

To add context to this, we actually headed up to Northumberland on a Friday afternoon, taking a half day at work to give us some extra travel time to the county. This worked very well for us and meant we could make a stop off on the way to visit Hadrians’ Wall. It would be great to go back and explore a little more next time and a walk along the wall, too. If you have the time to do so, I would highly recommend it. We stopped at Cawfield Quarry which has fabulous views along the wall and you can do a short walk along it. We didn’t quite have enough time for this but, headed over to Great Chester’s Fort. Unfortunately, this didn’t quite live up to its name and, in hindsight, we should have prioritised Sycamore Gap which we ran out of time to see, too. We also stopped off at the Temple of Mithras, Carrawburgh which was much better!

Where to Stay

Initially, we had planned to camp at three different locations across Northumberland so that we could travel around the county and explore more. However, when we rang a couple of campsites to book we soon realised that wouldn’t be possible. None of the campsites would allow us to book for just one night over the bank holiday – we had to stay for the full weekend. I understand that they want the business and most holidaymakers would not be doing one night but, it was slightly annoying.

In the end, we opted for Highburn House Caravan Park which also has camping facilities. All in all, this was an excellent site. It had fabulous views across the hills from the non-electric field and, despite the bank holiday and busyness, didn’t feel over-full (always a risk on a bank holiday!). The facilities were kept clean throughout. Located in the town of Wooler, there were plenty of pubs to choose from one of which served Hawkstone beer which was a big hit with us. This town is also perfect for access to both the Cheviot Hills and the coast.

Day 1

Berwick

Our first morning saw us heading north to the border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. I really liked the town which had some interesting historical military features. The centre is surrounded by a wall that is walkable and that is exactly what we did when we arrived. The wall is home to mounds, bastions and cannons that all make up the historic fortifications of the town – some of the most well preserved in the country. To learn more about the military history of the town, the Barracks were turned into a museum. Sadly, the 18th century barracks are currently closed and won’t reopen until 2027. English Heritage are working to renovate the buildings into a multi-purpose space with galley and exhibition spaces.

Be sure to take some time on the riverside to take in the magnificent bridges here and wonder the streets visiting the many independent and charity shops on offer.

Bamburgh

After finishing in Berwick around lunchtime, we headed down towards Bamburgh one of the iconic spots along this coastline. The most iconic aspect of the village is, of course, the castle. If you ask someone to imagine Northumberland, they probably picture Bamburgh Castle (or Lindisfarne but, more on that later!). The current castle was built by the Normans however, the plot used to be home to a Celtic Fort. After a revolt in 1905, castle ownership with passed to the crown. Nowadays, it is an incredibly popular tourist attraction. Tickets cost £18.75 per person.

We decided not to enter the castle and the main reason for that was the views of the castle are better from the beach. We weren’t all that interested in going in so instead, went for a walk along the beach which is really beautiful. The sand dunes with the historic castle in the background make for an incredible sight.

As well as the castle, the village is home to quaint pubs and village shops. We sat in the beer garden enjoying some nibbles and a drink in the sunshine which was a great way to see out the afternoon. However, the day’s sightseeing wasn’t over yet.

Dunstanburgh Castle

The final stop of the day was Dunstanburgh Castle which, unlike Bamburgh, is now in ruin. This castle, located further down the coast near Craster, is owned by English Heritage and dates back to the 14th century. It was built by Thomas, Earl of Lancaster and later played a defensive role in the War of the Roses as a Lancastrian stronghold. From the 15th and 16th centuries onwards, the castle was left in disrepair and eventually became the ruin you see today.

To get to the castle, you walk along the coastline out of the village of Craster with views of the castle ahead. For this reason, I preferred visit here to Bamburgh as it was a great little walk. The waves crashing against the rocks really added to the atmosphere of the visit. At this time of day, the castle had closed but, with a £7.50 entry fee, we probably would have gone in, if there was the time. It is worth noting that there are cows and sheep in the fields on the approach to the castle during the summer months and potentially other times of year too. The cows were very much desensitised to humans walking fairly close by and weren’t a problem but, it is something to be aware of when walking with a dog.

Day 2

Alnwick

On day 2, we had a jam-packed scheduled which began with a trip to Alnwick. I have always wanted to visit Alnwick, primarily because of the castle and that was mainly due to the role it played in Harry Potter. If you aren’t aware, the castle acts as Hogwarts in the Philosopher’s Stone during the broom lesson with Madam Hooch. Dating back to 1096, the castle was built by the Normans and later owned by the Percy family who developed and extended the castle to how we see it today. Again, we didn’t go into the castle but, entry is £23.95 which includes the grounds, state rooms, kitchens, towers, prison and chapel.

Part of the reason we didn’t enter the castle was distraction of the best second hand bookshop I have ever visited. Barter Books is an old train station that has been converted into a bookstore. You need to dedicate some time if you enjoy books to this shop as it has a huge amount of books and, if you’re looking for something in particular, an online catalogue for browsing the stock. For those that don’t like reading, the cafe was also incredibly popular. I picked up quite a few books from here and was very happy with my haul. I would recommend parking in the town and walking to Barter Books as, it isn’t far and there are limited parking spaces on site for the number of visitors it attracts.

Seahouses and the Farne Islands

Next up, we headed straight from Alnwick to Seashores as we had booked onto Golden Gates’ Farne Island Boat Cruise to the Longstone Lighthouse. This company is the only one that stops at the island furthest from the mainland and, as it wasn’t puffin season, we thought this was a good option. The island is home to the lighthouse that was a vital shipping landmark at 23-metres tall. It’s famous as the home of Grace Darling who rescued survivors of a nearby ship-wreck during a storm with her father in 1838. Visitors to the island can pay a small fee to go inside the lighthouse as part of the trip. The boat journey there is great too though, as you learn a little about the other islands and can see lots of great wildlife. This included seals, shags, cormorants and gannets! Seeing the gannets dive into the water was especially cool to see.

Unfortunately, because of the terrible speaker on the boat, we didn’t hear a lot of what the man driving the boat was saying. This included instructions to go up the lighthouse as soon as we arrived on the island. We tried to head up 10 minutes after we had landed and 30 minutes before the boat was due to leave the island and were told we were too late! I thought that was a little unreasonable. Despite that though, I would still recommend this boat trip as we had a great afternoon! It’s worth it just for the boat trip out there and a mooch around the island for the £25 price tag. It’s lovely out there and something not to be missed during a trip to Northumberland.

My top tip for this is to arrive in good time. And, by in good time, I mean early. Our boat trip was booked for 2pm and, according to the woman who rang us to see where we were, you should try to arrive at least an hour before your trip. Parking in Seahouses is limited in the peak season when everyone else is also trying to get out on their boat trips. We made the mistake of leaving Alnwick too late and, despite arriving in Seahouses half an hour early, it took us twenty minutes to find a parking space which happened to be just outside of the town. We then had to run to the harbour to get on the boat for 2pm. It very nearly left without us and everyone else had already boarded! Don’t follow our lead on this one…

Day 3

The Cheviot Hills

Our final day in Northumberland before we travelled home that evening was a hike in the Cheviot Hills which is a range which straddles the board between England and Scotland. Our walk included the highest peak, The Cheviot (815m), as well as Scald Hill. The route is a fab one! After a steep ascent, you reach the summit plateau with the trig point still a short walk away. From there, you descend via a gill alongside the river which makes for a lovely walk back down the Harthope valley. Part of the path near the peak includes the Pennine Way too which was excellent! It can be quite boggy here due to the peat but, we were lucky enough to have glorious sunshine.

This isn’t the easiest route as it is steep from the offset but, we were back in the car by mid-afternoon and ready for the drive back home. It doesn’t require any technical ability and is only a short drive away from the campsite too.

Other options

Lindisfarne

Another island option is a visit to Holy Island and Lindisfarne Priory. This is an iconic spot along the coastline however, we had already been here so didn’t as part of this trip. I would highly recommend squeezing it in, if yo can. It is thought that the island was the birthplace of Christianity in the north when the priory was founded in 635 AD by St Aidan. The village itself is also home to cafes, pubs, a museum and visitors centre. You have to time the trip right though as the road to the island is tidal and so it can only be accessed at low tide. For details on when to cross, visit the Northumberland County Council website.

We had a fabulous three days and managed to pack a lot into a limited amount of time. Is there anything you think we missed? We’ll definitely be back!

Amie x