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Castles of the Northumberland Coast- Motorcaravan Motorhome Monthly
Often described as England’s last great wilderness, Northumberland has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, one of 40 such areas in the country and in my view, also has one of the most impressive coastlines in the UK. I’m a sucker for great hill forts in impressive locations and on this basis I wanted to do a tour of the castles along this stretch of coast.
It was difficult to pass Bamburgh Castle on the A1 heading north, without wanting to stop off, but I was bound first for Berwick-on-Tweed, so I quietly promised it I would be back to see it in all its glory soon. If you come to Berwick on this road, you will also pass the tower of Haggerston Castle in amongst the trees, which isn’t actually a castle you can visit, but part of the Haggerston Holiday Park. This is a nice campsite and quite centrally based and especially ideal if you want more on-site activities and facilities than standard sites (indoor pools full of kids and arcades aren’t for everyone of course).
Berwick-upon-Tweed is a town now situated in England, but one that still has its heart in Scotland. Captured on no less that 14 occasions over the decades, it is also probably the only place in England where you could present a Scottish banknote without getting a strange look back from the shopkeeper (you’re likely however, to get some Scottish money in change as well though!). I had booked in to the perfectly named Seaview Caravan Club site with its great panorama view back to Berwick and the perfect place to relax after the long drive north. The next morning was spent looking around the town and market. Parking is not the best in the town, but either Morrisons car park or one of the free bays on the west side of the bridges over the River Tweed are both large enough for most campers. The three magnificent bridges (two for cars, one for the railway), along with the town walls can be seen by following the Lowry trail, which follows in the footsteps of L.S. Lowry, as he wandered the town with his paintbrush and easel.
Leaving Berwick, I started the tour officially heading back south down the A1. I could have done this route in reverse I suppose, as I was coming from the south, but I was always prefer to start at the furthest point and then head towards home on a tour, but maybe that’s just me. There a good camping and outdoor shop on the A1 just outside Berwick by the way, if you find you have forgotten to pack something at this stage and proved useful to get hold of a new bulb over the sink which blew last night.
Make sure you check your crossing times for the trip over to Holy Island or Lindisfarne as you might know it, which is its original name, as the main causeway road is only above the tide level twice a day (would a camper van float do you reckon?), which of course doesn’t make this a true island. You can get tide tables in most shops and garages in the area or online before you go, so that you can pre-plan your visit. There’s a car park on the edge of the village and plenty to see here to last you a few hours before the next high tide. I spent the morning walking round the harbour and priory, as well as the famous castle, which dates back to 1550 and was built to protect the harbour from the attacking Scots. The priory marks the spot where St Aidan founded a Christian settlement in AD635 and he now stands in the churchyard. Don’t forget to visit the winery, which I never knew about, where you can sample the Lindisfarne Mead, which apparently was originally produced by the monks on the island. Not so pure after all, were they? There was just enough time to take lunch at the Ship and Anchor pub (strictly an orange juiced based meal after the wine tasting of course) before heading back for the mainland.
Just a few miles south, Bamburgh is one of the highlights along this stretch of coast because of its castle, village and beautiful beach. Make sure you follow the route in and out of the village via the main B-roads and not by any short cuts, as my sat nav’ was trying to recommend me to take, so ignore yours if it does the same and just follow the map instead. This is one castle I wanted to see the inside of and I was not disappointed and can really recommend the tour. The beach is a gem too and it’s easy to see why the view from here was voted one of Britain’s Favourite Views in 2007. If you like to wildcamp, there is a small lay-by between the two main coast side car parks and great for an overnight stay. With the fantastic view of the castle, it has to be ‘Britain’s Best Wildcamp’ as well. 
Fishing has been important in Seahouses since the 18th century, but most of the traffic in and out the harbour these days must come from the day trips that take you out to the Farne Islands. I wasn’t sure if this was a trip worth taking myself, as I am not that interested in birds as such and when the first days crossing was cancelled due to rough seas making it too difficult to land on Staple Island, the best of the three, I thought this isn’t for me. Too rough means too rough to get out of the harbour as far as I’m concerned, but with calm seas the next day, I decided to give it a go. And you know what, I thought it was great! Even if you are not an ornithologist, you cannot fail to be impressed by the amount of birds on this island and how close you can get to them. The sight of the fabulous puffins flying in with their mouths full of fish and then disappearing into burrows in the ground with their catch is worth the trip alone, let alone the seals that you get to see on the outer islands, which even wave at you (no, honest, they really do!).
If the sea air gives you an appetite and fancy a nice place to go for Sunday lunch, then try the Olde Ship Inn in the town. Decked out in a nautical theme, complete with diving helmets, fishing baskets and even a scrubbed ships decking floor. Try the Craster kipper for a real Northumberland flavoured lunch.
In contrast to Seahouses, Beadnell is as quiet as can be, with a small harbour and lovely sandy beach. There’s a nice little Caravan Club Site here too, which is ideal as it’s just outside Seahouses and has a fish and chip shop opposite as well. Perfect in my book!
If golf is your game, then the course at Dunstanburgh is situated at one of the most dramatic locations, overlooking the castle of the same name. There’s two ways to see the castle. You can either approach from the south from Craster village (home of the famous kipper you had for lunch by the way) and there is a large car park as you approach the village if this is your preferred route. Alternatively, you can approach from the north and this was my option, parking in the golf course car park. At low tide the beach here is simply stunning, especially in the evening, whilst a stroll alongside the golf course takes you right to the castle. Even I would be tempted to take up golf if I lived here just to play on this course with this kind of view. The castle was built by the ruthless Thomas, Earl of Lancas ter and is said to haunted by Sir Guy the Seeker, who failed to waken an enchanted princess here. Didn’t see him though!
The Dunstan Hill campsite just outside the village is very popular and of course makes an ideal base for the castle. Be careful again here, as there is a shortcut road with an unusual low archway halfway along it, which you will not get under, but it is well signposted, so not difficult to avoid. Heading inland a little, but still concentrating on the castles is one of the most famous in Northumberland, Alnwick, not least because of its Harry Potter connections is of course. The town is really nice to visit, but not the most accessible, with a very narrow 9ft high arch right in the centre of town that you don’t want to get wedged in (there’s a theme developing here isn’t there, but I’m sure the county generally welcomes us motorhomers!) Your best bet therefore, is to park in the large car park on the edge of town for the Alnwick Garden, This way you can kill two birds by visiting these gardens and still take the short walk into town. The gardens are the work of the Duchess of Northumberland and it’s the water features that people most come to see, especially the Grand Cascade. This multi-tiered water feature shoots out a sequence of jets and fountains each half hour. It does change each time however, so like me, not knowing what the sequence is going to be, means you are bound to get wet at some stage.
Its the castle though that dominates the town and what a sight it is too, especially the approach from the B6341. There’s a lay-by on this road just before the bridge to park up and I recommend you take a stroll along the banks of the River Aln, just for the view of the castle, especially on a summers evening, its simply stunning. The rugby club has an impromptu campsite here, or the closest thing to an ‘aire’ that I have seen in this country and for a tenner it gives you somewhere close to town to park up overnight.
Nearby Alnmouth may not have a castle to visit, but its location more than makes up for this. It does have the most stunning beach however, or did I already say that about
Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh! Well, as you can see, there are many fantastic beaches up here all with beautiful soft sand and all reasonably quiet as well. This small town is lovely as well, as its harbour is overlooked by Church Hill. This was cut off from the village by a violent storm, but you can still access the hill from a narrow side road to the south of the town. Be warned though, this is a very, very bumpy road and will really test your vans suspension, or break a few unsecured plates. The view from the hill however, should you brave it, is wonderful.
The second castle inland, although you can see the sea from the top of this one, is Warkworth, once home of the Percy family and the first Earl of Northumberland. The castle again dominates the town, as it is perched at the highest point of the village. Park in the castle car park and then walk down the hill into town, before heading back along the River Coquet for the best view of the castle. You can then take a visit into the castle itself and you will then be refunded your car-parking fee, which makes it worthwhile.
Amble is one of those places that is best seen on a windy day, when the sea is rough and you can take a bracing walk along the harbour walls, avoiding the waves crashing into the side. As you may have guessed this is just the kind of day it was on my visit and getting a bit wet made it even more bracing. However, getting back to the van to dry off and warm myself up with a nice cup of coffee was also very welcome.
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From Amble, I was due to start heading home, but I had a day and a half left and wanted to see a bit more of the coast. The beauty of this tour is that you can now head inland if you like and do a few days around the Northumberland National Park, which includes Hadrian’s Wall and Kielder Water. Northumberland actually extends down to Seaton Sluice around 20 miles to the south of Amble and along the way you can visit Morpeth, Newbiggin-by-the-sea, and Blyth. If you only go to Newbiggin for one thing, then go to see the very unusual Couple sculpture, which is actually the first permanent offshore sculpture in the UK. One of those love it or hate it pieces, but it certainly catches your eye. I decided to head further south however and take in a few unofficial Northumberland landmarks.
Therefore my next stop was St Mary’s Lighthouse, which technically is in Tyne and Wear, but still part of Northumbria, which covers all the way back up to Edinburgh and therefore, well worth stretching the tour to see. Like Holy Island, it is only accessible at low tide, which reveals the causeway crossing, but then you can climb to the top of the lighthouse for the fine views. At Tynemouth, there’s the priory and castle, both now in ruins and both with strong connections to Northumberland, which makes them worthy attractions to finish the tour. With the Tyne River in front of me, it signalled the end of a very enjoyable week. Theming the tour around the castles gives you places to aim for each day, as well as making the trip a good history lesson of this wonderful part of the county.
© Craig Roberts
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