Your favourite Northumberland beaches
Published: Friday 11th Jan 2019
In a recent Facebook competition, we asked you to tell us what is your favourite Northumberland beach. Many of you found it hard to decide, and we don’t blame you, each of Northumberland’s beaches has something special about them so it was a difficult decision to make. But Bamburgh made it the top with a whopping 53% of the vote.
Here’s the top 10, as voted by you, and why you felt they deserved recognition.
Bamburgh Beach, Bamburgh
The wide, white sandy beach of Bamburgh stretches all the way to Seahouses, three miles away. Overlooked by Bamburgh Castle and backed by dunes, it isn’t hard to understand why many a movie has been filmed on location here. Undoubtedly your favourite in our poll and as one entrant called it ‘Britain’s best beach bar none’, you liked it for the memories it provoked, its sheer expanse of beach, its beautiful sand, fantastic views of the castle, the Farne Islands and Holy Island and having fun exploring its dunes.
Embleton Bay, Embleton
An atmospheric beach with sparkling white sands and stunning views of the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, which are beautiful whatever time of the day. There’s an excellent walk south past the castle into Craster or north, around the headland to Newton by the Sea. You liked it for its photogenic views and its great walks – we think it is so picturesque, that we put it on the front cover of our brochure!
Beadnell Bay, Beadnell
This crescent-shaped beach is backed by dunes and is popular with families and watersports enthusiasts. You liked it for its range of activities which vary from making sandcastles and paddling in the sea to kitesurfing and canoeing. One of Northumberland’s most accessible beaches, it has washing facilities and toilets in its car park – handy when you are with children – and is in walking distance of the village.
Cresswell Beach, Cresswell
A lovely sandy beach at the southern end of the Northumberland coast, great for rockpooling when the tide is out and home to The Drift Café.
Seahouses Beach, Seahouses
You voted for Seahouses beach for its fantastic views of Bamburgh Castle and its proximity to the harbour for boat trips. One of the smaller beaches of the Northumberland coast, Seahouses however has an excellent vantage point of some of Northumberland’s must-see locations; Bamburgh Castle, The Farne Islands and Holy Island. A great spot for and evening picnic with the coast as your entertainment.
Alnmouth
To reach Alnmouth Beach, you have to cross its golf course, which is an amusing way to enter this wide sandy beach which curves around into the river estuary, overlooked by the colourful houses of Alnmouth village. You liked it for its tranquillity, its beautiful sands and the tidal variations of the estuary.
Druridge Bay
A seven-mile stretch of beach between Amble and Cresswell, there is nothing quite like carving your way through its dunes, owned by the National Trust, and then being greeted by a dreamy expanse of sea as you reach the top before dropping down onto the beach.
Low Newton Beach, Newton by the Sea
A sandy beach overlooked by cream-washed cottages and The Ship Inn pub. Long distance views of Dunstanburgh Castle can be glimpsed from here, and there is an excellent walk around the headland to Embleton Bay or north to Beadnell via Football Hole – a small, hidden bay where you can spot sealife, including seals and dolphins.
Retreats near Low Newton Beach
Cocklawburn Beach, Berwick upon Tweed
A rural sand and rock beach between Berwick and the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, Cocklawburn is uncrowded and offers some excellent seascapes of this area of outstanding natural beauty. You loved it for wave-watching, rockpooling and making sandcastles.
Retreats near Cocklawburn Beach
Harbour Beach, Holy Island
Harbour Beach doesn’t have the vast expanse of sand like many of the beaches on this list, but it does have a setting like no other. It was that ‘magical’ landscape that caused some of you to vote for it, with Lindisfarne Castle positioned at one end and its traditional sheds made of upturned boats at the other. There is something definitely quite otherworldly about this place.
