I lived there for a few years... I may be 'biased' as I am German but I heard from multiple people that Berwick was at war with Germany from the 2nd WW onwords up to the early 80s. Anyway, it's got some stunning architecture and huge, beautiful townwalls, a fantastic beach and gorgeous coastline. On the downside, there are indeed too many chavas due to the two council estates, lots of charity shops, rather depressive high street shops, and for some reason every other shop seems to be a hairdesser!!!
But there are a few nice cafes and pubs... Cyclingwise, there are good coutry lanes for road riding, Glentress is quite a drive away too be honest, but the Cheviots accessed from Wooler or Kirk Yetholm are close and are great for MTBing. And house prices are cheap! Would not be my first choice but I would go back..
My first try in posting images, that's me flying a kite in stormy weather...