Staying up there next month for a week with my significant other, any reccomendations on places to eat, must sees, must does, cycling/mtb routes?

No its rubbish don’t bother….

Where are you staying, the free Alnwick gardens are good, walk up cheviot pop over to Scotland and don’t upset the local farmers…

Staying 5 min drive from Bamburgh

Walking to Dunstanburgh castle from Craster would be on my list.

Road bike + Northumberland National Park = A match made in heaven.

Elsdon is a good starting point.

Eat:

The Ship – Low Newton

Joiners Arms – Newton by the Sea

Jolly Fisherman – Craster

The Dirty Bottles – Alnwick

Must sees:

Castles we have lots of castles

Beaches we have lots of beaches

Cragside House – it’s National Trust if you’re a member

Cycling:

Costal Route from Bamburgh runs down the errr coast! Passes most of the pubs above

Wooler, Alnwinton, Ingram and Rothbury all good for riding in the hills.

Seahouses?

Go see the Bamburgh butcher if your self catering. The valleys off the a697 up to Wooler are nice. Newcastle has some great museums now and bits of hadrians wall are good depending on driving. Cragside is good as it was the first place lit with electricity.

Riding I’ll leave to the current locals.

Thanks for the tips folks we have wanted to explore the area for years hope we wont be dissapointed

Walk along the beach to Seahouses (good fish and chips) and get the ferry out to the Farne islands to see the seals and the birds.

Riding I’ll leave to the current locals.

It’s not changed much. 😀

Thanks for the tips folks we have wanted to explore the area for years hope we wont be dissapointed

You won’t. I mean it’s rubbish keep away.

The second hand bookshop in Alnwick (cannot remember its name) is well worth a visit. Cool building and nice atmosphere. They claim it’s the biggest in UK.. has kids books area and cafe too…

Drac, I’ve only lyrics been back for family stuff so centre I started riding properly. Before that riding 7 miles each way to thrunton was it or playing on the farm.

^ Barter Books

Drac, I’ve only lyrics been back for family stuff so centre I started riding properly. Before that riding 7 miles each way to thrunton was it or playing on the farm.

Thrunton is cracking but need some knowledge to find the good bits.

Barter Books

Yup. Massive it’s just over there —->

As everyone has said above, it’s horrible, stay away 🙂

Barter books in Alnwick for a wet afternoon. Craster and a walk on to Dunstanburgh Castle followed something to eat in the pub.

If you want a longer walk start at Boulmer, just avoid the pub there as the landlord was a miserable sod.

Riding. What about the woods that must not be named (Thrunton). I expect the riding is still there.

EDIT. you lot are quick….

Here’s a list of things to do I posted last time this came up.

Simonside Ridge and Garleigh Moor – awesome walk
Cragside
Coe Crags – very good walk
Warkworth and Alnmouth along the beach and back via the dunes – beaches, ice cream and pubs
Wallington House/Seaton Delaval/Belsay Castle
Steel Rig – Crag Lough – Houseteads – Queens Crag – Greenlee Lough. best bit of the wall
Bamburgh north to Budle Bay deathly quiet once past the lighthouse and possibly the most beautiful of all the beaches
Farne Islands – get shat on for fun
Chillingham Castle and Old Bewick Moor
Climbing at Bowden Doors – best crag in the world, nay best place in the world
Boulmer – Craster amazing bit of coastline, quality fish and chips, kippers
Breamish Valley and the iron age forts walk. Plus a dip in Linhope spout if it’s sunny and mid week. captivatingly beautiful bit of countryside.
Horncliffe & Norham
Ford & Etal
Yeavering Bell
Barter Books
Low Newton, grey mares, craster and dunstanburgh – beaches, castles and pub
Ros Hill and Berwick moor

Drac been in and out of WiFi but at no point would I ever have expected to see the dirty bottles on a tourist list 🙂 how times change at least the tree is still in the tanners.

Oh and bit thanks to your lot for getting me dad down to the swanky new hospital when he Busted his leg in a field…

Drac been in and out of WiFi but at no point would I ever have expected to see the dirty bottles on a tourist list how times change at least the tree is still in the tanners.

Hahaha! I wondered why you didn’t respond. It reopened about a month ago after being closed for 3 years. Mark Jones (who is about your age I think) took it over and has revamped it.

http://www.thedirtybottles.co.uk

Trying to remember if I went to school with him. Bet you have to be 18 and all that now. Was. Remarking how much it had changed when I was back at Christmas.

Walking to Dunstanburgh castle from Craster would be on my list

This.

I’m down south in Hexham. Its all rubbish round home, stay away!

Join the National Trust and blitz what they have, there’s a lot of good stuff.

Join the National Trust and blitz what they have

English Heritage is better in these parts – lots of castles and roman sites. NT has a few big halls and nice places (Wallington, Allenbanks etc) but EH is better value for money.

Well folks you have sold it to me the mrs is upstairs alredy packing, riding looks similar to our jaunts on the NYork moors and a bit different to the peak which is where I usually ride. Thanks so much again folks for taking the time to post, now where did I put my budgie smugglers 😯

riding looks similar to our jaunts on the NYork moors and a bit different to the peak which is where I usually ride.

Very.

NT has a few big halls and nice places (Wallington, Allenbanks etc) but EH is better value for money.

Both very good I’m in the NT and there’s loads of sites to get into and at £8 per month it doesn’t eat much bread.

Trying to remember if I went to school with him. Bet you have to be 18 and all that now. Was. Remarking how much it had changed when I was back at Christmas.

It’s just a rough guess from a previous discussion we had with your age. Yeah the days of drinking in pubs at 16 are a little bit limited these days.

*bookmarks thread in preparation for also going to Northumberland (on Friday)* 😀

Don’t it’s rubbish.

Actually, as a small hijack (sorry ineedabeer, hope you don’t mind), are there any decent family riding trails in Seahouses/Bamburgh area – or a reasonable drive away? I’m thinking flattish off-road country park/Monsal Trail kind of stuff suitable for a 5 and 7 year-old. Thanks.

Sustains Cycle Route 1 passes down the coast, there’s no trail riding around here.

Go for it muzzle no worries here 😀

A lot of what has been posted above, plus Holy Island (especially when the tide is in), A walk round the walls of Berwick Upon Tweed, over the border for a day out in Edinburgh.

Warkworth hasnt been mentioned, small village, 3 pubs / cafes, castle at the end of the road.
Great coast all the way north from there.

Oh yes Cabose is a good call.

Ride your bike from Bamborough for miles! Amazing scenery up there, I must go back soon.
Yea, only an hour from Edinburgh by trail although the fringe might/not be your thing

Warkworth hasnt been mentioned

Yes it has!

Remember to get the pronunciations right too
River Aln
Alnmouth
Alnwick

Just remembering some fun days with escaped cattle on the Bamburgh village green too, oh how everyone laughed.

River Aln
Alnmouth
Alnwick

😀

Like I said folks many thanks to all of you once again, we love exploring new places and with level of enthusiasm and support I dont think we can go wrong

All of the above recommendations work.

You should really do at least one castle and at least one beach. Bamburgh & Alnwick castles are very good. The walk to Dunstanburgh Castle is stunning from the north or the south (with a very good eating choice whichever end you start at). Beadnell or Bamburgh (via The Wynding) beaches are stunning. Ross beach is splendidly isolated so you’ll have the place to yourself.

…perhaps worth checking out Chillingham Castle (privately owned, very quirky). Several ‘unexplained’ haunting tales if you’re in to that sort of thing: http://www.chillingham-castle.com/

If you’re inclined to a day away from the coast then it’s worth checking out Hadrian’s Wall. Or head over towards Elsdon and ponder over Winter’s Gibbet http://www.rothbury.co.uk/around/winters_gibbet.htm

Try & roll your r’s & extend your a’s, ie, Rrrothburry, forreign countrry. Waaterring caan, Aaalwinton, etc. Rolling the R is like gargling.
The Jolly Fisherman at Craster is a pants down experience, complete rip off, £7.95 for a crab sandwich with not a lot of crab. My mate was there 2 weeks ago, said it was crap.
Stay away because Northumberland is the most underrated county in Britain.