Escape to Northumberland’s golden coast

The north Northumberland coast is a defiantly unadorned beauty – all wildflowers, rare birds, stone farmhouses and the sparkling North Sea.

 
Out of season, miles of dunes, sandy shoreline and nature reserve are yours for the exploring, but even in summer, away from the most popular spots, you can find peace and space. Along the stunning, bleak coast, protected wildlife abounds, while souvenir shops seem an endangered species. This AONB's summer-holiday credentials are excellent, with plenty more than the beach for families, not to mention the history buffs for whom Holy Island or Lindisfarne is close to heaven. The first monastery was founded on the island by St Aidan, the Irish monk who arrived to restore Christianity to the north east in 635ad. It has been a place of pilgrimage ever since (apart from a break when the Vikings turned up during the Dark Ages). The battles of medieval times have left their mark, too, in the fairytale castles that give the coastline such atmosphere and grandeur.

 

Walkers and wildlife enthusiasts find themselves in their element - and elemental is the word for such unspoilt scenery - but it's not all tough hikes and rocky reefs. There are also indulgent pleasures to be enjoyed, from Doddington Dairy's Alnwick Rum Truffle ice cream to a pint of Farne Island Pale Ale in The Olde Ship at Seahouses. The big attraction, whether you're paddling at Alnmouth, rambling around Hepburn Crags, or driving towards a sunset view of Dunstanburgh Castle, is the sense of freedom that pervades Northumberland's golden coast.

 

Historic castles

Among the most dramatically situated of the area's strongholds is Bamburgh, high on its basalt crag. The 11th-century castle looks as medieval as can be, though its interior owes much to Victorian restoration. Similarly, Lindisfarne Castle, dating from Tudor times, is a fabulous Arts and Crafts invention within (don't miss the garden by Gertrude Jekyll). Ruined Dunstanburgh Castle is approached on foot along the shore from Craster, while medieval Chillingham Castle has ghost tours, falconry and a tearoom. Edlingham Castle ruins are wonderful to clamber round and Alnwick Castle may also prove popular with children - it's the film location for a certain School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For parents, there's The Alnwick Garden, where the Duchess of Northumberland has transformed a derelict 12-acre walled garden into a landscaped spectacular.

 

Monks and pilgrims

To cross to Lindisfarne Island is to retrace a well-trodden pilgrimage route and there is plenty to enjoy here. The National Trust Lutyens house is an aesthetic treat, and its church and priory mark an end point for spiritual travellers. For an interactive version of The Lindisfarne Gospels, illuminated here in the 7th and 8th centuries, head to the Heritage Centre. Yet another attraction is the island's rich flora, flourishing on the unique whin-grassland habitat.

 

Back on the mainland, Christian sites include Warkworth Hermitage, on the banks of the River Coquet (reached by boat), and the restored 12th-century Brinkburn Priory near Rothbury. On a smaller scale, the church at Chillingham has a 13th-century Lady Chapel and a sandstone tomb dating from the 1400s.

 

Birdwatching and beachcombing

The diversity of the marine environment means activities galore, from walks on the dunes between Bamburgh and Seahouses to scuba diving among the Farne Islands' grey seal colony (www.sovereigndiving.co.uk). For a less energetic option, Billy Shiel (01665 720308) runs boat trips to the islands to see the seals. Birds in summer include kittiwakes, guillemots and puffins. There's an RSPB reserve on Coquet Island and, south of Amble, at Hauxley Nature Reserve you can watch greylag geese and oystercatchers. Druridge Bay is all dunes, reedbeds and rock pools. At Beadnell Bay, two miles of sandy strand, look out for eider and widgeon, and fantastic skies at sunset.

 

Walking country

Another pilgrims' path, St Cuthbert's Way, covers some 60 miles between Melrose and Lindisfarne. The Northumberland Coast Path, which is part of the North Sea Trail, stretches 58 miles from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Cresswell. Cyclists can follow a 200-mile Coast & Castles Cycle Route from Newcastle to Edinburgh. For panoramic views of the entire coastal sweep, and of the Cheviot Hills, take a hike up to Ros Castle, an Iron-Age hill fort near Chillingham with viewing platforms  - on a clear day seven castles can be seen from the summit. There are more fine views for walkers from nearby Hepburn Crags. On Tuesday afternoons in summer, take a half-mile walk among the Tamworth pigs at Yearle Farm, Wooler (01668 281336), or enrol on its one-day pig-keeping course.

 

If it rains...

Victorian Cragside is an extraordinary National Trust estate and stately home, with impressive gardens. On a dull day, drive around the park - crags, burns and woodland - or tour the house, with its carved double-height marble chimney breast, well-preserved below-stairs quarters and gadgets (Cragside's owner, Lord Armstrong, was an engineer and inventor as well as a landscaper).

And bookworms shouldn't miss Barter Books (01665 604888), one of Britain's largest secondhand bookshops set in Alnwick's former railway station.

Alnwick Tourist Information Centre (01665 510665; www.alnwick.gov.uk).

 

Places to eat

 

● The Anglers Arms Weldon Bridge, Longframlington (01665 570271; www.anglersarms.fsnet.co.uk). There's an à la carte restaurant in an old carriage out the back, but the bar is a livelier spot to enjoy fish and chips, mince and dumplings or a Sunday roast and homemade puddings.

● The Cook and Barker Inn, Newton-on-the-Moor (01665 575234; www.cookandbarkerinn.co.uk). Popular with locals, this unassuming place just off the A1 serves dishes such as fillet of beef with devilled kidneys and wild mushrooms.

● The Copper Kettle Tea Rooms, 21 Front Street, Bamburgh (01668 214315). Old-school, oak-panelled provider of ploughman's lunches and cream teas. Dogs allowed in the terrace garden. Closed mid-November to mid-February but open over Christmas and New Year.

● The Country Barn Farm Shop & Coffee Shop Widdrington Farm, Morpeth (01670 760181; www.the countrybarn.co.uk). The farm shop attached to this lunch-time pitstop near Druridge Bay stocks local honey, rare-breed pork, chicken, and homemade pies, cakes and scones.

● The Ship Inn Low Newton-by-the-Sea (01665 576262; www.ship inn newton.co.uk). Park on the edge of the village and walk down to this pub, set in an idyllic courtyard. Lunch on a crab stottie or reserve a table in the evening for more substantial fare.

 

Places to stay

 

● The Blue Bell Hotel Market Place, Belford (01668 213543; www.bluebellhotel.com). A friendly coaching inn with lots of books and comfortable, quiet rooms. It's the best place for dinner in Belford, serving mussels in Lindisfarne mead and Northumbrian lamb shank. Dogs allowed in standard rooms. Double B&B from £90.

● Coastal Retreats Northumberland (0191 285 1272; www.coastalretreats. co.uk). Fiona McKeith and Roger Copestake's 15 five-star boutique- style self-catering properties offer a range of breaks, from the baby-friendly to group celebrations. Two-person studio, from £350 for a short break.

● North Charlton Farm near Alnwick (01665 579443; www.northcharlton farm.co.uk). At Sylvia and Charlie Armstrong's farmhouse, breakfasts are good and rooms are big yet cosy. Sylvia runs a household and farming museum in the courtyard, open every Friday from Easter till October and by arrangement for groups.

● The self-catering Reading Room has wheelchair access and sleeps seven. Double B&B from £70.

●  Old Hall Cottage High Buston Hall, Alnmouth (01665 830606; www.highbuston.com). A cottage in the wing of a Georgian villa with Mulberry blankets and goosedown bedding in the two double rooms. Guests have access to the garden, with sea views. From £600 a week.

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