Places to visit in Northumberland

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Posted this is UK travel but think more people will see this here. We've booked a self-catering cottage outside Hexham. Very random as have never been to the area but we all need a change of scene! I have on my list of things to see/do a National Trust gorge nearby, the Kielder national Park, then for a day trip Alnwick and castle... Anyone else go any good recommendations for things to do with teenage boys (other than lock them with devices in a darkened room)? Thanks in advance for all suggestions.

Lindisfarne-small island, lots of history, cute shops, check tide times!

The Running Fox in Felton near Morpeth, you have to book. The most amazing high tea, this branch overlooks a lovely bridge over the Tyne, great for paddling.

Drive up the coast, the beaches are sandy and fabulous. It’s very pretty around there.

Vindolanda or Chesters Roman fort, fab places to wander if the boys enjoy that kind of thing. Hadrian’s wall, obviously.

Newcastle is a short drive along the A69, amazing architecture down Grey Street, walk along the quayside and across the Blinking Eye or Swing bridge.

Alnwick is great with small town, gardens and castle. If you like books batters books is an amazing place not far from the castle.
Seahouses is a lovely beach, town, crazy golf etc.
Bamburgh Castle and beach are great.
Lindisfarne is great day out just check the tides!

Lindesfarne and the coast around there is lovely but it's quite a long bit of driving there and back. Also take care on the A69, it has lots of accidents. Rothbury and Coquetdale are very pretty.

Another one saying that Alnwick is great, with the Alnwick garden (nice cafe), barter books etc. We love Seahouses for the amusements, crazy golf and fish and chips. Bamburgh castle would be high on my list and we like Warkworth Castle too. Heatherslaw light railway is fun and there's another nice tearoom at heatherslaw mill. Newcastle city centre with a visit to the Baltic contemporary art gallery over the bridge in Gateshead.

Hexham Abbey is lovely. Cragside or Wallington Hall up the A1. Beamish Museum is a fun day out. Bamburgh and Lindisfarne are lovely and close by is Seahouses for fish and chip and tacky seaside amusements.
Nearer to Hexham is Hadrians Wall and the various roman forts all accessible off the military road which runs parallel to the A69.

Cragside, Beamish, Alnwick castle, trip from Seahouses to the Farne Isles (we saw puffins, dolphins and seals last year), Barter Books (just outside Alnwick), Bamburgh Castle, grace darling museum on a rainy day.

Dunstanburgh castle - real fairy tale castle ruin
Bamburgh castle - but more for the beach than anything else

My absolute number one though would be BEAMISH it's amazing!!!

Cragside, Beamish, Bamburgh, Warksworth Castle, keilder Water, Alnwick, lindisfarne, Craster,
Wonderful place, coastline is special - just walk and walk!

In Alnwick, Barter Books (and the cafe within), Alnwick Castle and gardens (you'll probably have to book). We had an amazing meal at Yan’s Chinese restaurant.

Alnmouth is my fantasy retirement location. The beach is fabulous, as are most of the beaches in Northumbetland.

A trip across the causeway to Lindisfarne is always fun, but do pay attention to the tide times and red flags!!

Hexham is not far from Newcastle, which is a city I lived in for 7 years and am very fond of. A walk along the quayside, up through town. I don’t know what the places to eat etc are like these days, but it’s a small city with 2 large universities and enough mature/postgrads to keep it buzzing all summer. There is always something going on in the Baltic Mill (art gallery), Sage (concert hall, technically Gateshead), Side Gallery (photography), Tyneside Cinema (now moved to Gateshead) - whether these places (plus the Life Centre, Discovery Centre, Hancock Museum, Laing Gallery etc) will be open, I don’t know,but it’s a good city for wandering, to get lost in the split level/two tier city centre, the medieval walks, Chinatown, the glorious Georgian architecture of the city centre, the infamous steps up from the Quayside, the Quayside itself, the New Castle, which is actually getting on for 1000 years old.... I just love it.

Short but spectacular walk from Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle.
Warkworth Castle and the tiny boat ride to the hermit’s cave
Cragside, Gibside, Wallington
Housesteads, Vindolandia, Chesters

Definitely Beamish, and also consider the Yorvic museum in York on the way up if you’re driving.

Holy Island castle is still closed, but a wander up to it is worth it anyway; make sure you explore the lime kilns round the back. That said it is quite a way from Hexham and you might be better with one of the Hadrian’s wall centres or just walking some of the wall (the lone sycamore for example).

Beaches are all fabulous; Tynemouth beach has a surfing scene which might appeal to teens. And further up the coast SeaHouses, Druridge Bay, Alnmouth, Bamburgh.

Keilder water isn’t too far from Hexham and has loads of outdoor activities which would suit teens too.
www.visitkielder.com/play/adventure/adventure-activities

You might also be able to go on a boat trip to the Farne Islands (probably from Sea Houses) to see puffins and seals.

You’ll love it; the light is something else and although the weather isn’t consistent it is rarely persistently wet. Take clothes for all weathers and chances are that even if it rains in the morning it’ll be dry by afternoon.

My most favourite place in the country.

The Farne Island boat trips are great, my teenage DS loved that, good climbing wall at the sports centre in Alnwick.

Derwent resevoir is a lovely walk and has a great cafe 'the boat shack' which does fabulous milkshakes!
There is a private pool (Glendale) on the military road between Hexham and Haltwhistle but you need to ring up to book in advance. The same road takes you to Vindolanda.

Corbridge next to Hexham is lovely and worth a wander round. Also near to Hexham is Blanchland - medieval village with the superb White Monk tearoom and some lovely walks. Wellington and Cragside are fantastic National Trust properties. Also head up the coast to Bamburgh and Lindisfarne (just remember to check tides as it is reached by a causeway). Loads to do in Northumberland.

Druridge Bay is a lovely beach and you can do a puffin boat trip from nearby Amble.

Loads of lovely beaches to visit and go for nice family walks on Alnmouth, Beadnell, Druridge Bay, Embleton, Bamburgh to name but a few etc.

Bamburgh Castle, Alnwick Castle, Dustanburgh Castle.

North Tyneside has a lovely beach, some little shops, restaurants.

A trip to Lindisfarne, Newcastle city centre for bigger shops, restaurants and the Life Centre.

Spurrelli’s in Amble does many varieties of lovely ice cream and Italian coffee.

I live in the area - Hexham & Corbridge are lovely - the Abbey in Hexham is wonderful.

Vindolanda & Roman Army Museum.
Allen Banks for walk / picnic
Housesteads to Steel Rigg walk & iconic Sycamore Gap
Wallington Hall & Cragside - National Trust
Kielder & Bird of Pray centre
Observatory (Dark Skies)

Further again (but easy reach)
Tynemouth - Riley’s Fish Shack for lunch
Longsands Beach
Seaton Delaval Hall - National Trust

Then a bit further - Alnwick Castle / Bamburgh / Alnmouth

From Hexham you can go to a few places easily. Across to Lakes or Durham & Newcastle of course (it’s a wonderful city!)

We love High Force for a walk....

Walk from Low Force to High Force and back
Barnard Castle is lovely to visit, you can walk to Egglestone Abbey from there too
Beamish 10000%

Just got back😄
We did Mount Grace Priory just off the A19 on the way up - NT. House closed but interesting Priory ruins and garden.
Cresswell beach.
Dunstanburgh Castle- EH but free for NT members.
Jolly Fisherman at Craster for seafood
Embleton beach
Wallington NT Lovely gardens
Bamburgh Castle is now open including inside, with social distancing.
Bamburgh beach
Lindisfarne
We did the Forbidden Corner on the way home.
Last summer we enjoyed Housesteads NT, Cragside NT, Barter books and went into Newcastle by train to the Hancock Museum.
Next time I want to do Alnwick Castle and Garden.

Check ahead for the National Trust properties as they're not all open. Cragside and Gibside are but I think it's the grounds only and it has to be pre-booked, Seaton Delaval Hall and (I think) Belsay are both still closed.

Northumberland Zoo is a good day out and they have walks through the various enclosures so you can go in with the lemurs and the wallabys, Whitehouse Farm is reopen now too and good for a few hours in the outdoors.

It's easy to spend a whole day in Newcastle City Centre depending on what you want to do. If they're into gaming then The Gate has a gaming cafe (CTRL Pad) and an arcade (YuMe World) as well as some free games in the walkways like giant battleships, table tennis, foosball, etc. Just over the river is the Metrocentre which is a big indoor shopping centre but it also has leisure facilities like a cinema, climbing walls, restaurants, mini golf, and an arcade.

Tynemouth, Cullercoats, and Whitley Bay are within walking distance of one another and you can walk along the seafront to get from one to the next. Tynemouth has a boating lake, an aquarium, surfing, and a long sandy beach. Cullercoats has a small harbour with sandy beach and an ice cream shop/cafe. Whitley Bay had a long sandy beach, Links (promenade) for walking along, arcades, and the Spanish City which has various restaurants and cafes inside. A short walk from there is St Mary's Lighthouse nature reserve where there are often seals on the rocks. All of the beaches have good rock pooling and my DC would spend hours there with a net and a bucket.

Northumberlandia near Cramlington is a huge land sculpture of a woman lying against the hillside with walks around it. Sounds weird but it's a nice trail. Plessey Woods and Bolam Lake are nice for walks too.

I agree with all the places suggested. Beamish is an absolute must-do.

Depending on the age and interests of OP’s teens they may not be keen on Beamish or playing rock pooling with a fishing net with a bunch of toddlers and primary school
kids.

Cresswell for the Drift Cafe and the ice cream shop, Whitley Bay for the Crab and Waltzer, also De Meo's ice cream. Rothbury is naice, as are Alnwick, Morpeth, Hexham, Amble and Grainger Town in Newcastle. The latter is like Regent Street, but prettier. Lots of little eateries in the Market.

It’s a beautiful part of the world, it’s worth it just to drive through for the scenery.

Depending on the age and interests of OP’s teens they may not be keen on Beamish or playing rock pooling with a fishing net with a bunch of toddlers and primary school kids.

Beamish is for all ages and I know plenty of tewns who still enjoy rock pooling

*teens