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Northumberland with a 4 year old

36 replies

Summerdays2014 · 30/07/2020 08:23

Morning,

Booked 4 nights in Northumberland with my husband and 4 year old. Staying in Rothbury. We plan on doing beaches, a castle and craggside (I just hope the national trust finally decide to open playgrounds)
Does anyone have any other recommendations? Best parks/play grounds? Things to do with a 4 year old? Thank you!

OP posts:
WentworthPrison · 30/07/2020 09:49

Alnwick Gardens. Duridge Bay playpark, beach and lake (playpark may not be open yet?)

CaptainWentworth · 30/07/2020 09:54

I like the playground by the river in Morpeth (which is open) - it’s not huge but the equipment is nice. Park at the free car park (need a parking disc) opposite the leisure centre, where there is usually an ice cream truck open, walk over the river and spot the ducks, then to the playground. You can hire boats too, and if you need anything at the shops there’s a little arcade off the high street with an M&S, a nice cafe and a few other shops like Seasalt, Crew clothing, Jojo Maman Bebe etc.

KittyFantastico · 30/07/2020 10:36

Whitehouse Farm and Northumberland Zoo are both open now, you have to prebook via the websites.

All of the local authority owned play park are (or should be) open so that includes the ones at country parks, I'm almost certain Druridge Bay park is open as friends are going this weekend.

Plessey Woods is good for walks and has a nice play park that was recently updated. There is a huge sculpture near Cramlington called Northumberlandia which looks like a woman carved into the hillside and there are walking trails around it. Down at South Beach in Blyth is a play park with beach huts, a land train, and a WW2 battery.

Seahouses has everything you'd expect from a tourist seaside town and has arcades. You can get a boat from there that will take you around the islands to see puffins and seals.

If you come down the coast a little there is a nature reserve at St Mary's Lighthouse, rockpooling, and there are often seals on the rocks. The local sealife sanctuary releases rescued seals sometimes too which is nice to watch. Just along from St Mary's Lighthouse is Whitley Bay which has arcades, a nice park behind the arcades, and a nice beach. That whole stretch right along to Tynemouth has various little play parks, rockpools, and beaches. At Tynemouth there is the boating lake, inflatable slides, a pirate themed maze, dinosaur mini-golf, and a play park. They're all outdoor so are open now, across the road is an aquarium too.

If you don't mind going south of the river there is an amusement park in South Shields with a funfair and arcades on the beach front then across the road is a big park with play areas, mini railway, duck ponds, and boats.

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CaptainWentworth · 30/07/2020 10:56

Whitley Bay and Tynemouth are great for the seaside but might be a bit of a long way from Rothbury - about a 50 min drive according to google maps, depends how much you want to travel. Amble is closer, much smaller but there are fishing boats to look at in the harbour, a good fish and chip shack and an amazing Italian ice cream shop (can you tell I like ice cream! Also love Di Meo’s in Whitley Bay and Cicarelli’s at Blyth). There’s not really a beach at Amble but there is at Alnmouth which is the next place north. Warkwarth is also really close to Amble and has a great castle, as does Bamburgh, and Dunstanburgh castle is also very picturesque but it’s kind of ok it’s own rather than in a village - it’s a short walk from Craster where there is a pleasant pub, a kipper smokey and another pretty little harbour with boat. Druridge Bay is massive and has that empty windswept beach vibe.

KittyFantastico · 30/07/2020 13:35

That's a fact about the travelling, I live in a semi-rural area of Northumberland near Amble so I'm used to travelling 40-50 minutes to get to various places but it does depend how much driving you want to do while on holiday.

KittyFantastico · 30/07/2020 13:39

I also love DiMeo's ice cream. They do this Nutella one that is amazing. And the Ferrero Rocher. Toffee popcorn is good too. And the blueberry pie one. Just pretty much all of them.

One of our favourite trips out is to go body boarding on Whitley Bay beach then grab a couple of take out pizzas from Di Meos to share, then go back to Di Meos for ice creams to eat on the walk back to the car.

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 30/07/2020 15:28

You mustn't call it Nutella, Ferrero will set the lawyers on you ;)

campocaro · 30/07/2020 15:33

The Nutella ice cream sold in Whitley Bay is called Whitella. It is indeed scrumptious.

CaptainWentworth · 30/07/2020 15:45

I used to get the metro to Whitley bay with the pram then walk past di meo’s to get an ice cream and have a walk along the front while DD napped- perfect! Have you ever tried the biscoff and caramel flavour? 😍

I really miss getting the metro to places 🙁

HeyLala · 30/07/2020 15:50

But a kite for the beaches. Such fun

Summerdays2014 · 30/07/2020 15:52

Thank you all. Googling lots of the suggestions now!

OP posts:
hotchocdrinker · 30/07/2020 16:28

Heatherslaw light railway is brilliant, and the tea room is fab too!

LER83 · 30/07/2020 17:21

I'm going up to Newcastle next weekend and feel like I need to pay Di Meos a visit!!

Puffalicious · 30/07/2020 18:59

Pretty much everything PPs have said. I love Northumberland and return time and time again. We're just back from holidaying there last week. This time we stayed in Blyth and did Whitley Bay and, our very favourite, Tynemouth, then Seahouses and Bamburgh (my favourite beach in England). All our DC love it - age 15/13 and 8. Plenty for all to do and they had fish and chips and ice cream ( Di Meos is indeed to die for) every day at some point. Our weather was also glorious. Enjoy.

Puffalicious · 30/07/2020 19:01

I had the Biscoff captain unbelievable! We flew the kites on Tynemouth beach- just great.

Susiesoap7 · 30/07/2020 19:52

Stayed in Rothbury a couple of years ago, lovely place, its a nice fish n chip,/Chinese, beautiful bakery. Went to Alnwick castle and craster ,craster has a lovely pub ,great crab sandwiches! Lovely walks around there too

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 31/07/2020 14:55

Cresswell is rammed today, there's cars parked all the way from the ice cream shop to the turn to Widdrington, and presumably all the way up the dead end.

KittyFantastico · 31/07/2020 15:09

We've stayed home today because I thought most places would be heaving.

Summerdays2014 · 09/08/2020 21:50

For those of you in Northumberland, has it been very busy? We deliberately didn’t book Cornwall/Devon thinking that Northumberland would be quieter, but now I’m wondering if lots of people have had the same idea...

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chinateapot · 09/08/2020 21:56

We’ve just been to Northumberland and it was pretty busy but the beaches are plenty big enough. Weather was cooler than I expected, I should have packed more jumpers and thicker coats!
If you’re going in the sea please consider wearing beach shoes - my little girl got stung by a weever fish at druridge bay and was in absolute agony for an hour till we got her foot in hot water.

brainstories568 · 09/08/2020 21:59

Go to Seahouses, the beach towards Bamburgh is stunning as others have said. Take a kite and a fishing net (as well as bucket and spade) - we went most years as kids/early teens in the 90s/early 00s and the beach and rock pools are the best I've seen in the UK, and I've seen a lot of the UK!

Summerdays2014 · 09/08/2020 22:02

chinateapot Thank you, I’ll make sure I get some. Hope she’s ok now.

brainstories568, flying a kite is the thing I’m most excited about!

OP posts:
Skyliner001 · 09/08/2020 22:14

Whitley bay and Tynemouth are not Northumberland.

I would go north. Heatherslaw light railway, Etal castle. Dinner at the pub or tearoom and paddle in the river.

Second Alnwick, the gardens and the kids section of barter books.

Skyliner001 · 09/08/2020 22:15

Busy wise. Head North for quiet beaches. Check out Goswick sands and Cheswick.

tootiredtospeak · 09/08/2020 22:19

Bamburgh castle and the beach and Alnmouth beach was so lovely if warm and sunny.