Northumberland/Blythe for holiday?

[Holibobbins]

I just booked a wee getaway for here in July, little 3 bed apartment.

I've told 2 people and they both sort of laughed.

Is it not a good place for a family get away? TBH it was cheap for us so I just booked it without much research.

Is there stuff to do??

So much to do in Northumberland, use accommodation for base and eat out on way home or get takeaway.

I'm from Blyth but l live in Yorkshire now.
The Northumberland coast and rural areas are beautiful.
Bamburgh village is beautiful, Seahouses is brilliant for fish and chips.
Alnwick is lovely, Barter Books as well as the castle well worth seeing.
Rothbury and Warkworth both lovely villages.
Northumberlandia in Cramlington worth a visit. Man made but spectacular.

Nearer the Tyne, Tynemouth is gorgeous, also Hexham and Corbridge in the Tyne Valley.
I haven't been back 'home' for about five years now, so l can't comment on the town as it is now.
Have a lovely holiday!

All within 15 minutes of Blyth

You can get to Newcastle City centre by bus from Blyth or you could drive to pick up the metro (Northumberland Park station has a big car park which used to be £1).
Yes, Barter Books in Alnwick is worth a visit. There's National Trust and English Heritage places worth visiting if you're members. There are surfing activities in Tynemouth but not sure on costs.
Bamburgh is a beautiful place but does get very busy.
I grew up in the area and enjoy going back to visit!

If you can afford it book yourself a lunch or dinner in the tree top restaurant at Alnwick castle, it's fantastic.
The poison garden tour there is brilliant as well, loads of gory detail about how you can kill someone and leave no trace. 😁☠️
Some scenes of Harry potter were filmed at the castle and the tour is good.

I regularly post this on Northumberland threads. DH is from Northumberland and we have visited many places, so I have drawn up a list of places to vist.

Northumberland Attractions

Towns
Alnwick, Amble, Berwick upon Tweed, Corbridge, Hexham, Morpeth, Rothbury, Warkworth

Castles
Alnwick Castle and gardens, Aydon Castle, Belsay, Bamburgh, Chillingham, Dunstanburgh, Lindisfarne, Warkworth

Stately homes
Cragside, Seaton Delaval, Wallington – all NT

Other Attractions
Brinkburn Priory, Coquet Island, Coquet Valley, Corbridge Roman Town, Farne Islands, Grace Darling museum, Hadrian's Wall - Chesters, Housesteads and Vindolanda, Ford and Etal,
Hauxley nature reserve, Heatherslaw Light Railway, Holy Island, Howick gardens, Ingram Valley, Kielder, Warkworth Hermitage, Woodhorn museum

Beaches
Alnmouth, Bamburgh, Beadnell, Boulmer, Cocklawburn, Cresswell, Druridge Bay, Embleton, Holy Island, Low Newton, Longhoughton, Newbiggin, Seahouses, Seaton Sluice, Warkworth,

Children
Northumberland Country Zoo, Northumberlandia, Whitehouse farm centre

Places to eat
Ephesus, Morpeth
Nadon Thai, Morpeth
Tandoor Mahal, Morpeth
Lal Khazana, Shilbottle
The Cook and Barke Innr, Newton on the Moor
The Running Fox, Felton and Longframlington
The Village Inn, Longframlington

@RampantIvy 👏👏👏👏
How bloody helpful are you! 👌

It isn't an obviously touristy place to stay OP but you can easily travel to the places that are.
That part of the world is lovely.

A cheap base in Blyth is fine for exploring the beautiful North East coast line and you will find plenty of options for a week away. Take the coastal path from Blyth beach along to Seaton Sluice for an easy walk of about an hour. There are a couple of good pubs there, one with sea views. Or get fish and chips at the popular restaurant. Eat with sea view outside if good weather. There is also a free art gallery there. A bit further Whitley Bay has a lovely promenade. Stroll there then on to beautiful Tyne mouth with the ruined Abbey and lots; f good quality touristy shops. On the way back stop off at the lighthouse on the outskirts of Whitley Bay and stroll over the causeway if the tide is out. Keep a lookout for basking deals. Very full, great day out. Another day set off for the wonderful quiet beautiful beaches of of Alnmouth and/or Bambrough . Fantastic. Stop off at Craster for a great lunch and maybe try Craster Kippers. Alnwick Castle and Gardens where some of Harry Potter was filmed is another great day out. Give that a full day as not cheap and plenty to see and do. Maybe take a run inland on another day. Try Rothbiry. Plenty free walks. Take a picnic and the day will only cost you an ice cream if you are looking at your budget. Or go and see Cragside Hall.just on the outskirts of Rothbury for another full day out. A rainy day? Catch the bus into Newcastle and chill out at a choice of cinemas, the theatre or go for a stroll along the quayside. Cross the millennium bridge to another free museum with great views down the Tyne on your way. Some of this is right on Blyth's doorstep. None of it is more than 20 miles away. I could go on but will stop there. Wallington Hall has really interesting gardens and house. Oh dear . .I have started again 😁 Enjoy your holiday OP. 😄

Basking seals not deals. 😁

Parking in Tynemouth can be tricky though. I paid to park near the station the other week and they have sent me a parking fine, which I am contesting.

As everyone has said, Northumberland itself a lovely and there are nice bits of Blyth - Ridley Park and the beach huts etc. TBH though, if you’re staying near the shops be prepared for it being not great. I wouldn’t let my kids hang around there on their own, way too many people with substance misuse issues. Just don’t plan to spend much time in the area directly around the flat.

*Holibobbins · Yesterday 23:09

I doubt it's anymore dangerous than where I live now!

Where do you live? Mogadishu?

RampantIvy has an excellent list and I'd definitely recommend Bamburgh Castle, if your kids like castles.

If you want to Park and Ride, Whitley Bay Metro has plenty of spaces, as well as Northumberland Park. Parking is difficult in Newcastle at the moment, as there is a lot of building work, with streets closed and diversions, as well as a lot of 1 and 2 hour restrictions.

If you go to Tynemouth, park on the seafront road, North of the Priory, it's only a five minute walk to anywhere.

There's a nice hippy nick-nack shop - Raspberry Bazaar and loads of places to eat. Longsands Fish is a licenced chippy, with a wide range - excellent fish curry!

Trenchers, in the Spanish City, Whitley Bay is also very good. Look out for me passing, with a Golden Lab in a sparkly pink collar....

Blyth is not the most pleasant of places , but Northumberland itself is beautiful.

Most Side, Manchester.

Moss*

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions.

As per above suggestions, it's a useful base for lots of great places. And while Blyth town centre is pretty grim, between that and Ridley Park there are sometimes big ships in Dock, if you have kids who would be impressed.

Historically Blyth has always been a bit shit with a large drugs problem. I live nearby and when I was younger, a friend from Blyth took part in a scheme where she hosted some kids from Chernobyl for a few weeks each summer. I couldn't understand why, out of anywhere in the U.K. they could send these kids, they'd choose Blyth.

Anyway it's had a lot of investment since then. The beach area especially is lovely. Just say you're going to the Northumberland coast and have a lovely time.

Nearly all of Northumberland is fabulous. Blyth is one of the most impoverished towns in the UK. Nothing about it says ‘holiday’! There are lots of lovely places nearby.

Blyth are you joking 🤣 drugs, dead town,careful of the wasters in the town most on drugs or drink wandering about or outside morrisons, lovely police sirens at night every night etc etc...yep we managed 3 years and couldn't get out quick enough..very happy up near the cheviots now.

Grace Darling, a lighthouse keepers daughter, aged 23, rowed out at night in a storm to successfully rescue shipwrecked sailors in 1838.

The Grace Darling museum was closed due to Covid when we were on holiday in Sea Houses a couple of years ago. She died of T.B. four years after the rescue. We saw her grave in the local cemetery.

My only regret from that holiday is not going on an evening seal spotting boat trip. They trace the route that Grace Darling took when she left her home that night to rescue the shipwrecked sailors.

The walk from Sea Houses to Bamburgh castle is fantastic.

Bamburgh village is tiny but the pub was nice.

It's not a pretty place , just a normal slightly poor town

The beach is great and you can walk down to Whitley bay which people would find perfectly acceptable as a holiday place - perhaps next time just say "just outside of Whitley bay "

And with a car there is loads to do

What sort of things are the children interested in?

I grew up in North Northumberland and it's such a beautiful area. I second visiting Morpeth and Rothbury - Cragside is beautiful. If you like walking there are forestry commission sites with set walks such as Thrunton Woods and Simonside. I used to love these walks as a kid. It's a beautiful area overall

Isn't Thrunton woods still quite limited after Arwen ?

Northumberland is fantastic.
I would research Hadrian's wall and the sections that are good to walk.
Also, the GoApe just outside Newcastle is great - we all did it - well out of my comfort zone but a big sense of achievement afterwards