Anyone been to the Harry Potter castle?

[coxesorangepippin]

We've booked to stay in Ashington to visit the HP castle.

Does anyone have any hints/good restaurants nearby?

Are the nearby beaches worth a look??

The beach at Alnmouth (close to Alnwick) is lovely.

The treehouse restaurant at the castle is nice but you will need to book. There is a big self-service cafe in the grounds that does coffee and cake and jacket potatoes.

The village which is not far has a load of restaurants. We didn't try them so can't recommend.

Bambrugh beach is good but there are lots of good beaches around there. Pretty windswept and the sea can be cold so shortie wetsuits might be an idea.

Years ago visited Alnwick castle and more recently visited the Alnwick garden which is also very nice next to the castle. We had pizza on the beach at Alnmouth from the pizza van in the yard at the old school gallery, fabulous pizzas. Beach was very nice but it wasn't massively warm despite being August (the photos show our kids in their coats on the beach!). How long are you in the area for? Holy Island is about an hour away. Great place to visit. Also Cragside (national trust) and Belsay Hall (English Heritage) are each about 30 mins from Ashington, and lovely days out, couldn't be done on the same day though. Whilst they are both good, Cragside had much much more to do, in addition to the house, a few years ago, but English Heritage have spent money on developing the Belsay site since we visited in 2021.

Beaches from Alnmouth north are beautiful. Fish and chips at Seahouses, maybe a boat trip to the Farne Islands.

Holy Island is about my favourite place on the planet, but check the tide tables. Various Running Fox cafes are nice for coffee or lunch. Warkworth Castle - proper castle, as is Bamburgh.

Barter Books in Alnwick
Kippers at Craster or Seahouses
Doddington Dairy ice cream

We were there just this week, we had a fab day. Assuming you have a HP fan, first thing you should do is head to the ticket place and get your slot for broomstick training, we got there pretty much for opening and missed the first slot. The guided film location tour is also very interesting.
Alnwick gardens is definitely worth a visit, we did them over 2 days but could probably be done in one. We also visited Lilidorei which is part of the gardens but would depend on ages of kids. 30 mins away you can have your pick of beaches, Beadnell or Bamburgh are beautiful! Lots of pubs for good food, Joiners Arms in Alnwick is very nice. Holy Island is also worth a visit, but yes, check tide times it varies massively each day.

Do you mean Ashington or Alnwick because they are very different…

I was about to say that. Ashington is a shit hole with the best restaurant being the McDonald's on the spine road near asda 😂

Although it isn't a long drive between the two.

Are you staying at Sandy Bay , OP?