Holiday with teens in Northumberland

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Inspired by other recent thread. We are going away with 15 and 13 year old to Northumberland (stay in in Alnwick). Can anyone suggestthings they would like to do?

15 year old in particular is a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but both DC will both happily potter round castles or NT place or go walking as long as they don't have to spend too long doing any of these (easily bored).

I have a few things on my list but worried my teens will think they are dull or lose interest quickly so keen to hear what has worked withother people's teens.

On my list so far I have
Alnwick castle and gardens
Cragside
Bearish
Wet and wild
Hadrian wall
Surfing or body boarding (are there suitable beaches?)

Now I can help with this as we went a couple of years ago. We did:

Walk from Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle
Walked the causeway to Holy Island
Farne Islands boat trip from Seahouses
Fish n chips on the beach at Seahouses
Grace Darling museum Bamburgh
Walk along Bamburgh Beach (one of many amazing beaches in the area)
Low Newton Beach
Beadnell Beach
Hadriens Wall
Cragside

We have NT membership.

Was a great week - not boring although the 13 year old claims it was but appeared to enjoy it at the time!

Drive over the causeway to Lindisfarne.

Boat to the Farne Islands to be dive bombed by Arctic Tern.

Bamburgh beach is one of the loveliest in the UK, if not the world!

Alnwick Castle is where Harry Potter took flying lessons. The Gardens are lovely too. You can have a tour of the poison garden.

There’s a surf school in Amble which is about a 15 minute drive from Alnwick.

OH is from Northumberland and we spend a lot of time there. I have compiled a list because this question comes up a lot:

Northumberland Attractions
Towns
Morpeth, Alnwick, Hexham, Corbridge, Berwick upon Tweed, Rothbury, Warkworth

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

Stately homes
Cragside, Wallington, Seaton Delaval, Belsay Hall & Castle

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

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

Children
Whitehouse farm centre, Kirkley hall zoological gardens, Heatherslaw light railway, Eshott Heugh animal park, Northumberlandia

If you like books/want an indoor activity then try Barter Books in Alnwick. It's a bookstore in an old train station. It's fab if you want to have a wander around (less so if you aren't big readers...).

There's a small flying school at Eshott Airfield which isn't too far away and does experience flights down the coastline for about £85pp. I'm not sure if they have age restrictions but possibly worth checking out if you want something a bit different?

You absolutely must go for afternoon tea at the Running Fox - there are three cafes but the original one in Felton is the best. Inexpensive for an afternoon tea, the portions are so big you end up bringing some home, and the food is absolutely delicious.

If you do end up towards Seaton Delaval to go to Seaton Delaval Hall then stop off at the Crescent Cafe (on the main roundabout In Seaton Delaval before you drive down the Avenue with all of the trees towards Seaton Sluice) for some Arigghi's ice cream.

Adding to pps to say definitely drive over to Holy Island/Lindisfarne and do one of the Farne Islands boat trips.

There's observatories you could go to to try some star gazing? There's often groupon vouchers for experiences at Battlesteads, but there's also one at Kielder.

There's a Go Ape at Matfen too I think which could go down well.

You can always do a day trip into Newcastle to keep your teens occupied if needs be, it isn't a long drive!

Would agree with lots of the above. You could extend the walk from Craster to Dunstanburgh castle by carrying on to the Ship Inn at Low Newton for some delicious food.

Tynemouth good for surfing too.

cullercoatsbikekayak.co.uk/kayak

I’m actually in WetnWild now typing this!

Craigside is amazing, it takes a whole day. Go up into the kielder Forest, Hadrians wall of course, we went to wear they were digging (sometimes they allow people to help), best fish and chips ever too, forgotten name but it's on the beach next to a gelato shop (Italian name). For the hardy there were people windsurfing

I would say if you don't do anything else you must go to Cragside. If you go into Newcastle drive to Kingston Park and take the metro in. It only costs £1.30 to park all day there.

I found The Running Fox in Longframlington underwhelming. Maybe the one in Felton is better. I find the portions are overwhelmingly large and off putting.

Right next door to beamish is beamish wild which has a high ropes course. Infinite air trampoline parks in Newcastle and durham. I think wet n wild is a bit meh but to be fair I am not a teenager.

Tapas most people I know that have been to the Longframlington one have said the same as you. I've only been to Felton and really enjoyed it, but from what I've heard from people that have been to both, the Felton one is much better so we've always gone there (I genuinely haven't heard a bad report about it). I haven't tried the new one so can't comment on that as it only opened recently. The portions are massive but I try to go over lunch and take some of it home, so it isn't that much of an issue for me.

It certainly isn't a dainty afternoon tea...

You can day trip Edinburgh on the train. It's about an hour from Berwick.
As pp have said there are loads of nice NT properties.

We are also staying in Alnwick but my DCs are 15 and 10.
Definitely do the boat trip from Seahouses to see the puffins.
A day trip to Vinlandia is brilliant.
We are also splashing out on an evening at the Kynren in Bishop Auckland.

I live close in Northumberland and don't think I can add anything else to these brilliant suggestions but I will keep thinking (ooh, the teenagers will enjoy The Dirty Bottles in Alnwick for food!) Have a lovely holiday!

Ooh and if you do go into amble for the day you must go to spurellis ice cream parlour! And the old boathouse for food

Haven't been to Amble for ages. Thank you for the tip KTCluck

Wow! Thank you so much everyone. Lots of brilliant ideas here; we will be spoilt for choice.