Tips for trip to Northumberland

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We have 3 nights booked in Morpeth, Northumberland in Aug. We plan on having this as our base to discover some of the main sights in the area.

Can someone please share some tips on places to go, things to do and great places to eat in the area, for a family of 4 including 2 teens.

Seahouses for fish and chips.
Lindisfarne, but check the tides!
Bambrough Castle.
Newton-by-the-sea

There are lots of empty sandy beaches.

It's all gorgeous!
Alnwick Castle and Gardens. Cragside.
My top tip is that if its sunny inland its often not on the coast and vice versa!
Take layers.
If you visit hadrians wall wrap up warm, it's always freezing even in spring/summer!
I think I stayed in Morpeth once. Its lovely and lots of nice places to eat, I don't remember the names.
Have fun!

Warkworth Castle and the Hermitage. Barter Books in Alnwick. My happy places

Someone told me about a great cafe on a beach. Sound familiar to anyone?

I think it is the Drift Cafe.
Any good?

Are they into snorkelling/diving? Mine loved doing seal snorkelling at the Farne Islands fifthpointdiving.com/grey-seal-snorkel-safari/

You might find three nights isn't long enough to do Northumberland justice, but agree with all of above suggestions. Morpeth itself also has a decent park, possibly boat hire on river, and the bagpipe museum.

If any of the family enjoy books, then Barter Books in Alnwick is well worth popping into if you also go there for the castle and/or gardens.

Definitely Alnwick: the castle, (Hogwarts) the poison garden, treehouse cafe and if DC like books, the amazing train station book shop with a model train chuffing around in the roof.

The beaches - you can get boats out to see the seals and puffins from Amble, go to Bamburgh castle or Lindisfarne - Holy Island castle is really cute too.

Never been to Cragside but DH took DC when I was working once and they all adored it.

Hadrian's wall/Housesteads/Vindolanda are pretty cool.

Eating places in Morpeth

3 nights is a taster butterflymum. We have a week in Scotland and have tagged this on the end. If we like it, which I am sure will be the case, we will go back again.

You'll 100% likely go back, again and again .

Lindisfarne is such a beautiful place. Please go and see it for yourself. We used to go their on holiday as children, because my parents really liked Cold Feet.

I'm pretty sure we will. However, I've only booked 3 nights as I didn't want to book a week and then my family moan there wasn't enough to do or they didn't like it. My lot are quite fussy. We went to Scotland for 2 weeks and LOVED it, but then stopped off in the Lake District on the way home and they all hated it due to the crowds. That surprised me as everyone usually likes the LD. I know that Northumberland is a hidden gem and I'm sure they will love it, but I thought I better do a taster and make sure first.

Barter Books in Alnwick
Warkworth Castle - do a rowing boat
Bamburgh Castle is gorgeous too
Alnmouth is a lovely village

Maybe down the coast to Tynemouth

Or Kielder Reservoir has a lot going on

If your teens like cities, and/or it's raining, Newcastle is only a short hop away. It's not hard to park in and you could head down to the quayside to enjoy the view of the bridges. I believe Fenwick now has a rooftop bar but haven't tried it yet.

Newton by the Sea is lovely but has been swamped by tourists since it keeps being voted as top beach in the Times and there is very limited parking so you'd need to get there early. Embleton, Warkworth and Bamburgh both have lovely beaches (but go to the loo before you head down!).

Cook & Barker is great for a meal (in Newton on the Moor, just off the Al so you'd be driving). Good stop off on the way back from Alnwick. If the Treehouse is open at Alnwick garden (it often has weddings in), that's also good for a meal. Agree with Seahouses for fish and chips after a trip to the farne islands, though carlo's in Alnwick is also really good and has an ice cream parlour now. Barter Books has a great cafe but it does get busy and you can't prebook (although you can always curl up in an armchair near the fire). Running Fox in Felton, also off the road midway between Alnwick and Morpeth is good for bakery stuff, afternoon tea and posh picnics. There's also a really lovely shop called Taste of Northumberland in Alnwick for foodie stuff, although there are plenty of delis and things in Morpeth, including a very nice cheese shop.

Loads to do!

The Jolly something-or-other (Fisherman? Boatman?) in Craister is great for a meal. Lovely staff and delicious food.

The drift cafe is at Cresswell. I've never been but the cakes look rather good!

There's Riley's fish shack at Tynemouth

Boat trips from Seahouses to the Farne Islands and then back for fish and chips

Bamburgh beach is lovely but it will be very busy in August

There's a blog and facebook page called "north east family fun" and they include lots of recommendations for day trips/eating out
And the girl who set that up also set up "north east days out - reviews and recommendations" where you'll get lots of good suggestions too

There is much to Northumberland away from the coast, personally I love Etal www.ford-and-etal.co.uk/ ,loads to do there and if you do make sure to visit DUDDO STONES! Northumberlands own mini stone henge, we love it.

There’s always plenty of room at Bamburgh beach. I live fairly locally and my favourite places are Lindisfarne, all the NT/EH places, Bamburgh Castle and Barter Books.

I think Alnwick castle is vastly overrated through the HP link, gardens ok but very commercialised (prefer Cragside).

Chillingham castle is quirky and a day out in nice weather if you’re that way.

Barter books In Alnwick, my DD favourite place. Lovely Italian in Alnwick. Castle and gardens are superb.
Walk from craster to dunstanburgh castle. Lovely family friendly pub for food just before you go through arch into craster The cottage inn (much better value than jolly fisherman)

Bamburgh beach is gorgeous

This!

YY to Barter Books, Cragside, fish n chips by the sea

The walk along the coast from Craster (famous for kippers) to Dunstanburgh Castle is fabulous, and only about 1.5 miles.

If you are at all interested in Roman history, Vindolanda and Housesteads are well worth a visit.

Cragside is lovely but we prefer Wallington personally. Hadrians wall is incredible, definitely not always freezing! Worth going to housesteads fort if you have either NT or EH membership or vindolanda if you're happy to pay. Hexham and Corbridge are also great places to poke around

I’ve had lovely food in the drift cafe. My daughter said the chips were better than McDonalds which is a big compliment from her. The beach at Cresswell is great too.

There is a fantastic Chinese restaurant in Alnwick, just on the inside of the town walls. It’s called Yan’s.

Alnwick Castle and Alnwick Gardens are on the sane site (the gardens are the castle gardens), but need to be booked separately.

Nice little places for food in Alnmouth.

Amble isn't as picture perfect pretty as places like Alnmouth and Warkworth but it's got a great seafood scene, the hairy bikers were there in their last series, and a lovely walk to Warkworth, castle, pubs etc.
The Lakes are definitely way too busy now but Northumberland seems to not get quite so many crowds.
If you're between Scotland and Northumberland then North Berwick is great but gets very busy in the summer especially in both Scottish and English summer holidays.
Seahouses is brilliant for fish and chips and then a walk to Bamburgh. You'll have loads of choice for 3 days, enjoy!