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UK travel

Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

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Original poster

Where should we go on holiday this summer - I'll be 7 months pregnant and we live in the North West. What about Northumberland?

23 replies

ninja · 22/03/2008 22:34

Just looking for some advice, ideas and recommendations.

I REALLY want to get a holiday before dc2 is born. We'll be going mid to late July DD1 will be 5 and I'll be 31 - 33 weeks pregnant so planning to fly is probably out. I'd love to go to Cornwall but not sure if such a long journey (from near Manchester) is a good idea. My sister's suggested Northumberland. Any other recommendations?

OP posts:

MmeCEggsandeateggs · 22/03/2008 22:39

Wales? Pembrokeshire (South) is beautiful with lovely beaches. North Wales is of course much nearer and has lots of things for LOs and is lovely too, from what I can remember!

MmeCEggsandeateggs · 22/03/2008 22:40

Dumfries and Galloway? Beautiful too. Think it's about 4 hours from you.

Cappuccino · 22/03/2008 22:41

Lakes

or North Wales

Original poster

ninja · 22/03/2008 22:43

Wales would be a good option (although we'd be sharing the roads with half the caravans in the country!!)

OP posts:

Flibbertyjibbet · 22/03/2008 22:46

We are in Lancashire and are going for a return visit in May, to a cottage in Northumberland.
We stayed there last year with ds's aged 2 and 12m (his birthday was on the hol).
Fab fab fab.
The scenery and beaches are great for the older one and you can just relax when you want to or go and visit places. In July the lakes is pants - overcrowded and overpriced.

PeachesMcLean · 22/03/2008 22:50

Well of course I'll suggest West Wales - best beaches in britain, but Northumberland is pretty good too I suppose And to be fair it's not so far from Manchester. Don't stay in Seahouses like we did, it smells of chips. i'd seriously recommend Bamburgh cos it's so gorgeous, has its own castle and the most a fairly stunning stretch of coast too.

Original poster

ninja · 22/03/2008 22:53

Thanks everyone, Bamburgh and a castle sounds great. DD would LOVE that

OP posts:

PeachesMcLean · 22/03/2008 23:13

And when we were last there, it had a very good sausage shop....

kiskideesameanoldmother · 22/03/2008 23:34

Bamburgh is just a stone's throw from Alnwick with its castle and gardens. Children of all ages love the garden. Alnmouth has an exquisite beach.

Flibbertyjibbet · 23/03/2008 11:25

Yup, cottage 15 mins walk from Bamburgh village and 2 mins from the fantastic beach.
Real fire that we collect wood for on walks, and we had some of those sausages as well. The bedroom has a view of the castle all lit up in the evenings.
Bamburgh is not the cheapest place in Northumberland but its the nicest and the beach with all the rock pools and sand dunes is fantastic for young children.
Our cottage is from www.holidaynorthumbria.co.uk (or maybe .com?)

Original poster

ninja · 23/03/2008 19:41

Great - I'll look up the cottage now.

Sadly we're veggie (well I'm not sad really) so sausages not an attraction! Rock pools and sand dunes are however.

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MonkeybirdisboredWITHbuns · 23/03/2008 19:54

Bamburgh is marvellous. Victoria Hotel is OK pub food and if you don't self-cater, they had a great family room two years ago.

Alnwick is brilliant as everyone says, there's also a great secondhand bookshop which has a little train above your head and kids section and an honesty box for the coffee machine and biscuits!

Another tip is getting there from Manchester - don't be tempted to head cross-country too early eg M62 - by far the best and quickest route is straight up the M6 then across on the road that runs along Hadrian's Wall - is quicker than A/M1 and a much better drive IMHO, including the fab bit along the Wall...

Clayhead · 23/03/2008 19:58

I live in the North West and we're going to Northumberland (again) this summer.

I agree with monkey - definitely go up the M6 and then across the road next to Hadrian's Wall - it's quicker and more scenic.

We use Coastal Retreats - pricey but fab.

kiskideesameanoldmother · 23/03/2008 20:36

when you say the road along Hadrian's wall, do you mean the A66 or the B road that also parallels Hadrian's wall? If you mean the B road, it is deffo worth it. You are almost on top of the wall for some stretches and if you have an eye for the archaeology of it, you can see where at times you have crossed the Wall itself as bits of the original wall will sometimes be on your right and sometimes its on your left.

You'll need to look at a map to see where to get on that B road and off it.

Flibbertyjibbet · 23/03/2008 20:39

That is the route that we do. Much better with small kiddies (ours will be 3 and 1 this time) as you can stop for picnic or in any of the small towns etc, and not worry about traffic jams. Takes longer than the M62/A1 route on a low-traffic day but is sooo scenic and adds a day on each way to the hol instead of just driving on the motorway.
If you are veggie don't try the green grocers in the village shop..... seriously bendy carrots! We took provisions with us as its all a bit limited or expensive in the Bamburgh area and the nearest supermarket is I think just a Spar in seahouses. Don't stay in seahouses though, its a mini blackpool.
Hope you find something nice and have a lovely holiday!

MonkeybirdisboredWITHbuns · 23/03/2008 20:45

Yeah, the B road - the A66 is horrible - all thundering lorries and usually blinding spray...

Waswondering · 23/03/2008 21:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

ninja · 24/03/2008 09:29

Thanks for the tips for the journey. I loved Hadrian's wall as a kid - I imagine DD might just about be old enough to appreciate visiting a bit of it. I'm getting all excited now. Just need to find some where to stay that's not too pricey as it'll just be the 3 of us.

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Lilymaid · 24/03/2008 11:05

Here are some cottages in and around Bamburgh. We are staying there in August but in a friend's apartment. If you are there and see somewhere with curtains pulled all day, that will be where our teenage DSs will be sleeping whilst DH and I will be out walking and seeing the sights! I am really looking forward to the sausages!

oregonianabroad · 24/03/2008 11:40

Northumberland is beautiful if you can get the weather. Very quiet and relaxing too.

LoveAndSqualor · 24/03/2008 11:57

ooh yes, Northumberland. I grew up there - loads to do, beautiful, great for kids. If you decide to go, can recommend plenty around the Hadrian's Wall area - my parents live there - in fact my step-dad runs a bike hire centre at Kielder Water (where there's a castle and all sorts of child-friendly stuff) - can point you in his direction if cycling's your sort of thing.

If you're after somewhere on the coast, Craster is beautiful and a bit cheaper than Bamburgh, but only a few mins' drive away - great castle (dunstanburgh) and amazing smoked fish!

WendyWeber · 24/03/2008 12:09

North Wales has some lovely castles and beaches too and I think it would be a shorter journey for you.

Northumberland is very popular, and the beaches very clean, but they tend to be chillier, even in July!

kiskideesameanoldmother · 24/03/2008 13:48

Oh, I was looking at a Camping/hiking book the morning. the A Road which runs parallel to Hadrian's Wall is the A69 (not the A66 which is much further south)

The B road you want to travel is also called the Military road and it is the B6318.

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