Northumberland newbie-where to go?

[northernsoulsister]

We have never been to the North East and would like to visit around Easter. We'd be Premier Inning it and travelling by train from the Manchester area. Ideally just two nights with the idea to go for much longer another time.

Where would be good for a first visit? I'd love to go to Bamburgh but I'm not sure how feasible that is for a two night stay by public transport. Holy Island is high on my hit list, the top actually, but again probably not feasible. We aren't fussed about Newcastle itself but Durham is on our list for the bigger visit.

Berwick would be my base for your requirements.
You can get the bus to Bamburgh & Lindisfarne from there very easily

There is a Premier Inn and a station in Alnwick. You would be able to do Alnwick castle and the town on foot. I'm a frequent Northumberland visitor rather than a local but I drive so I don't know what the public transport options from there are to get you to other Northumbrian gems.

I’m a local so I’d say base yourself at Alnwick or Alnmouth (train station at Alnmouth and the village is gorgeous).

I am originally from this area. Alnwick would be a good choice both for staying and for visits to places near by. You are keen on Durham so perhaps you might instead stay in Newcastle and then go up to Alnwick by train and down to Durham. you could even go over on the train to Carlisle across the country.

I love Hadrian's wall, the moorlands near the border with Scotland, beaches with nothing on them and no people eg Ross Beach (you would need a car) . Druridge Bay is lovely too and might just about be reached by train. Kielder Forest and lake might require a car. The tourist attraction gardens at Alnwick castle might be good although I like no people ever so I tend to be in places with no facilties at all as my ideal.

The here's a bus between Alnwick and Berwick that stops at bamburgh. It's not very often but it exists and the timings look ok. We love castles and Harry Potter so Alnwick castle might be a good shout.

I’d say base yourself either in Berwick or Alnwick. Personally, I wouldn’t go on holiday to Northumberland and not go to Bamburgh and Lindisfarne so I’d stay in Berwick and get the bus. You can do Seahouses at the same time.

Alnwick would be the best place for such a short stay. The cattle and gardens are stunning, there are busses to Alnmouth which is a beautiful beach and has some lovely walks.

Lindisfarne on public transport is probably a no go if I am honest. I would save that for a longer trip and maybe either book a night on the island or look at organised trips out there.

Definitely Alnwick if you’re using the train.

You'd probably need to book a tour bus to Holy Island, didn't see any public transport other than along the mainland coastline. Bamburgh is nice bit not much there! Farne island boat trip is worth it in fine weather, departs from Seahouses which is a small fishing resort with harbour and sandy beaches. Some boats go up to Holy Island.

I think I'll make it three nights instead of two.

I would still be more realistic about what you can achieve in that time.

Northumberland has some beautiful scenery but it is a lot of countryside between towns.

On paper Alnwick to Brewick is 30 miles. But the A1 is mostly single carriageway on that stretch and can take 45mins minimum in a car and well over an hour on a train and 2 hours in a bus (timetable attached).

It is not the easiest for being accessible on public transport unfortunately.

You definitely need more than 2 nights. We love Alnwick, as others have said, it's close to the railway station. I love Northumberland for the easy links to coast, country and city. Newcastle is actually a really nice city to spend a day. Corbridge is pretty, lots of independent shops, cafes, pubs and the best cake shop. Keilder Forest is stunning. If you have sturdy walking shoes, make sure you walk a stretch of Haridan's Wall. Think outside of Premier Inns, Premier Inns are great for cities, but there are so many small, independent B&B that will give you a much more local experience.

Also, watch the tides if you visit Holy Island. If you can, plan your visit for when low tide starts mid morning. Stay on the island, which I would 100% recommend, as its the most beautiful place with just the very good pubs open. You'll need to book a room and a table well in advance.

Lindisfarne castle is worth a visit so make sure you have NT membership. Useful for the Farnes too.

Me and the kids have done two cycle tours in Northumberland - it is an incredibly beautiful county, well worth a visit. We've done Hadrian's Wall cycleway (from Carlisle to Newcastle) and Coasts and Castles from Newcastle round to Edinburgh.

If you're on limited budget, have you looked at youth hostels? They are fantastic! Nearly always have cooking facilities, so you can save a bit of money on meals. Sometimes cheaper than a Premier Inn, sometimes more expensive - but loads more facilities and much more sociable fun.

Hadrian's wall: you could stay at YHA The Sill. Train from Manchester to Carlisle to Bardon Mill then walk up. They do breakfasts and dinners. On our rest day at The Sill, we walked along Hadrian's Wall to Housesteads Roman fort (past sycamore gap - the tree was still there when we went!) and then got the bus back. The bus service along the wall is pretty good. Vindolanda is also walking distance away, and well worth a visit.

Coastal: Alnwick hostel is super lovely. When we last stayed there, booking was a bit odd and we ended up doing it independently. Barter Books is well worth a visit! We didn't have time to do Alnwick castle, but did do the gardens next door which were fun. We were personally not wowed with Bamburgh castle; it was expensive and closed 30 mins earlier than advertised. But we were a bit castle-d out by the time we got there, so maybe we were just a bit jaded! Our faves were the little castles but of the bigger ones, we enjoyed Dunstanburgh most. The (independent) hostel at Dunbar (just over the border but good train service) was the most incredible hostel we've ever stayed in - I really didn't want to go home...

Avoid the old YHA Newcastle - I think it's no longer a YHA, but can't imagine it's any better. It was a real dive when we stayed there in 2022, so we stayed in a premier inn in Whitley Bay in 2023 instead.

For a short trip from Manchester, I reckon Hadrian's wall is probably a better bet, otherwise you'll spend all your time on travel (although that will be beautiful too). One thing that surprised me a bit was how few train stations there are on the coast - the east coast mainline rushes up and down at top speed but doesn't actually stop much. Whereas the Carlisle-Newcastle line is a little local line with lots of stations and a train once an hour, and the bus service along the wall was good.
Hope you have a good trip! Northumberland is so beautiful. I reckon our coastal trip was more spectacular for landscapes, but both were good.

Edited for spellings.

Went last April. Beautiful area. We went to
Bamburgh castle and beach
Holy Island
Berwick
Anwick/Anmouth
Seahouses

Have to say Holy Island was amazing!! Driving over at low tide( which was about 4pm) , walking down to the castle and around the old abbey in beautiful sun but a freakishly strong wind was memorable. Couple of nice pubs but book ahead. We got lucky and they squeezed us in to eat .

Bamburgh beach was epic again in full sun , all wrapped up with our dog. Such an amazing beach and dunes. Castle was interesting too.

Berwick was ok but wouldn’t be so bothered to visit again.

Alnick on way home was another stunning beach and little town.

Durhum is a small city with a beautiful cathedral- our DC was at uni there so visited a few times.

Last April we stayed in an Air bnb that was in a remote place outside Belford. But was very cute and cosy- Honey Nuc I think. Very close to Bamburgh.

Beamish museum

https://www.beamish.org.uk/