Novels based in Northumberland, Alnick area

[jollyboys]

Hoping to get to Northumberland (Alnmouth) after lockdown, can anyone suggest novels based in that area? I've never been and want to get a sense of the place. Thanks!

Parts of Girl, Woman, Other are set in Northumberland.

Lovely area. Probably not quite what you are after but could try:
Vera series by Ann Cleeves
Robert Westall's Young Adult books:
The Machine Gunners and The Watch House are set in Tynemouth, nearer Newcastle

I think the Vera Stanhope series (Ann Cleves) are set around rural Northumberland. Detective/crime fiction, but on the gentler side.

Surprisingly I can't think of many other books from the area (and I have family there).

Don't have fiction recommendations but if you're in that area you need to go to:

Bertram's cafe in Warkworth for the cake (especially lemon & courgette)

Spurelli's ice cream place in Amble for the amazing ice creams

Barter Books in Alnwick for 2nd hand books, model trains round the stacks and triple cooked chips in the cafe

The Ship Inn at Low Newton by the Sea for microbrewery beers and crab sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Kingdom by the sea by Robert westall is a great children’s adventure story that takes place on a journey up the coast from Sunderland. It’s a great story - I enjoyed it as an adult. If you know the coast line you can picture the places it depicts

Rob Roy by Walter Scott if you fancy classic historical fiction.

There's lots of crime fiction though.

Thanks everyone, these are brilliant suggestions, especially SirSamuel, I'm hoping the bookshop might be open 🤞

Ooh, can I recommend Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss?

"Teenage Silvie and her parents are living in a hut in Northumberland as an exercise in experimental archaeology. Her father is a difficult man, obsessed with imagining and enacting the harshness of Iron Age life. Haunting Silvie's narrative is the story of a bog girl, a young woman sacrificed by those closest to her, and the landscape both keeps and reveals the secrets of past violence and ritual as the summer builds to its harrowing climax."
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07HM49HZG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

L J Ross DCI Ryan series are all set in Northumberland or the North East. Haven’t read any yet but keep meaning to! I think they’re usually on one of the kindle offers.

Another vote for the LJ Ross series. Each novel is set in a different location in the North East, but with a running back story.

Thanks for these. StellaAndCrow, i'm collecting Ghost Wall from the library tomorrow, did you read it?

I really enjoyed Ghost Wall recently. Very good sense of place.

I'm also going to Northumberland in May, all being well. Can't wait!

Wife in the North - about Londoners who move to the Northumberland coast.

Yes, I read Ghost Wall fairly recently and really enjoyed it, great Northumberland setting and I really liked the concept of the father insisting on the family living an Iron Age life, and their different reactions to it. Hope you like it :)

@MiaMc

L J Ross DCI Ryan series are all set in Northumberland or the North East. Haven’t read any yet but keep meaning to! I think they’re usually on one of the kindle offers.

Was coming here to recommend these books. I really enjoyed them. I've been on holiday to Northumberland and it really helped set the tone in my mind.

I'm not sure it's exactly what you're looking for as can be quite dark and murdery, but the setting is perfect for you 😂

I love a new crime series so have just ordered the first three DCI Ryan books. I might save one or two to read while in the cottage there. Thanks for the recommendation