Whenever you tell somebody from the North-East of England that you are going to visit Northumberland, nine times out of ten the response will be ‘Gods Own Country’.
For those individuals who have not had the privilege of visiting, this divine description will oft be met with a raised eyebrow, wry smile or a muttering of ‘yeah right’. For those who have, and I must declare here that I have been a regular visitor since I was a small boy, it is spot on. It is indeed Nature’s masterpiece, a sanctuary for the soul, a place of ancient stone and open tables.
Northumberland may be one of the last bastions of true community-based tourism within the United Kingdom, yet retains local character not just in the many physical attributes of the county but also in the people.
Unlike other domestic tourism ‘hot spots’, the full ravages of second-home ownership have not yet reached critical levels. Families that have been here for generations still live here and enjoy the strong social connections, local food, stunning countryside and coastline.
I based myself in the charming seaside village of Seahouses, everything a proper fishing village should be. Eating locally caught crab in between a couple of slices of locally baked bread on the harbour wall with a stiff sea breeze for company is just one of life’s uncomplicated pleasures.
The village is also the departure point for boat trips to the Farne Islands, where grey seals hang out on the rocks and puffins congregate in large numbers. Local pubs, fish and chip restaurants plus the inventor of the kipper, in the back street amongst the fisherman’s cottages, give more than enough choice to enjoy local fare. Seahouses also acts as a great base to visit some of the counties other magnificent attractions.
Just a few miles North lies Bamburgh, most famous for its great red sandstone castle perched on a basalt outcrop, with a wide pale beach stretching away on either side and the Farne Islands hunched on the horizon. The castle is lived in, well presented, and worth the entrance fee.
The beach, however, costs nothing and is frequently near-empty even in summer. Walk it at low tide, find a sheltered hollow in the dunes, and eat a bag of chips from the village. On a clear evening, with the light going golden over the sea, it is hard to imagine being anywhere better.
Built on an outcrop of Volcanic whinstone, a hard dark-coloured igneous rock, the site was first fortified in 20–547 AD but the majority of the building that is accessible today was constructed in the 11th century. It is truly stunning and not just because of its enormity but because of its location.
Towering over the unexpectedly turquoise waters and white sands below, the fortress looks less like architecture and more like a fevered, beautiful dream brought to life. With many events to fill the calendar, visitors are welcome from April to November. The nearby village boasts an outstanding seafood restaurant, an assortment of cafes and a hotel ‘The Victoria’ which in itself was built in 1893. Many of the thirty-nine bedrooms have unrestricted views of the Castle.
South of Seahouses lies Alnwick ( pronounced Annick). What to expect? Castle and Cobbles – Alnwick is the natural inland anchor for a coastal break.
Alnwick Castle
The town’s magnificent castle — seat of the Percy family and, to a generation of film fans, the exterior of Hogwarts —looms over the River Aln with historical and cinematic authority. The state rooms are genuinely impressive and the winding streets in the market town below reward an afternoon’s wandering. Founded after the Norman Conquest and reshaped by generations of renovations, this majestic castle remains the seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland today.
No coverage on this region would however be complete without mention of Craster. Just a fifteen-minute drive south from Seahouses it is another small, charming fishing village but offers, and I am unbiased in this, the best Kippers in the world. They may not be the first, but they are the best. Buy them direct from the smoke house of L Robson and Sons and take away. Alternatively visit the hostelry opposite Robsons, ‘The Jolly Fisherman’ ,to devour a supreme tasty fish treat sitting at a table that looks out to the sea from whence they came. My choice is to eat them with a strong cup of English breakfast tea and buttered brown bread, but a glass of chilled rose would probably suffice.
On the way back to Seahouses make it an imperative to visit Newton by the Sea. I am not sure you can even call this a village, but it does have a pub in a square of whitewashed small cottages that front up to the sea. The Ship Inn, which operates from a converted granary beside the beach brews its own ales, serves crab rolls and hearty pies, and has no music, no fruit machines, and no mobile signal to speak of. Order a pint of Low Newton Pale Ale, find a bench outside, and watch the marine world go by.
Northumberland’s coast is beautiful, its castles are real, its food is extraordinary — but it’s the place’s unselfconscious warmth that brings people back, year after year, to stand on a windswept beach and feel completely at peace with themselves.
Graham paid his own way during his trip to Northumberland.