Stroll the golden sands and watch the waves roll in on this quiet, historic beach
Northumberland has a stunning beach and glorious coastline that has a postcard-perfect castle backdrop.
Bamburgh Beach is located in the village of Bamburgh, just a one-hour drive from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, and offers scenic view, in whichever direction you look. Look out to sea for a stunning view of The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, and the nearby Farne Islands.
And if you look behind you, you’ll see the spell-binding Bamburgh Castle, which makes for a magical coastal backdrop for any Instagram photos or a coastal stroll if that’s more your thing.
The history of Bamburgh Castle goes back well over 1,500 years to 420 when a Celtic Brittonic is believed to have been built on the site. The fort later came into Anglo-Saxon hands before being destroyed by the Vikings in 993.
Sometime after 1066, the Normans built a castle on the ruins of the fort, and In 1346 the castle was used to imprison King David II of Scotland, following his defeat at the Battle of Neville’s Cross.
During the Wars of Roses, in 1646 the castle was besieged for nine months by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick on behalf of the Yorkist claim to the throne, and during this time Bamburgh became the first castle in the world to fall to gunpowder.
Bamburgh Castle has had a more peaceful history since then, with the current owners the Armstrong family now opening it up for tourists to visit.
Bamburgh village has plenty of other sites to see, including the Bamburgh Ossuary in the crypt of St Aidan’s Church, which is full of the bones of those who lived in the area over 1,000 years ago.
Here you can take a self-guided or guided tour and learn about what Northumberland was like before the Norman invasion, and the excavation process that uncovered these skeletons.
Near Bamburgh Castle is the Holy Island causeway, which, during low tide, you can use to walk to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. This small tidal island is the location at which Saint Aidan founded a monastery in 635 AD.
The ruins that remain of the priory can be visited on the island, as can the 16th-century Lindisfarne Castle, which is still standing.
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