The Northumberland Coast (in summer!)

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
6
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
5
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
8
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
3
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
6
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
65 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
228th/454
Top 50%
continent
Europe
country
UK
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$20 ($10-$20 in 2025 prices)
Time of year visited
July
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Beaches Castles / Fortresses Driving
All Tags
Fabulous hotel Islands Local villages Mazes Sand dune
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

The UK isn’t known for its beaches, and for good reason – even the summer months can be a write-off!  So the Northumberland Coast comes as quite a surprise to a top beaches list.  But Bamburgh Beach and Embleton Bay aren’t on that list because of their tropical vibe – they’re there because of their space, scale and drama.  Consider a few factors:

 

1. The castle backdrops – Bamburgh Castle is an imposing 11th-century Norman fortress perched directly above the beach.  Few places in the world combine wide, empty sand with this level of historic backdrop. Dunstanburgh Castle, more ruined but beautifully atmospheric, gives Embleton Bay a similar sense of medieval drama.

 

2. The quality of the sand – the sand tone in this part of the world is the same as the powdery sand you find in the tropical beaches of the likes of Brazil and the Caribbean, and is so fine it squeaks, which is in stark contrast to some of the pebble beaches you find in the eastern Mediterranean and south of England.

 

3. The cute villages by the water – the likes of Low Newton-by-the-Sea, with its gorgeous white cottage square green circled by local pubs overlooking the beach are about as quaint and lovely as anywhere in England.

 

4. Few tourists – “best kept secret” seems to have held well for decades and you simply don’t have the volume of fellow tourists as you would in the south of England.  The beaches are wide and long, and you will likely have big chunks to yourself.

 

5. The Northumberland Coast Driving Tour – you have some great nearby attractions that share the quiet vibe.  In particular, Hadrian’s Wall (the well preserved northern boundary of the Roman Empire), Lindisfarne (aka Holy Island – a key centre for the spread of Christianity in Britain in the Dark Ages and infamous site of the first Viking invasions), and the various quaint Northumberland villages dotted no distance from the coast.

 

It obviously doesn’t hit the tropical beach vibe, but is nonetheless beautiful.  Just be sure to go in summer!

 

The Northumberland Coast (in summer!) - Bamburgh Castle

Highlights
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#1 The spectacular setting of Bamburgh beach with the imposing 11th century Bamburgh Castle as backdrop

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#2 The walk along Embleton Bay to Low Newton-by-the-Sea from Dunstanburgh Castle

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#3 Having lunch at Low Newton-by-the-Sea with its pretty village green circled by small pubs and cottages that flows onto the beach

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#4 The Bamburgh green and its beautiful village nearby

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#5 Embleton Bay with Dunstanburgh Castle looming in the background

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#6 The drive over the Causeway to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne

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#7 Staying in the gorgeous Doxford Hall, with its combination of traditional grounds and modern spa comforts

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#8 Meeting some of the locals

Travel Tips

 

Go in summer!  Its a nice walk in winter, but you’re only realistically going to sit on the sand and swim in the summer.

 

Try Craster Kippers – famous smoked fish that is eaten across the UK.  The village of Craster is cute to visit and is an easy walk to Dunstanburgh Castle.

 

Best beach – Bamburgh beach.  Be sure to walk through the pretty green on your way to the sand dunes.

 

Best walk – be sure to walk the 6.5km / 4mile between Craster village and Low Newton-by-the-sea which goes via Dunstanburgh Castle and includes the wonderful beach of Embleton Bay.

 

Visit Lindisfarne (Holy Island) – the small island that represented one of the key bastions of Christianity throughout the dark ages in England is accessed via a causeway that can be driven for 5 hours a day from the mainland.  Be sure to just check when the open window is and plan accordingly.  Only needs an hour or so to see the Priory and have a walk around.

 

Pubs – there are heaps of pretty and welcoming pubs all the way along the Northumberland Coast.  Top tips are: 1. The Ship Inn in the village green of Low Newton-by-the-sea; 2. Mizen Head restaurant in Bamburgh; 3. The Jolly Fisherman in Craster.  With all, be sure to try the local crab and lobster dishes.

 

The Ship Inn on the village green of Low Newton-by-the-sea

The Ship Inn on the village green of Low Newton-by-the-sea

 

Splurge stay – there are plenty of places along the coastline to stay in, but if you fancy something a bit inland and a bit fancy, I recommend Doxford Hall which is only 10mins from the coast.  Old stately hall done well with modern interior, including a spa, and gorgeous grounds, including a maze.

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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A week in the South of France
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An overnight boat trip through HaLong Bay
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Sydney Harbour and its Beaches
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The beaches of the Whitsunday Islands
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4x4s around the Tierra del Fuego
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Relaxing on the beaches of Phuket
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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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