Northumberland

Northumberland is a rural county in North East England, on the England-Scotland border. It contains one of the most picturesque and untouched stretches of coastline in the United Kingdom and contains rolling hills and low mountains in the sparsely populated interior. Northumberland feels a world away from London and the south of England in terms of its ruggedness, sense of remoteness, its culture and its geography. It has a distinctly more Scottish feel to it than English and at its closest point is a mere 45 minutes from the Scottish capital. == Towns == === Along the coast === Most of Northumberland's settlements are in the lowland strip between the coast and the A1, with the main railway line snaking through. The southern parts are the least interesting, with former mining and industrial small towns that are nowadays in the commuter belt for Newcastle. 1 Cramlington is a commuter town. 2 Blyth is an industrial port but has a beach. 3 Ashington is post-industrial but has a beach strip at Newbiggin. 4 Morpeth is where you escape the suburbs and reach open country. 5 Amble is a small fishing village. 6 Alnwick has a fine castle and charming old town centre. 7 Alnmouth is a former fishing village near Alnwick. The best of the coast is the rugged, scenic stretch north of Alnwick to the Scottish border. 8 Seahouses (straggling into Beadnell) is the main village on this stretch. 1 Farne Islands are busy with seabirds and curious seals. 2 Lindisfarne or "Holy Island" is reached by road at low tide. Its stylish castle was made-over by Lutyens. 9 Berwick-upon-Tweed, the most northerly town in England, has stout defensive walls. Two miles north of Berwick the road and railway cross into Scotland, over the moors to Dunbar and Edinburgh. === Tyne Valley & Hadrian's Wall === A lowland route, with the A69 and a railway, breaks through the hills to link Newcastle with Carlisle in Cumbria. 10 Prudhoe is at the edge of the industrial belt, then the view improves. 11 Corbridge is a pleasant market town with a Roman fort. 12 Hexham is similar, with an ancient priory. 13 Haltwhistle is the last village before crossing into Cumbria. Hadrian's Wall runs coast-to-coast, but the best sections are along the ridge north of Hexham to Haltwhistle. The south fork of the River Tyne has a scenic valley, part of North Pennines AONB. === The Border Hills === 3 The Cheviot is the summit of the hills along the border with Scotland, with the Pennine Way traversing their crest. 4 Northumberland National Park takes in the Cheviot Hills and Kielder Forest Park. Two main routes access the area. The lowland route A697 runs north from Morpeth past Rothbury, Wooller, Ford and Etal to Cornhill. The upland route A696 / A68 runs past Newcastle Airport to Otterburn, to cross the border at Carter Bar and descend to Jedburgh and Edinburgh. 14 Wooler is a small historic town, useful as a base for exploring the Cheviot Hills or visiting Chillingham Castle. 15 Ford and Etal are scenic villages. 16 Cornhill-on-Tweed is where the road crosses to Coldstream in Scotland, running on to Edinburgh. 17 Bellingham is a good base for Kielder Forest. == Understand == "At this time, the brave and ambitious king Ethelfrid governed the kingdom of the Northumbrians, and ravaged the Britons more than all the chiefs of the English . . . " Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England for 603 AD Coastal Northumberland is a plain of Carboniferous sedimentary rocks including coal seams, overlain by glacial deposits. It's good farming country and makes for easy transport. Hills rear up to the north and west, forming natural boundaries with Scotland and Cumbria. The Romans for three centuries garrisoned Hadrian's Wall against incursions by the ancient Britons or Picts, and after they marched away the Anglo-Saxons cohered into a kingdom of Norþanhymbre, covering all of England north of the Humber and a large chunk of lowland Scotland. This proto-Northumberland then lost its southern parts to the Vikings and its north to the Scots, and was a battleground between England and Scotland in a medieval era when the two were a military match. Scottish might was smashed at Flodden in 1513 and then the union of the kingdoms in 1603 ended the big battles, but armed banditry ("reiving") continued, and local nobles staged several rebellions against London power. Coal was mined here from medieval times, and advancing engineering from the 18th century meant deeper richer seams could be exploited. The south of Northumberland became industrial, with villages clustered round their colliery, and the miners spoke a strange dialect called Pitmatic. The coals fed glass- and steel-making furnaces around Newcastle and were exported. These industries collapsed and the coal seams were exhausted in the late 20th century, leaving a brownfield belt that's gradually being rehabilitated. The north of the county was unscathed by this and remained quiet, thinly-populated farmland, with castles, moors, forests and beaches. Sea birds clamour over its islands, and twice a day the sea opens then again closes the road to Lindisfarne. Most visitors rush past to reach Scotland but those who linger find a region that feels wilder. == Get in == === By plane === 1 Newcastle Airport (NCL IATA) is the closest, in Ponteland northwest of the city. Take the Metro to city centre for trains and buses north. Edinburgh (EDI IATA) has a wider range of flights. === By train === The London-Edinburgh main line runs up the coastal strip, with stations at Newcastle, Cramlington, Morpeth, Alnmouth (for Alnwick) and Berwick. Trains run this way from London Kings Cross and from the Midlands via Leeds and York, but you may have to change at Newcastle as most of them hurtle non-stop through the smaller stations. The Tyne Valley line crosses east-west from Newcastle via Prudhoe, Corbridge, Hexham and Haltwhistle to Brampton and Carlisle. === By road === The principal highways are A1 from London to Newcastle, Berwick and Edinburgh, and A69 coast to coast between Newcastle and Carlisle. Buses from London call at Newcastle then rush north non-stop towards Edinburgh and Glasgow. So you need to change in Newcastle for the local buses fanning out from the city: these follow the main highways. == Get around == You generally need a vehicle to get about Northumberland as it's a large rural county, some sights have sparse public transport, and distances are a bit far for cycling. Buses radiate out from Newcastle west towards Hexham and north up to Berwick. In summer Bus AD122 follows Hadrian's Wall between Hexham and Haltwhisle. 122 AD, geddit? You can purchase a Northumberland Day Rover for travel on all buses across the county, priced at £6 per day as of February 2026. Or a TNE Day Saver allows travel into Newcastle (and County Durham), for £7.50 per day. This is not valid on the trains but largely speaking for internal Northumberland travel the buses go closer to the town centres and key destinations, particularly Alnwick. See above for stations on the railway north from Newcastle to Berwick and Edinburgh, and west to Haltwhistle and Carlisle. Bicycle-on-train is an option here. A branch line from Newcastle to Ashington opened in 2024, but this is commuterland and you're unlikely to use it. == See == Hadrian's Wall marches coast to coast for 73 miles, with a flanking footpath. The best of it is between Hexham and Greenhead, with the Roman camps of Housesteads, Vindolanda, Chesters and Corstopitum. Crumbly castles were built for defence against entire armies. Their defensive role was lost once the region was at peace, and better artillery made their fortifications useless. Most fell derelict: good examples include Dunstanburgh, Bamburgh, Warkworth and Norham. At Berwick the entire town was protected by walls, which still stand. "Pele towers" are lesser bastions, built against armed banditry. Plush castles were intended as comfortable residences and showplaces for mi'lord's wealth. Some were conversions of defensive castles, others were built anew as mansions. Fine examples are Chillingham (near Wooler) and Alnwick. The castle on Lindisfarne is a remarkable stylish conversion by Lutyens. Northumberland National Park and the Cheviot hills. == Do == Cricket: Northumberland CCC play in the National Counties Cricket Championship, the tier formerly known as "Minor Counties" below the first class competitions. They usually play at Osborne Avenue in Jesmond, Newcastle. Pennine Way long distance hiking trail keeps on going even though the Pennines end near Alston in Cumbria. It reaches Hadrian's Wall at Greenhead and the paths are concurrent east along the scenic ridge to Housesteads. It then branches north - this section is mostly on forestry trails through pine monoculture. From the A68 comes a long, long section along the Cheviots and Scottish border, then a sharp left turn and descent to finish in Kirk Yetholm. Golf: some twenty courses, mostly south towards city commuterland. Beaches are long, sandy and deserted, whenever they're not rocky. South towards Blyth they may be black, from coal that outcrops under the sea. Northumberland County Show is held on the first Friday of June at Bywell Hall near Riding Mill. == Eat == Lots of eating places with trad fare in the towns, no stand-out. == Drink == This is beer-drinking country. All the towns and villages have pubs, usually open daily and serving decent meals. There are half-a-dozen breweries, mostly along the east-west line of A69. More in Newcastle, though its iconic "Newcastle Brown" is nowadays brewed in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. == Stay safe == Beware traffic, safeguard valuables, and swerve clear of aggressive drunks, same as anywhere else. While one of the safest counties in England, there are some issues with crime and drugs in a minority of the county, largely the towns of Blyth and Ashington where relatively few tourists would visit. The mountains are of no great height so you're unlikely to suffer worse than cold lashing rain. Nevertheless be suitably equipped up there, with boots, compass and adequate clothing. == Go next == South to Tyne and Wear: Newcastle upon Tyne is the lively big city. Several of its attractions (eg Baltic Gallery) are south of the Tyne and thus in the separate city of Gateshead. West is Cumbria: Carlisle is a pleasant market town. Further southwest is the scenic but very touristy Lake District, where it's sure to rain. North are the Scottish Borders, with a series of stately homes and ruined abbeys around Jedburgh, Melrose and Kelso.