Bamburgh, Northumberland
Bamburgh, located on the Numberland coast about 20 miles south of the Scottish border, must be one of the most recognisable of all the locations along this wonderful coastline.
Famous for its castle located on a rocky outcrop of basalt rock, Bamburgh has some of the most fantastic beaches in the country. The golden sand beaches and sand dunes spread for miles up and down the Northumberland coast. The castle itself at Bamburgh is a mixture of old and new. The keep dates back to Norman times whilst the surrounding walls and buildings were rebuilt at the turn of the century by Lord Armstrong who made his fortune in Newcastle building warships and nearly bankrupt himself rebuilding the castle. Lord Armstrong is also responsible for the magnificent country house, Cragside, near Rothbury in Northumberland which is now owned by the National Trust and is famous for being one of the first houses in England to have running water and electricity.
Bamburgh has been used as a backdrop in many well-known films and television programs such as Blake's Seven, Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scotts and every year thousands of tourists flock to the beaches hoping for some good weather to make the most of the fantastic beaches. The beach at Bamburgh looks out on to the Farne Islands lying about 2 miles off the Northumberland coast and in summer when the sun is shining and the North Sea is a beautiful deep blue colour, there really are few places in Great Britain to match the magic that Bamburgh has to offer. Even in winter when it is cold and windy, the 2 mile beach walk from Seahouses to Bamburgh is one of the best in the country and extremely popular with walkers and there are no restrictions on dogs which makes it extremely attractive to those families with pets.
The village of Bamburgh itself also has many treats in store as well, such as a fantastic family owned butcher’s shop, Robert Carter & Son, who sell some of the best meat in the area and have also won awards for their sausages, “The Bamburgh Banger” which are an absolute delight and perfect on any breakfast plate or just with mash and beans. Further down the main street in Bamburgh can be found “The Pantry” a lovely little delicatessen that used to be a gift shop and now sells local cheeses, ice cream and cold meats. For those just wanting a cup of tea and a slice of cake, The Copper Kettle is the perfect location for an afternoon tea and has been running for years now.
Bamburgh also has three pubs and hotels which all offer accommodation, The Lord Crewe Arms, The Bamburgh Castle Hotel and the Victoria Hotel.There is also a greengrocers in the village which sells newspapers as well and for those interested in Grace Darling, who was born in Bamburgh, the RNLI have recently refurbished and re-opened the Grace Darling Museum across the road from the church where Grace Darling is buried.
This entry was posted on Tuesday April 8th, 2008 at 8:42 AM and is filed under Places to Visit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
Leave a Reply
Where Can I Go Exploring the UK and Abroad