This post was made in partnership with Visit Northumberland.
So many people visit England and stick to popular areas like London, Oxford, and the Cotswold but on our recent trip we had the joy of visiting a new area – Northumberland!
Located just a few hours north of London on the eastern coast of England, this region is so beautiful and has so much for families to do and see! Here’s a breakdown of how we got there, where we stayed, and what we did during our time in Northumberland:
How We Arrived: This region is easily available accessible via train or car from both London and Edinburgh. We took a train from London to Edinburgh, stayed a few days, and then drove down to Northumberland with a stop in St. Abbs to hike and take in the views (see picture above – it is so lovely!). It would have been easy to just go directly there from London by train as well but I think a car is an essential part of exploring this area!
Where We Stayed: There are several lovely towns along the Northumberland Coast and we based ourselves in Seahouses since it was an easy drive from most of our planned activities. It was such a nice break from hotels and we loved staying in a little neighborhood with other locals or people on holiday!
Seahouses has a nice coastal walk along the water, several fun restaurants (Milk and Honey ice cream was so tasty and my kids still talk about it!), and it is a good home base for boat tours of the nearby Farne Islands. We loved our dinner at the Old Ship Inn and the co-op on the main street was a great place to get some easy sandwiches and groceries for dinner too.
What We Did In Northumberland: This area has SO many fun things for families and we barely scratched the surface in our three nights there! Here were a few of our favorites:
Alnwick Castle: This beautiful castle estate was the highlight of our time in Northumberland! My kids loved this because it was the film location for some of Harry Potter’s first Quidditch scenes and the castle offers a “Broomstick Training” class that was so whimsical and fun. We also got to tour the grounds, witness a falconry demonstration, and more!
We had a tasty lunch at the Treehouse Restaurant (build into an actual tree!) and then walked through the beautiful botanical garden with lovely water features, winding paths, and flower gardens. Everything about this castle was so well-put together and fun and we would love to go back one day!
Lilidorei: Located on the Alnwick grounds, this is a HUGE playground and whimsical fairy garden that was absolutely magical! My kids were so happy to climb through the bridges and ladders, go down the slides, and explore all the little houses and nooks of the fairy garden. The staff were so charming and had the kids do several fun challenges as part of their scavenger hunt in the garden. This is one of the best playgrounds we’ve visited with our kids – it was so imaginative and fun and exactly what our kids needed after lots of sightseeing and hiking!
Boat Cruise with Billy Shiels: This boat cruise left from Seahouses and took us out to see the various birds, seals, and wildlife at the nearby islands off the coast. The boat took us out through the mist to the islands where thousands of birds dove and flew around the cliffs. We got to see puffins, cormorants, and even several groups of seals! This felt like something straight out of National Geographic and was incredible to witness in person!
Bamburgh Castle: This is one of the oldest castles in the area and had such rich and fascinating history. It sits on the hill above a beautiful beach and has various wings from different time periods! Our favorite was the keep, the medieval portion of the castle that has stood since the Middle Ages. We also liked wandering through the nearby town and had a delicious lunch at the Potted Lobster.
Bamburgh had some fun lawn games set up in their central courtyard that the kids loved and you can also walk down to stroll along the beach and take in the views!
If we had more time in the area, we would have loved to go stargazing at Kielder Forest, walk the Northumberland coastal path between some of the towns, and visited even more of the castles and historical sites in the area like Hadrian’s Wall.
Our time in Northumberland was a lovely complement to our time in bigger cities and allowed us to see a side of the U.K. and its history that we would have missed if we had only stayed in London and Edinburgh. If you are a family planning a trip to England or Scotland, I can’t recommend enough that you add a few days in Northumberland to your itinerary!
