Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery
Northumberland's coast, like its wild and remote interior, is sparsely populated. You won't find any hurdy-gurdy seaside resorts, but instead charming, castle-crowned villages strung along miles of wide, sandy beaches that you might just have to yourself.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Northumberland Coast.
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Northumberland's most dramatic castle was built around a powerful 11th-century Norman keep by Henry II. The castle played a key role in the border wars of the 13th and 14th centuries, and in 1464 was the first English castle to fall during the Wars of the Roses. It was restored in the 19th century by the great industrialist Lord Armstrong, and is still home to the Armstrong family.
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Set in parklands designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, the imposing ancestral home of the Duke of Northumberland has changed little since the 14th century. It's a favourite set for film-makers and starred as Hogwarts for the first couple of Harry Potter films. The interior is sumptuous and extravagant; the six rooms open to the public – staterooms, dining room, guard chamber and library – have an incredible display of Italian paintings, including Titian's Ecce Homo and many Canalettos.
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You can walk almost the entire length of Berwick's hefty Elizabethan walls, begun in 1558 to reinforce an earlier set built during the reign of Edward II. The mile-long walk is a must, with wonderful, wide-open views. Only a small fragment remains of the once-mighty border castle, most of the building having been replaced by the train station.
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During breeding season (roughly May to July), you can see feeding chicks of 20 seabird species (including puffin, kittiwake, Arctic tern, eider duck, cormorant and gull), and some 6000 grey seals, on this rocky archipelago 3 miles offshore from the fishing village of Seahouses. Boat operators, contactable through Seahouses' tourist office, depart from Seahouses' dock, including Billy Shiel. Crossings can be rough (impossible in bad weather); wear warm, waterproof clothing and an old hat to guard against the birds!
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This 4.8-hectare walled garden incorporates a series of magnificent green spaces surrounding the breathtaking Grand Cascade – 120 separate jets spurting some 30,000L of water down 21 weirs. Half a dozen other gardens include a Franco-Italian-influenced Ornamental Garden (with over 15,000 plants), Rose Garden and fascinating Poison Garden, home to some of the deadliest – and most illegal – plants in the world, including cannabis, magic mushrooms, belladonna and tobacco.
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Born in Bamburgh, Grace Darling was the lighthouse keeper's daughter on Outer Farne who rowed out to the grounded, flailing SS Forfarshire in 1838 and saved its crew in the middle of a dreadful storm. This refurbished museum even has her actual coble (row boat) as well as a film on the events of that stormy night. Grace was born just three houses down from the museum and is buried in the churchyard opposite.
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The dramatic 1.5-mile walk along the coast from Craster (not accessible by car) is the most scenic path to this moody, weather-beaten castle. Its construction began in 1314 and it was strengthened during the Wars of the Roses, but left to crumble, becoming ruined by 1550. Parts of the original wall and gatehouse keep are still standing and it's a tribute to its builders that so much remains.
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From the 1820s to the 1960s, Holy Island was a launching point for hundreds of dramatic lifeboat rescues. The island's last remaining lifeboat station is now a well-constructed small museum telling the story of the boats and their crews that risked their lives to save others. The most captivating story is of the Grace Darling, which saved 94 lives over 20 years (1865 to 1884) – named after a local heroine, the daughter of a Farne Islands lighthouse keeper, famed for her bravery at sea.
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Looking like the ultimate sandcastle you'd see at the beach, this honey-stone edifice atop a hillock was built around 1200. From the 14th to 17th centuries it was home to the Percy family (whose descendants still live at Alnwick Castle), and was pivotal in the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. It became a national monument in 1915 but the Duke's Rooms remained under the family's control until 1987. Audio guides give a vivid account of its history.