We're Dan and Julia, and we have two children, who are six and seven. Dan grew up in Gateshead, so Northumberland was always the place just up the road with the castles and the enormous beaches, and we holiday here as often as we can: long weekends on the coast, half terms in the hills, and the odd dash up the A1 when the forecast looks good.
All four of us on Holy Island, with Lindisfarne Castle on its crag behind. May 2022.
Why this exists
Planning a few days in Northumberland usually means a dozen tabs open at once: the tide table, the castle opening times, the weather, the causeway times, and one of us asking where the nearest toilets are. Bairns & Beaches is those tabs, tidied up and checked. It's a canny county for bairns (castles, beaches, boats and enough sky to wear anybody out), and it deserves a guide that does the practical bits properly.
First and foremost, this is our own guide to Northumberland. We share it because we think it helps visitors and the people who live here alike.
It started as the guide we wanted for our own trips. We decided to share it because the county is big, the good stuff is spread out, and much of it is easy to miss if you only know the A1. If it helps you get out of the door, or out of the cottage, it has done its job.
We also write Fell & Family, our Cumbria and Lake District guide, which is where all of this started. Same family, same rules, different hills.
What we care about
Small legs set the pace. A good day out is one everyone finishes. We say how far it is, how long it takes with children and where the toilets are.
The tide decides the plan. On this coast the tide table matters as much as the forecast. We say when a beach disappears at high water, when the causeway is shut, and what to do instead when the sea fret rolls in.
Honest about the hard bits. Steps, mud, queues, dunes with a buggy and busy car parks all get a mention, so nobody is surprised.
Local first. We look for cafes, farm shops, pubs and makers that welcome sandy feet and small people, from Berwick down to the Tyne Valley and out to Kielder.
Leave it as we found it. Take litter home, close gates, keep dogs on a lead near nesting birds and livestock, and give seals and seabirds plenty of room.
A few pages from our own family album, taken on our trips since the children were very small. Berwick turns up a lot, which tells you where we keep going back to.
Tell us about somewhere we should try, an event we have missed, or a correction. Messages go straight to our inbox, and you can reach us on the contact page.
