Best Beaches in Northumberland: Loos, Lifeguards and Dogs
Twelve Northumberland beaches, ranked by someone who cares where the toilets are. Parking prices, dog rules, water quality and the honest truth about the North Sea.
The short answer
The best beaches in Northumberland for most people are Bamburgh (castle, dunes, toilets at the Links car park, free beach wheelchairs), Beadnell Bay (sheltered, toilets and showers, first hour's parking free) and Druridge Bay Country Park (cafe, toilets, first hour's parking free). No Northumberland beach has paid lifeguards; only Blyth has volunteer cover, on summer weekend and bank holiday afternoons. Dogs are banned from set stretches of Blyth and Newbiggin beaches from 1 May to 30 September.
Northumberland, England has more beach than it knows what to do with, pretty much unbroken from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Seaton Sluice. So picking the best beaches in Northumberland isn't about finding sand. It's about what nobody puts on the postcard: where the loos are, what the car park costs, whether the dog's allowed, and who's watching if somebody gets into bother in the water. (Mostly nobody. More on that below.)
Checked 29 September 2026. Dates and prices change, so the official link on each beach is the one to trust.
We're a North East family who holiday up this coast a lot, and our two (six and seven) treat a beach without a toilet as a personal insult. Prices, rules and ratings come from the council, the Environment Agency, the National Trust or whoever runs the place, and where a detail comes from a beach guide instead, I've said so.
The best beaches in Northumberland at a glance
- Best all-rounder: Bamburgh, for the castle, the dunes, the loos and free beach wheelchairs.
- Best with little ones: Beadnell Bay, sheltered, with toilets and showers and the first hour's parking free.
- Best facilities: Druridge Bay Country Park, with a cafe, toilets and a lake behind the dunes.
- Best rock pools: Low Newton, and the north end of Bamburgh beach.
- The only lifeguards in the county: Blyth South Beach, and they're volunteers.
- Wildest: Cheswick Sands and Cocklawburn. Bring everything, including a plan for the loo.
Lifeguards: the honest answer is almost none
There are no paid lifeguards anywhere in Northumberland. When the BBC looked in July 2026, the county's only lifeguarded beach was Blyth, where volunteers from Blyth Lifeguard and Swimming Club cover a 200 to 300 metre stretch on summer weekend and bank holiday afternoons. The RNLI's daily patrols stop at the county boundary: North Tyneside's beaches had them every day from 26 May to 6 September 2026. The council's line is that most of its beaches are rural and quiet.
So if you want to swim between red and yellow flags, it's Blyth on a summer weekend or a drive down to Tynemouth. Everywhere else, you're the lifeguard. If someone gets into trouble, ring 999, ask for the Coastguard, and don't go in after them.
If you remember one thing from this page: in Northumberland, you are the lifeguard.
Is the water clean?
Mostly, yes, and that's not me being loyal. The Environment Agency tests 13 designated bathing waters in Northumberland, and its 2025 ratings, published on 25 November 2025, put 12 of them at Excellent. Spittal was the odd one out at Good, which still passes comfortably. Alnmouth, Embleton Bay, Cheswick and Holy Island aren't designated, so nobody official tests them. That isn't the same as dirty; it just means nobody's counting.
The North Sea is cold. Properly cold.
Long-run averages from seatemperature.info put the sea at Bamburgh at 13.8C in August, the warmest month, and 6.2C in March. The RNLI calls anything under 15C cold water, the kind that grabs your breathing, and its advice if you fall in is to float on your back until that first shock passes, which takes under a minute. An easterly blows straight in off the sea and turns a sunny day into a fleece day. Bring a windbreak, and don't let anyone tell you a wetsuit is cheating.
Dogs: two summer bans, then a lot of asking nicely
Northumberland County Council's seasonal ban covers two stretches of beach. From 1 May to 30 September dogs aren't allowed on Newbiggin beach between the breakwater by Church Point and the promenade access at Sidney Crescent, or on Blyth beach between the Beachway access and the southern end of the Links Road car park. The fixed penalty is £100.
The rest of the coast is dog-friendly all year, with requests worth taking seriously. The National Trust fences off the Long Nanny tern colony at the south end of Beadnell Bay in the breeding season and wants dogs on a lead under a metre long near it. On Holy Island it's a lead or heel at all times, beaches included. And there's livestock grazing in some of the Trust's dunes.
Northumberland with a dog Every dog rule for beaches, castles, cafes and pubs, with dates. →
Beaches with wheelchair access and beach wheelchairs
Bamburgh is the standout. The parish council and Beach Access North East run a free loan service for five all-terrain beach wheelchairs, electric and manual, booked through the parish council's website or on 0300 999 4444. Know the route first: it's 500 to 600 metres to the sand over uneven ground and soft sand, and you need two able-bodied helpers, because the volunteers show you the way but can't do the pushing.
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is the easy one: a flat promenade with no gradients and a way onto the sand by the lifeboat ramp, says the council. Druridge Bay Country Park says many of its paths suit all abilities, and Blue Badge holders park free. Beach Access North East also lists two beach wheelchairs at Blyth South Beach, but that page looks old, so ring first.
The beaches, ranked
Ranked for a family day out with the practical stuff weighed in. Got a surfboard, a spaniel or a pushchair with ambitions? Your order will differ, and that's fine.
1. Bamburgh beach
Number one because it does everything: a huge sweep of sand, dunes to roll down, a castle on the crag behind you, and rock pools at the north end by Harkess Rocks, near the lighthouse, where a white stag is painted on the rock. The water was rated Excellent in 2025, and the UK Beach Guide calls it one of the most consistent surf spots on the coast.
The catches are the wind, which has nothing between it and you, and parking on sunny August days. The council's village car park is £7 for three hours up to £10.50 all day (8am to 6pm, coins, contactless or PayByPhone). Bamburgh Castle's own car park and the seasonal Glebe Field are £6 a day, card only, and the castle says that covers the beach and village. Toilets, including accessible ones, are at the Links car park (NE69 7AX) and on Church Street.
- Price
- Free beach; parking from £6 a day
- Parking
- Council car park £7 for 3 hours to £10.50 all day; castle car park and Glebe Field £6 a day, card only
- Toilets
- Links car park (accessible) and Church Street
- Buggy access
- Soft sand through the dunes; free beach wheelchairs to book
- Dogs
- Allowed all year
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Excellent
- Check first
- Beach wheelchair booking, and the castle's parking terms
Bamburgh Castle Prices, winter opening and the £6 car park, for castle then beach. →
2. Beadnell Bay
A sheltered horseshoe of sand curving south from the village, as Visit Northumberland puts it, and my pick with small children on a breezy day. The council car park gives you the first hour free, then £7 for three hours or £9.50 all day, and the UK Beach Guide lists toilets with disabled facilities and showers there. Showers. At a beach. Somebody deserves a biscuit.
It's the watersports bay, with kitesurfing, kayaking and a sailing club more than 40 years old. At the south end, where the Long Nanny burn meets the sea, the National Trust ropes off a colony of around 2,000 Arctic terns from May to July. Dogs go on a short lead near it, and everybody stays out of the roped bit.
- Price
- Free beach; first hour's parking free
- Parking
- Council car park: 1 hour free, 3 hours £7, all day £9.50
- Toilets
- At the car park, with accessible loos and showers (UK Beach Guide)
- Dogs
- Short lead at and near Long Nanny, May to July
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Excellent
- Check first
- The signs at Long Nanny in the nesting season
3. Embleton Bay and Low Newton-by-the-Sea
Low Newton is a grassy square of cream-washed cottages opening straight onto a small sandy haven, with rock pools on the beach and The Ship Inn in the corner brewing its own beer. Walk south and you're on Embleton Bay, a long, empty curve of sand with the ruin of Dunstanburgh Castle at the far end. On a calm evening it's as good as this coast gets. The water at Low Newton was rated Excellent in 2025.
It needs a plan, though. The council car park at Low Newton is £3.30 for an hour up to £9.50 all day; the council one at High Newton is free, with a longer walk. We couldn't confirm any public toilets in Low Newton, so everybody goes before you set off. From the other end, Dunstanburgh is 1.3 miles along the coast from Craster.
- Price
- Free beach
- Parking
- Low Newton £3.30 an hour to £9.50 all day; High Newton free; Craster £3.30 to £9.50
- Toilets
- None we could confirm in Low Newton
- Buggy access
- Gravel path from the village to the Newton Pool hide
- Dogs
- Allowed; the National Trust notes some local restrictions
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Excellent (Low Newton)
- Check first
- The Ship Inn's hours if you're counting on lunch
4. Druridge Bay Country Park
The bit of Druridge Bay with everything in one place: three miles of beach and dunes, a 100-acre lake, a cafe and toilets. It's the least postcard-y beach here and one of the most practical for a long day with small kids. Druridge Bay North and South were both rated Excellent in 2025.
Parking is first hour free, up to two hours £3, over two hours £5, and free with a Blue Badge. The cafe and visitor centre close at 4.30pm from April to October and earlier in winter, and the main toilets are open 9am to 5pm. No lifeguards, so keep it to paddling unless you really know the sea.
- Price
- Free entry
- Parking
- First hour free, up to 2 hours £3, over 2 hours £5; Blue Badge free (NE61 5BX)
- Toilets
- Main toilets 9am to 5pm, by the visitor centre
- Buggy access
- The council says many paths suit all abilities
- Dogs
- No council summer ban here
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Excellent (North and South)
- Check first
- Winter cafe hours, November to March
5. Alnmouth
The prettiest village on the coast (fight me), with coffee shops, pubs and restaurants along the high street and a big sandy beach beyond the golf course. Visit Northumberland says the large seafront car park takes contactless, and the UK Beach Guide and Bradt both put public toilets by it. Dogs are welcome all year.
The serious bit: swimming isn't recommended. Visit Northumberland warns of strong currents, especially near the river mouth, the UK Beach Guide says that's worst on a dropping tide, and Bradt warns of quicksand in the estuary. Keep the paddling well away from the Aln. It isn't a designated bathing water, so there's no rating.
- Price
- Free beach; pay car park
- Parking
- Large seafront car park, contactless accepted; tariff not published where we checked
- Toilets
- Yes, by the beach car park (UK Beach Guide, Bradt)
- Dogs
- Allowed all year
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Not a designated bathing water
- Check first
- The tide, before anyone paddles near the river mouth
6. Warkworth beach
A long, quiet stretch of sand and dunes a short walk from the village, looking out to Coquet Island, and it pairs neatly with the castle: ruins in the morning, beach after lunch. The water was rated Excellent in 2025.
The UK Beach Guide lists a car park for about 100 cars roughly 500 metres from the sand, with toilets including accessible ones, and says Northside Surf School teaches here every day of the year. It calls the car park free; we couldn't confirm that, so read the sign. No lifeguards, and I'd keep paddlers away from the river mouth at the south end.
- Price
- Free
- Parking
- Car park about 500 m from the sand; listed as free, check the sign
- Toilets
- In the car park, including accessible (UK Beach Guide)
- Dogs
- Allowed; no council summer ban
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Excellent
- Check first
- Warkworth Castle's opening if you're pairing the two
7. Seahouses and St Aidan's
Yes, Seahouses has a beach, and people really do ask. The sand runs north from the harbour towards Bamburgh past St Aidan's Dunes, and Seahouses North was rated Excellent in 2025. It's the handiest beach on the coast for a day that also involves a Farne Islands boat, fish and chips, and a gull who has clearly done this before.
The council's Station Yard car park is free for the first hour, then £5.50 for two hours, £7 for three and £10.50 all day. There are public toilets in the village, and the UK Beach Guide lists no dog restrictions. No lifeguards.
- Price
- Free beach; first hour's parking free
- Parking
- Station Yard: 1 hour free, 2 hours £5.50, 3 hours £7, all day £10.50
- Toilets
- Public toilets in the village
- Dogs
- No restrictions listed
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Excellent (Seahouses North)
- Check first
- Boat times if you're adding the Farnes
8. Newbiggin-by-the-Sea
Newbiggin gets skipped by people racing north, and it shouldn't. The council describes a sandy bay about 1.5 km long with a flat promenade, a way onto the sand by the lifeboat ramp, rock pooling at each end, and toilets and a cafe in the Maritime Centre. Church Point car park is free, and Newbiggin North and South were both rated Excellent in 2025.
Dog owners, mind the summer rule: from 1 May to 30 September dogs are banned between the breakwater by Church Point and the promenade access at Sidney Crescent. The rest of the bay stays open to them.
- Price
- Free
- Parking
- Church Point car park, free; on-street parking in the main street
- Toilets
- Maritime Centre, and behind the town council offices off the main street
- Buggy access
- Flat promenade; lifeboat ramp onto the sand
- Dogs
- Banned from Church Point breakwater to Sidney Crescent, 1 May to 30 September
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Excellent (North and South)
- Check first
- The dog ban signs on the prom
9. Blyth South Beach
Blyth has Northumberland's only lifeguards, and they're volunteers: Blyth Lifeguard and Swimming Club watches a 200 to 300 metre stretch on summer weekend and bank holiday afternoons. The water was rated Excellent in 2025.
It's a proper seaside beach rather than a wild one. The council's Beachway, Mermaid and Ranch Links car parks are free, and the UK Beach Guide lists toilets and a cafe at the Mermaid car park and beach huts for hire. Surfers like a big northerly swell here, because the pier tidies the waves up. Dogs are banned from 1 May to 30 September between the Beachway access and the southern end of the Links Road car park.
- Price
- Free
- Parking
- Beachway, Mermaid and Ranch Links car parks, all free
- Toilets
- Mermaid car park (UK Beach Guide)
- Dogs
- Banned from Beachway to Links Road car park, 1 May to 30 September
- Lifeguards
- Volunteers on summer weekend and bank holiday afternoons
- Water quality (2025)
- Excellent
- Check first
- Lifeguard days with Blyth Lifeguard and Swimming Club
10. Spittal
Berwick's beach, across the Tweed from the town, with a promenade along the back of the sand. The UK Beach Guide lists a car park on South Greenwich Road for about 100 cars (charges apply), plus toilets and a cafe, and says dogs are allowed. It's the one Northumberland bathing water that wasn't Excellent in 2025: the Environment Agency rated it Good. Pair it with a walk on Berwick's walls and that's a day.
- Price
- Free beach
- Parking
- South Greenwich Road car park, charges apply
- Toilets
- Yes (UK Beach Guide)
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Good
- Check first
- The tariff on the car park machine
11. Cheswick Sands and Cocklawburn
Where to go when Bamburgh is heaving. Long, empty sands south of Berwick with dunes behind, and rock pools at low tide at Cocklawburn, about 1.3 miles up the coast. Parking is a small free car park and rough pull-ins reached from Cheswick, which is signed off the A1, and they fill fast on a good day. No toilet or cafe that we know of, no lifeguards, and no bathing water rating.
Bradt's warning is the one to remember: the incoming tide moves quickly across Goswick Sands to the south. Check the tide, and turn back earlier than feels necessary.
- Price
- Free
- Parking
- Small free car park and pull-ins from Cheswick; fills quickly
- Toilets
- None that we know of
- Dogs
- Allowed (UK Beach Guide)
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Not a designated bathing water
- Check first
- Tide times, because the tide comes in fast here
12. Holy Island's north shore
The beaches on Holy Island's far north side, such as Coves Haven, are sand that gives way to rocks and rock pools as the tide drops. They're lovely, and they're the least convenient beaches on this list. Dogs go on a lead or at heel at all times here, beaches included.
The real planning is the causeway, which floods twice a day. Check the council's safe crossing times before you set off, allow 30 minutes extra as the council asks, and never drive on when the tide is coming in or there's water on the road. Park at the council's Chare Ends car park (£7 for three hours up to £10.50 for 24 hours). The islanders' website lists a public toilet block in the coach park.
- Price
- Free; parking from £7
- Parking
- Chare Ends: 3 hours £7 to 24 hours £10.50; Green Lane free for Blue Badge holders only
- Toilets
- Public toilet block in the coach park (islanders' website)
- Dogs
- On a lead or at heel at all times
- Lifeguards
- None
- Water quality (2025)
- Not a designated bathing water
- Check first
- The council's safe crossing times, every single time
Beach dates this autumn and winter
From our Almanac, a few dates on or beside the sand, all confirmed by the organisers.
Lighthouse 200: Sand Art on the Beach
Saturday 17 October 2026, 2pm to 3.40pm, on Spittal Point beach. Sand artist Claire Eason leads a community artwork to mark 200 years of Berwick Lighthouse, and you book a free 20-minute slot to help draw star constellations in the sand before the tide takes it.
- Price
- Free, booking required
- Parking
- Spittal beach car park, South Greenwich Road (charges apply)
- Toilets
- At Spittal beach (UK Beach Guide)
- Check first
- Book a slot on The Maltings page
Blyth Halloween Fireworks
Saturday 31 October 2026 on the seafront at the Mermaid car park: a funfair, food stalls and a spooky disco from 4pm, a low-noise display at 6pm for young children and the full fireworks at 7.30pm. Free. The car park closes from 4pm, so the organisers ask you to come by public transport if you can.
- Price
- Free
- Parking
- Mermaid car park closed from 4pm; use public transport
- Toilets
- Mermaid car park (UK Beach Guide)
- Check first
- Blyth Town Council's event page on the day
Seahouses Boxing Day Dip
Saturday 26 December 2026 at 10am, from the Beach House Hotel onto Seahouses beach: a charity cold-water dip raising money for the RNLI and Northumberland Hospice. Spectators are welcome, and in the North Sea in December, spectating is the grown-up choice.
- Price
- Spectators welcome; dipper details on the listing
- Parking
- At the hotel, per the listing; Station Yard car park in the village
- Toilets
- Public toilets in the village
- Check first
- How to enter, on the event listing
What's on for families More dates like these, updated as organisers confirm them. →
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Questions people ask
is there a beach in northumberland
Yes, dozens, along the whole coast from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Seaton Sluice. The Environment Agency tests 13 of them as designated bathing waters, and in 2025 it rated 12 Excellent and Spittal Good.
where to park for bamburgh beach
The council's village car park is £7 for three hours up to £10.50 all day (8am to 6pm, coins, contactless or PayByPhone). Bamburgh Castle sells all-day parking at £6 in its own car park and the seasonal Glebe Field, card or contactless only. The public toilets are at the Links car park, NE69 7AX.
is bamburgh beach safe to swim
The water is clean, rated Excellent by the Environment Agency in 2025, but there are no lifeguards and the UK Beach Guide warns of strong waves and rip currents. The sea averages under 14C even in August, so stay close to shore, skip rough days and keep children within reach.
is alnmouth beach safe to swim
Not really. Visit Northumberland says swimming isn't recommended because of strong currents, especially near the river mouth, and there are no lifeguards. Paddle well away from the estuary, where Bradt also warns of quicksand.
does alnmouth beach have toilets
Yes. The UK Beach Guide and Bradt both list public toilets by the beach car park, which is on the seafront beyond the golf course and takes contactless payment.
does seahouses have a beach
Yes. Sand runs north from the harbour towards Bamburgh past St Aidan's Dunes, and the Environment Agency rated Seahouses North Excellent in 2025. The council's Station Yard car park is free for the first hour.
what beaches in northumberland have disabled access
Bamburgh has a free all-terrain beach wheelchair loan service, booked through the parish council or Beach Access North East on 0300 999 4444. Newbiggin-by-the-Sea has a flat promenade and a ramp onto the sand, and Druridge Bay Country Park has paths for all abilities and free Blue Badge parking.
Sources and further reading
Facts checked against 43 pages on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Opening times and prices change, so confirm with the venue.
Show the sources
- Northumberland County Council: coastal car parks and tariffs (updated 16 Sep 2026)
- Northumberland County Council: Druridge Bay Country Park and Cafe (updated 5 Aug 2026)
- Northumberland County Council: Newbiggin Bay and Promenade (updated 12 Jun 2026)
- Northumberland County Council: Holy Island safe crossing times
- GOV.UK: Bathing water classifications 2025 (25 Nov 2025)
- Northumberland Gazette: water at 12 Northumberland beaches rated Excellent (26 Nov 2025)
- BBC via AOL: Why do only some beaches have lifeguards? (22 Jul 2026)
- RNLI: lifeguards start daily beach patrols in North Tyneside (20 May 2026)
- RNLI: cold water shock
- Northumberland Gazette: volunteer lifeguards back at Blyth beach (13 Aug 2024)
- Northumberland Gazette: partial dog ban for summer at two Northumberland beaches (27 Apr 2026)
- Bamburgh Parish Council: parking
- Bamburgh Parish Council: wheelchair beach access
- Bamburgh Castle: visit us (parking and dogs)
- Beach Access North East
- National Trust: Embleton and Newton Links
- National Trust: visiting the Northumberland coast with your dog
- National Trust: Northumberland coast access statement
- Visit Northumberland: Beadnell
- Visit Northumberland: Low Newton
- Visit Northumberland: Alnmouth
- Visit Northumberland: Warkworth
- Visit Northumberland: Druridge Bay Country Park
- Bradt Guides: best beaches in Northumberland (updated 15 Apr 2026)
- UK Beach Guide: Bamburgh Castle beach
- UK Beach Guide: Beadnell Bay
- UK Beach Guide: Embleton Bay
- UK Beach Guide: Alnmouth
- UK Beach Guide: Warkworth
- UK Beach Guide: Seahouses North
- UK Beach Guide: Newbiggin North
- UK Beach Guide: Blyth South Beach
- UK Beach Guide: Spittal
- UK Beach Guide: Cheswick Sands
- UK Beach Guide: Cocklawburn Beach
- UK Beach Guide: Coves Haven, Holy Island
- UK Beach Guide: Druridge Bay
- seatemperature.info: Bamburgh monthly water temperature
- Lindisfarne islanders' website: travel and toilets (13 Nov 2023)
- English Heritage: Dunstanburgh Castle
- The Maltings: Lighthouse 200 Sand Art on the Beach
- Blyth Town Council: Blyth Halloween Fireworks
- Visit Northumberland: Boxing Day Dip 2026
