Things to Do in Northumberland With Kids: Where to Start
Fifteen family days out across all seven corners of Northumberland, with the prices, parking and toilets checked, and a one-day pick for each area when you can't do the lot.
The short answer
The best things to do in Northumberland with kids are Bamburgh Castle and its beach, a seal or puffin boat trip to the Farne Islands from Seahouses, Holy Island (only within the council's safe crossing times), The Alnwick Garden and its Lilidorei play village, Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall and Kielder Water and Forest Park. On a budget, Woodhorn Museum is free for under 18s and Druridge Bay Country Park's first hour of parking is free. Alnwick Castle closes before the October 2026 half term.
Most of the best things to do in Northumberland with kids involve a castle, a beach or a boat, and the really good days manage two of the three. This is our starting page for families planning days out in Northumberland, England: 15 family days across all seven areas of the county, from Holy Island in the far north to the old pit at Woodhorn near Ashington, each with the price, the parking, the toilets and the thing that catches people out.
Checked 29 September 2026. Dates and prices change, so the organiser's link is the one to trust.
The county is bigger than it looks on a tea towel. Kielder is a long, slow drive from the coast and Holy Island runs to the tide's timetable, not yours, so everything is grouped by area with a pick for when you only have one day. We holiday up here a lot with our two (six and seven, permanently hungry, allergic to uphill), and our rule is one area a day, with a beach in reserve.
Before you go: what's shut or ending this autumn
- Alnwick Castle's season ends on 20 or 22 October (its own pages disagree), so it's shut for the October half term, 24 October to 1 November. It reopens at the end of March 2027.
- Whitehouse Farm Centre is closed in November and only takes pre-booked Christmas visitors in December.
- Kielder Castle is closed for renovation. Inner Farne landings are April to September only, but seal cruises run all winter, weather permitting.
Things to do in Northumberland with kids, area by area
North to south down the coast, then inland. Prices are as shown on 29 September 2026, without Gift Aid.
Berwick, Holy Island and Ford and Etal
If you only have one day: Holy Island, on a date when the safe crossing window sits across the middle of the day. If the tides are awkward, do the Heatherslaw train (until 1 November) and Etal Castle, where the only timetable is the train's.
Holy Island: Lindisfarne Priory and Castle
The causeway floods twice a day, which is both the adventure and the danger. Check Northumberland County Council's safe crossing times for your date, allow the extra 30 minutes the council asks for, and build the day around that window rather than lunch. The refuge box by the bridge is there for the people who didn't.
Once over, it's an expedition: the Priory ruins and museum by the village, then about a mile's walk to Lindisfarne Castle on its rock. The castle is small and steep inside, so the walk does most of the work.
- Price
- Island free. Castle: adult £13, child £6.50, family £32.50. Priory price varies by date
- Parking
- Chare Ends: 3 hours £7, 24 hours £10.50
- Buggy access
- Not in the castle: steep cobbled ramp and steps
- Check first
- Council safe crossing times, then the castle's tide-dependent hours
Tide times are not crossing times. The council's table is the only one that counts, so read it out in the car before anyone gets excited.
Heatherslaw Light Railway
A narrow-gauge railway beside the River Till from Heatherslaw to Etal and back, about four miles and 20 to 25 minutes each way. Tickets are day returns, so hop off at Etal, storm the free castle ruin (ten minutes of siege, then someone asks about ice cream) and catch a later train back.
In half term the villages run the Ford and Etal Scarycrow Trail (26 October to 1 November 2026, free, donation for the map).
- Price
- Return: adult £12.50, child £6, family of four £34; under 2s and dogs free
- Parking
- Gravel car park at Heatherslaw
- Toilets
- At the Heatherslaw visitor centre and in Etal
- Check first
- Last trains of 2026 on Sunday 1 November
Bamburgh, Seahouses and the Farne Islands
If you only have one day: Bamburgh Castle in the morning and the beach below it after lunch. Add a seal cruise from Seahouses if the sea's calm and nobody was sick in the car.
Bamburgh Castle and beach
A proper fortress on a crag with one of the county's best beaches underneath, so the day plans itself. Until 1 November 2026 there are props and costumes from The Last Kingdom, where the castle played Bebbanburg, and half term brings Gory Stories and Halloween crafts, included with admission.
If money's tight, skip the ticket and just do the dunes and sand, arguably the best bit anyway.
- Price
- Adult £19.95, child £10, family £58.50 until 8 November; cards only
- Parking
- Castle car park £6 a day, not in the ticket
- Buggy access
- No prams in the State Rooms, so bring a carrier
- Check first
- Closed 9 to 13 November; weekends only 4 January to 12 February
Farne Islands boat trips from Seahouses
Three licensed companies sail from Seahouses to the Farnes, a couple of miles offshore. From May to July it's puffins and around 200,000 breeding seabirds, and landing trips put you on Inner Farne among nesting Arctic terns that will have a go at your head (the National Trust genuinely advises a soft hat).
In autumn the boats don't land, but about 3,000 grey seal pups are born there each year, visible from late October to January. Ninety minutes on a bouncy boat is a lot for a four year old, so pick a calm day.
- Price
- Seal cruise from £22 adult; Serenity charges £17 for under 16s
- Parking
- Seahouses Station Yard: 1 hour free, all day £10.50
- Toilets
- By the main car park in Seahouses; limited on Inner Farne
- Check first
- Trips are cancelled when the sea is up. No dogs on the islands
Alnwick and the Coquet coast
If you only have one day: The Alnwick Garden with Lilidorei, because children get in free on a garden-only ticket and it stays open, on fewer days, all winter. In season, add the castle next door.
Alnwick Castle
Hogwarts, basically, and still the Duke of Northumberland's home. Broomstick training where the flying lesson was filmed is what under tens remember, with have-a-go archery and Dragon Quest for everyone else. Buy online: it's cheaper and gets you back in for a year, which pays for itself if you come up every summer. Just don't promise anyone Hogwarts in October half term, because it'll be shut.
- Price
- Online: adult £22, child £11.60, family £64.20, valid a year
- Parking
- Shared with The Alnwick Garden, £3.75 all day
- Buggy access
- Pushchairs allowed, but access is limited in some areas
- Check first
- Season ends 20 or 22 October 2026. Assistance dogs only
The Alnwick Garden and Lilidorei
Up to four children go free on a garden-only ticket, which is rare enough round here to mention twice. Lilidorei, the play village alongside, costs extra and is the bit the bairns will actually ask for. October brings the Pumpkin Garden (free with entry) and Spookydorei Days in Lilidorei, and Winter Lights evenings start on 20 November. Dogs are allowed on Thursdays and Sundays.
- Price
- Garden only: adult £17.90, up to four children free. With Lilidorei: adult £20.30, child £16.65
- Parking
- £3.75 a car, all day; Blue Badge free
- Toilets
- Gift Shop, Pavilion Café, Treehouse; Changing Places toilet
- Check first
- Thursday to Sunday from 2 November; weekends only from 4 January
Craster and Dunstanburgh Castle
A walk with a castle at the end of it, which is the best kind. From Craster it's 1.3 miles along the coast, past sheep and sea, to a ruin on a headland that gets bigger the closer you get. The shop at the end sells medieval toys, which is either a reward or a trap depending on your wallet. It's exposed out there, so bring coats even when it's sunny in Alnwick.
- Price
- Walk free. Castle prices vary by date; English Heritage and National Trust members free
- Parking
- Craster car park: 1 hour £3.30, all day £9.50
- Toilets
- Two unisex toilets at the castle
- Check first
- Winter opening not published yet
Rothbury, Wooler and the Cheviots
If you only have one day: Cragside, pricey until November but big enough to fill a day.
Cragside
William Armstrong's house in the woods by Rothbury, with a 6-mile Carriage Drive you do in the car and an adventure playground by Crozier car park, roughly halfway round. Dogs are fine on leads outdoors; buggies can't go in the house, so bring a carrier.
Christmas at Cragside runs from 28 November to 3 January (closed 24 to 26 December), with the Giant Redwood lit up and billed as the world's tallest bedded Christmas tree. The Trust's own pages disagree on this year's theme.
- Price
- Until 1 November: adult £27, child £13.50, family £67.50. From 2 November: £11, £5.50, £27.50
- Parking
- Included in admission
- Toilets
- Visitor centre, the house archway and Crozier car park
- Check first
- What's open on your date once the price drops
Kielder and the North Tyne
If you only have one day: Kielder Waterside for the play areas and birds of prey, then the Room on the Broom trail. If you've booked the observatory, stay on and bring every coat you own.
Kielder Water and Forest Park
England's biggest forest wrapped round a very big reservoir, and it takes a while to reach, so make a day of it. Kielder Waterside has the Birds of Prey Centre, outdoor play, soft play and a pool you have to book. The Room on the Broom trail is 1.5 miles of gravel from Kielder Castle, with one steep bit.
The castle and its café are shut for renovation, so bring a picnic. Kielder Winter Wonderland runs at Kielder Waterside on set dates from 28 November to 23 December.
- Price
- Free; trail pack £4. Birds of prey, soft play and pool extra
- Parking
- Up to 1 hour £2.50, all day £6.50
- Toilets
- Kielder Waterside, and Tower Knowe from April to October
- Check first
- Winter Wonderland sessions are timed and must be booked
Kielder Observatory
Guided evenings at the telescopes inside Northumberland's International Dark Sky Park, the largest in the UK. Events are for ages 4 and up, and the family ones (Space Kids, say) make far more sense for a six year old than a three-hour main event that can run until 11pm. The observatory says it's exceptionally cold up there at night all year, so dress for the winter you haven't had yet.
- Price
- Family events £25 to £42, main events £39. Under 3s free if carried
- Parking
- Car park under 2 minutes' walk away
- Toilets
- Composting toilets; no baby changing
- Check first
- Often booked up 3 months ahead; tickets non-refundable. No dogs
Hexham and Hadrian's Wall
If you only have one day: Vindolanda on a Saver ticket, with the Roman Army Museum held back for when it rains. For a fort on the Wall itself, Housesteads is uphill from its car park; its visitor centre is closed, but there's a coffee cart and toilets.
Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum
Vindolanda is a Roman fort with a museum on site. The Roman Army Museum, seven miles away, is all indoors and all about soldiers, so it's the rainy-day half of the pair. The Trust says allow two hours at Vindolanda. In half term, Fleece to Fabric (24 to 28 October 2026, included) has children carding wool and weaving on small looms.
- Price
- Online: adult £14.40, child £6.75, family £36; both sites £19.80, £10.80, £49.50
- Parking
- Free at the Roman Army Museum; Vindolanda's isn't stated
- Toilets
- For ticket holders; baby change at the Roman Army Museum
- Check first
- Winter opening not readable online. Assistance dogs only
Morpeth, Ashington and the south east
If you only have one day: Woodhorn in the morning, because under 18s are free, then Druridge Bay in the afternoon, where the first hour's parking is free and the beach goes on for seven miles.
Woodhorn Museum
Woodhorn Colliery worked from 1894 to 1981 and is now a museum, with the colliery buildings still standing and a play area on a buggy-friendly path. Under 18s go free, which makes it one of the cheapest good days in the county. There's a pumpkin trail from 14 October to 1 November, birds of prey on 31 October, and Festive Tales with Father Christmas (£10 a child) in December.
- Price
- Adult £11, a year's pass; under 18s and carers free
- Parking
- Free, but charged on busy days
- Toilets
- Both floors, with baby changing
- Check first
- Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm, daily in school holidays
Druridge Bay Country Park
Druridge Bay is seven miles of sand from Amble to Cresswell, and the council's country park is the easy way in: a big freshwater lake, a café and three miles of beach and dunes. A little way south, Northumberland Wildlife Trust's Druridge Pools has hides where you might see ducks, egrets and, if you're very lucky, an otter, which is a decent bribe for a walk.
- Price
- Free
- Parking
- First hour free, up to 2 hours £3, over 2 hours £5
- Toilets
- 9am to 5pm daily
- Check first
- Toilets close at 5pm, which matters with a four year old
Whitehouse Farm Centre
A farm park near Morpeth built for small children: tractor rides, animals to feed (£1 a bag), soft play, a racing car barn and a heated indoor picnic barn, which on a wet Tuesday is worth a lot. The Halloween Spooktacular (10 to 31 October on set days, £18.50 a child online) includes a pumpkin for each paying child.
- Price
- Online: adult £16.95, child £15.95, family of four £59.95, under 2s free
- Parking
- Not stated; the 436 bus from Morpeth stops there
- Toilets
- Plenty, plus Changing Places and baby changing
- Check first
- Closed in November; pre-booked Christmas visits only in December. No dogs
Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens
Probably the best all-round family castle day in the county: the Wild Man play area, a playground by the café, then a walk through an old quarry garden that ends at an actual medieval tower. Half term is the Great Pumpkin Party (24 October to 1 November, included with admission), then twelve giant Snowman sculptures from 7 November to 10 January.
- Price
- Varies by date, 15% off online; English Heritage members free
- Parking
- About 115 spaces; charged for non-members
- Toilets
- By the car park and café, with baby changing
- Check first
- Winter hours not published yet
Free and cheap days out in Northumberland for families
- The beaches are free; the parking isn't. Bamburgh village is £7 for three hours, but Seahouses, Beadnell and Druridge Bay give you the first hour free.
- Etal Castle, Norham Castle and Berwick's Elizabethan ramparts are free to wander.
- Woodhorn is free for under 18s, and children get into The Alnwick Garden free on a garden-only ticket.
- Kielder's forest trails and the Craster to Dunstanburgh walk cost only the parking.
If it rains, and it will, head for Woodhorn, the Roman Army Museum or Whitehouse Farm's barns (until the end of October).
What's on for families this week
Every event on this page is also in the Almanac, our weekly-updated calendar of what's on across Northumberland, along with bonfire nights and Christmas grottos as they're announced.
The Northumbrian Almanac This week's events, with dates, prices and organiser links. →
See what's on in The Northumbrian AlmanacGet the next edition free
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- Friday, 7am: the weather call, one proper day out and every family event that weekend, checked with the organiser.
- Sunday, 6pm: the grown-up edition, with a walk of the week and what's worth booking.
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Questions people ask
is northumberland worth visiting
Yes, especially with children who like castles, beaches and boats. The coast from Bamburgh up to Holy Island, Hadrian's Wall and Kielder are the three big draws, and plenty of the best bits, like the beaches, Etal Castle and Berwick's ramparts, cost nothing but the parking.
where is the best place to visit in northumberland
For families, Bamburgh: a clifftop castle (adult £19.95, child £10 until 8 November 2026) with a big sandy beach underneath. Holy Island is the other must-do, within the council's safe crossing times, and Alnwick is the pick for Harry Potter fans between the end of March and late October.
is northumberland dog friendly
Mostly, but check each attraction. Bamburgh Castle's grounds and Cragside's outdoor spaces take dogs on leads and The Alnwick Garden allows them on Thursdays and Sundays, while Alnwick Castle, Vindolanda, Kielder Observatory and Whitehouse Farm don't, and no dogs can land on the Farne Islands.
is there a beach in northumberland
Yes, lots. Bamburgh has a long sandy beach below the castle, and Druridge Bay runs for seven miles from Amble to Cresswell, with toilets (9am to 5pm) and a café at the country park.
what to do in northumberland today
Check our Almanac, which lists what's on across Northumberland with dates, prices and organiser links. If you need something right now, Woodhorn Museum in Ashington is free for under 18s and open 10am to 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday and every day in Northumberland school holidays.
is northumberland safe
Yes, for ordinary family days out; the hazards that matter are natural ones. The Holy Island causeway floods twice a day, so only cross inside the council's published safe times and never with water on the road, and if anyone gets into trouble on the coast, ring 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
does northumberland still exist
Yes. Northumberland is a county in North East England running from the edge of Tyneside up to Berwick-upon-Tweed on the Scottish border, and Northumberland County Council still sets its school holidays and publishes the Holy Island crossing times.
Sources and further reading
Facts checked against 53 pages on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Opening times and prices change, so confirm with the venue.
Show the sources
- Northumberland County Council: Holy Island safe crossing times
- Northumberland County Council: coastal car parks and tariffs
- Northumberland County Council: school term and holiday dates
- English Heritage: Lindisfarne Priory
- National Trust: Lindisfarne Castle
- Lindisfarne islanders' site: travel and facilities
- Heatherslaw Light Railway
- Heatherslaw Light Railway: FAQ
- Ford and Etal: The Famous Scarycrow Trail 2026
- English Heritage: Etal Castle
- Bamburgh Castle: visit us
- Bamburgh Castle: Gory Stories for Halloween
- National Trust: Farne Islands
- National Trust: booking your visit to the Farne Islands
- National Trust: seals on the Farne Islands
- Billy Shiel's: grey seal cruise
- Serenity Farne Island Tours: sail around
- Alnwick Castle: opening times and ticket prices
- Alnwick Castle: FAQs
- The Alnwick Garden: opening times and prices
- The Alnwick Garden: FAQs
- The Alnwick Garden: accessibility
- The Alnwick Garden: Spookydorei Days
- The Alnwick Garden: the Pumpkin Garden
- English Heritage: Dunstanburgh Castle
- National Trust: Cragside
- National Trust: Christmas at Cragside
- Forestry England: Kielder Water and Forest Park
- Forestry England: Room on the Broom at Kielder
- Visit Kielder: Kielder Waterside
- Kielder Winter Wonderland bookings
- Kielder Observatory: event information
- Kielder Observatory: events
- Vindolanda Trust: tickets
- Vindolanda Trust: booking and visiting FAQs
- Roman Army Museum: your visit
- Vindolanda: Fleece to Fabric
- English Heritage: Housesteads Roman Fort
- Woodhorn Museum: plan your visit
- Woodhorn Museum: accessibility
- Woodhorn Museum: pumpkin trail
- Woodhorn Museum: Festive Tales
- Northumberland County Council: Queen Elizabeth II Country Park
- Northumberland County Council: Druridge Bay Country Park
- Northumberland Wildlife Trust: Druridge Pools
- Whitehouse Farm Centre: prices
- Whitehouse Farm Centre: your visit
- Whitehouse Farm Centre: visitor guidelines and accessibility
- Whitehouse Farm Centre: Halloween Spooktacular 2026
- English Heritage: Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens
- English Heritage: Belsay Hall Halloween 2026
- English Heritage: Walking with The Snowman at Belsay
- Visit Northumberland: Northumberland Dark Skies
