# Bairns & Beaches

> Days out in Northumberland from a North East family who holiday here as often as we can: honest guides, a weekly-updated calendar of what's on, Holy Island crossing times and two free emails a week. Written by Dan Fitzpatrick with his wife Julia, a North East family (Dan grew up in Gateshead) with two children, six and seven, who holiday in Northumberland as often as they can. Every venue and event is checked against the organiser's own page and linked. Covers Northumberland, England.

## Key pages
- [The Northumbrian Almanac](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/almanac.html): weekly-updated calendar of family and grown-up events across Northumberland, seasonal knowledge, map view and calendar subscription (ICS: https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/calendar.ics)
- [All guides](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides.html): evergreen guides to beaches, castles, walks and days out in Northumberland
- [Castles of Northumberland](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/castles.html): 39 castles on one map with seasons, prices, parking, pushchair and dog notes, which suit children, a page for each castle and the Castle Passport tick list (markdown of the whole section: https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/castles.md)
- [Printable castle passport for children](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/castles/passport.html): 8 A4 pages, a stamp box and a fact for each of the 39 castles
- [Holy Island crossing times](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/holy-island-crossing-times.html): Northumberland County Council's safe times for the causeway, copied exactly, with a live safe to cross check, Tue 1 Sep 2026 to Fri 30 Apr 2027
- [Dark skies and stargazing in Northumberland](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/dark-skies.html): the International Dark Sky Park, tonight's moon and darkness, observatories, Dark Sky Discovery Sites and meteor shower dates
- [Birding and wildlife in Northumberland](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/birding.html): the wildlife section, month by month, with kids, kit, tides and FAQ (markdown of the whole section: https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/birding.md)
- [Where to go birding](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/birding/sites.html): 35 sites on a map with filters and a nearest-to-me sort
- [The birds of Northumberland](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/birding/birds.html): 63 species with odds, months and a personal tick list
- [The Farne Islands and Coquet Island](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/birding/farne-islands.html): puffins, seals, landing seasons and the boats from Seahouses and Amble
- [Things to do this weekend](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/this-weekend.html) and [what's on this week](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/this-week.html): refreshed every week
- [Newsletter archive](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/archive.html): weekend edition (families, Fridays) and weekday edition (grown-ups, Sundays)
- [About](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/about.html)
- [How we make it, sources and AI use](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/how-we-make-it.html)

## Guides
- [Things to Do in Berwick-upon-Tweed: Walls, Beaches and Wet Days](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/things-to-do-in-berwick-upon-tweed.html): The best things to do in Berwick upon Tweed are free: walk the Elizabethan walls (a little over a mile, about 45 minutes), walk the pier to the lighthouse, and spend the afternoon on Spittal beach and promenade. Council car parks in Berwick are free, though most short-stay ones need a parking disc. For rain, the leisure centre in Tweedmouth has a pool with a flume and soft play; Berwick Barracks is closed for rebuilding until at least late 2027.
- [Things to Do in Northumberland With Kids: Where to Start](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/things-to-do-in-northumberland-with-kids.html): 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.
- [Seal Pups in Northumberland 2026: Farne Boats and Where to Watch](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/seal-pups-in-northumberland.html): Grey seal pups are born on the Farne Islands, off Seahouses in Northumberland, and the National Trust says around 3,000 arrive each autumn, with October to December the best time to see them. Nobody lands in pup season, so you watch from a 90 minute seal cruise out of Seahouses harbour with Billy Shiel's, Serenity or Golden Gate, from about £22 an adult, weather permitting. Grey seals also live round Coquet Island all year (boats from Amble) and haul out on the sandbanks off Holy Island.
- [Santa in Northumberland 2026: Trains, Grottos and What They Cost](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/santa-in-northumberland.html): For 2026 the main Santa experiences in Northumberland are the Aln Valley Railway's Santa's Steam Train Adventure in Alnwick (£25 a seat, 5 to 21 December), the Heatherslaw Light Railway Christmas Special near Ford (5 and 6 December, up to £20), Kielder Winter Wonderland (from £44.50 a person) and Meet Father Christmas at Lilidorei in The Alnwick Garden (£26.50 to £38 a child). Bamburgh Castle's grotto and Wallington's main sessions were sold out by 29 September 2026, and Woodhorn's Festive Tales in Ashington, at £10 a child, is the cheapest ticketed option.
- [Rainy Day Things to Do in Northumberland (That Aren't Soft Play)](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/rainy-day-things-to-do-in-northumberland.html): The best rainy day activities in Northumberland are Woodhorn Museum near Ashington (under 18s free), Bamburgh Castle (open through the winter apart from 9 to 13 November), Barter Books in Alnwick (free, 9am to 7pm daily) and the Roman Army Museum near Greenhead, which is nearly all indoors. To burn off energy, Willowburn in Alnwick has pools and a climbing wall, and The Coliseum in Morpeth has indoor bouldering from age 4.
- [October Half Term in Northumberland 2026: What's On and What's Shut](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/october-half-term-in-northumberland.html): October half term in Northumberland runs from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 (schools close Friday 23 October and reopen Monday 2 November), the same week as Newcastle and North Tyneside. Alnwick Castle is closed by then, but Bamburgh Castle, Belsay Hall, Seaton Delaval Hall, Wallington and the Ford and Etal Scarycrow Trail all run half-term events. The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, and after that the sun sets before 5pm.
- [Northumberland With a Dog: Beaches, Castles, Walks and Pubs](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/northumberland-with-a-dog.html): Yes. Northumberland is one of the easier counties to visit with a dog: only parts of Blyth and Newbiggin-by-the-Sea beaches ban dogs (1 May to 30 September), and Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh, Warkworth and Housesteads let dogs in on leads, as do the grounds at Cragside, Wallington and Lindisfarne Castle. The catches are leads on Open Access land from 1 March to 31 July, short leads near nesting terns and on Holy Island, no dogs ashore on the Farne Islands and none at Alnwick Castle.
- [Northumberland in Winter 2026/27: What's Open, What's Shut, What to Do](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/northumberland-in-winter.html): In winter 2026/27 Bamburgh Castle (weekends only 4 January to 12 February), The Alnwick Garden with Winter Lights, Christmas at Cragside, Belsay and Kielder's forest and observatory stay open, while Alnwick Castle closes on 22 October 2026 and Chillingham Castle after 1 November. The best things to do in Northumberland in winter are Farne seal pup cruises from Seahouses (late October to January), brent geese on Lindisfarne, stargazing at Kielder or Battlesteads, and a pub with a real fire. The sun sets before 4pm from 16 November to 10 January.
- [Kielder Observatory: Is It Worth It, and What If It's Sold Out?](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/kielder-observatory-is-it-worth-it.html): Yes, if you book early, dress for a polar expedition and don't mind a long drive in the dark. Main evening sessions cost £39, late ones £49 and the Space Kids teatime sessions £25 an adult, and they go ahead even when it's cloudy. If it's sold out, Battlesteads Dark Sky Observatory at Wark (from £22.50) and free Dark Sky Discovery Sites such as Walltown Country Park are the best backups.
- [Things to Do on Holy Island With Kids: A Lindisfarne Day Plan](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/holy-island-with-kids.html): The best things to do on Holy Island with kids are the mile walk out to Lindisfarne Castle and its lime kilns, the Priory ruins and museum (where children can make a name stone), the upturned-boat sheds by the harbour, and the headland and north shore for seals and birds. Going onto the island is free, but parking at Chare Ends starts at £7 for three hours. Plan everything around Northumberland County Council's safe crossing times, because the causeway floods twice a day.
- [Halloween in Northumberland 2026: Pumpkin Patches and Spooky Trails](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/halloween-and-pumpkin-picking-in-northumberland.html): The main pick-your-own pumpkin patches in Northumberland for 2026 are Brocksbushes near Stocksfield (3 to 4 and 10 to 11 October, then daily 16 to 31 October, £3.50 a head, book online), Broxfield Farm near Alnwick (weekends 10 to 25 October) and Oxford Farm near Berwick (weekends from 10 October plus 26 to 28 October), with an indoor patch at Whitehouse Farm Centre near Morpeth. For October half term (24 October to 1 November) the best Halloween trails are at Belsay Hall, Bamburgh Castle, Seaton Delaval Hall, Lilidorei at The Alnwick Garden and the free Scarycrow Trail at Ford and Etal.
- [Hadrian's Wall With Kids in Northumberland: Housesteads or Vindolanda?](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/hadrians-wall-with-kids.html): For most families with primary-age kids, Vindolanda is the better pick: a big museum, replica Wall, a dig you can watch from April to September, and an online family ticket of £36. Housesteads is better if you want to stand on the Wall itself and the kids can manage a steep 750-metre walk up; it's free for English Heritage and National Trust members. With a buggy, Chesters and Corbridge are easiest; in the rain, head for the Roman Army Museum or Vindolanda.
- [Getting Around Northumberland: Parking, Trains and Buses](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/getting-around-northumberland-parking-trains-and-buses.html): There's no single Northumberland car park pass: the council sells a Pay and Display Parking Permit (£337.50 a year on its April 2025 prices) and a £60 Country Park permit, and Northumberland National Park sells a £50 annual Hadrian's Wall Car Parking Pass. Town-centre council car parks in Alnwick, Berwick and Wooler are free (short stays need a £1 disc), while the coast charges 8am to 6pm daily, for example £10.50 all day at Bamburgh or Seahouses. The X18 bus runs the coast from Newcastle to Berwick, and bus fares are capped at £2.50 for adults and £1 for under-22s until March 2027.
- [Christmas Markets and Lights in Northumberland 2026: Dates and Parking](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/christmas-markets-and-lights-in-northumberland.html): The big Christmas markets in Northumberland in 2026 are Brocksbushes (12 to 15 November), Ford and Etal (28 and 29 November) and Hexham's Christmas market and Abbey fair (Saturday 12 December), with Alnwick's markets free and indoors at The Alnwick Garden's Pavilion on 21 and 22 November and every December weekend from 5 to 20 December. Confirmed switch-ons are Morpeth (Saturday 14 November), Hexham (Friday 20 November), Blyth (Saturday 21 November) and Bamburgh (Saturday 28 November, 6.15pm). The county's big evening light trail is Winter Lights at The Alnwick Garden, 20 November to 3 January.
- [Bonfire Night in Northumberland 2026: Fireworks Displays by Town](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/bonfire-night-and-fireworks-in-northumberland.html): Bonfire night in Northumberland 2026 runs from Saturday 31 October to Saturday 7 November: Blyth beach (free, 31 October, low-noise display 6pm, main display 7.30pm), Morpeth Rugby Club (1 November, bonfire lit 6pm), Ponteland Community Primary School (5 November, fireworks 6pm, £5.50), then Hexham's free display on the Sele, Alnwick Round Table at Greensfield and Newbiggin on 7 November. Berwick, Rothbury, Amble and Cramlington had nothing confirmed for 2026 when we checked on 29 September.
- [Best Beaches in Northumberland: Loos, Lifeguards and Dogs](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/best-beaches-in-northumberland.html): 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.
- [Alnwick Castle or Bamburgh Castle? Which to Pick With Kids](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/guides/alnwick-castle-or-bamburgh-castle.html): For children aged about 5 to 11 who know who Harry Potter is, pick Alnwick Castle while it's open: broomstick training and Dragon Quest are included, and an online family ticket is £64.20. Pick Bamburgh Castle with toddlers, a dog, a sunny day or any visit after Alnwick shuts for winter in late October 2026: a family ticket is £58.50 plus £6 parking, and the beach is right underneath.

## Areas
- [Berwick and Holy Island](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/places/berwick-holy-island.html): Berwick-upon-Tweed, England's most northerly town, with its Elizabethan ramparts, and Holy Island (Lindisfarne), which the tide cuts off twice a day. Main places: Berwick-upon-Tweed, Spittal, Tweedmouth, Holy Island, Norham, Ford and Etal.
- [Bamburgh and the north coast](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/places/bamburgh-coast.html): Bamburgh Castle on its rock, the dunes and beaches from Budle Bay down to Beadnell, and Seahouses harbour, where the boats leave for the Farne Islands. Main places: Bamburgh, Seahouses, Beadnell, Belford and Waren Mill.
- [Alnwick and the Coquet coast](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/places/alnwick-coquet-coast.html): Alnwick, with its castle and the Alnwick Garden, and the coast from Craster and Dunstanburgh down through Alnmouth and Warkworth to Amble at the mouth of the Coquet. Main places: Alnwick, Craster, Embleton, Alnmouth, Warkworth and Amble.
- [Wooler, Rothbury and the Cheviots](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/places/cheviots-coquetdale.html): The Cheviot Hills and the valleys that run into them: the College, Harthope and Breamish valleys and Upper Coquetdale, with Wooler and Rothbury as the two bases. Main places: Wooler, Rothbury, Alwinton, Kirknewton and Thropton.
- [Kielder and the North Tyne](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/places/kielder-north-tyne.html): Kielder Water and Forest Park, the North Tyne valley and the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, with Bellingham the main village on the way in. Main places: Kielder, Bellingham, Falstone, Wark and Otterburn.
- [Hexham and Hadrian's Wall](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/places/hexham-hadrians-wall.html): Hexham, Corbridge and the Tyne Valley, with the Roman sites of Hadrian's Wall to the north and west: Chesters, Housesteads, Vindolanda and the crags around Steel Rigg and Walltown. Main places: Hexham, Corbridge, Haltwhistle, Haydon Bridge, Allendale and Prudhoe.
- [Morpeth and the south east](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/places/morpeth-south-east.html): Morpeth and the old mining and seaside towns of the south east, the part of the county closest to Newcastle and the easiest day trip from Tyneside. Main places: Morpeth, Blyth, Ashington, Cramlington, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Seaton Sluice.

## Latest newsletters
- [Wet Wednesday morning, dry Thursday, showery Friday. Do the coast on Thursday.](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/issues/2026-09-29.html) (Tuesday 29 September 2026, launch issue)
- [Quiet week on the coast. Walk the walls while the light lasts.](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/issues/2026-09-27.html) (Sunday 27 September 2026, weekday edition)
- [Last weekend of September. Start early, the light's gone by seven.](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/issues/2026-09-25.html) (Friday 25 September 2026, weekend edition)
- [Equinox week. Walk a quiet valley while the light lasts, save Friday for Alnwick.](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/issues/2026-09-20.html) (Sunday 20 September 2026, weekday edition)
- [Last weekend of Heritage Open Days. Get the crossing times, then go to Holy Island.](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/issues/2026-09-18.html) (Friday 18 September 2026, weekend edition)
- [Heritage week, quiet coast. Walk while the light lasts, then go indoors somewhere free.](https://bairnsandbeaches.co.uk/issues/2026-09-13.html) (Sunday 13 September 2026, weekday edition)

## Sister site
- [Fell & Family](https://fellandfamily.co.uk): our Cumbria and Lake District guide