Things to do in Berwick and Holy Island

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.

Berwick-upon-Tweed, Royal Border Bridge — Photo: Berwick-upon-Tweed - Royal Border Bridge - 2 by Benjamin Smith, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Towns and places10 min↗

Alnwick Castle or Bamburgh Castle? Which to Pick With Kids

From our family album

Our own photos from days out in Berwick and Holy Island, from when the children were tiny to now.

A toddler held up to an old black cannon on Berwick's ramparts, with a baby watching from a buggy. — On Berwick's Elizabethan ramparts, looking over the Tweed towards Tweedmouth and Spittal. Our own photo, August 2021. More in Berwick and Holy Island

Two small children on a towel on Spittal beach, with Berwick's pier and lighthouse on the horizon. — Buckets and spades on Spittal beach, with Berwick pier and its lighthouse across the water. Our own photo, August 2021. More in Berwick and Holy Island

A toddler with a small backpack touching the old stone walls inside the ruins of Etal Castle. — Exploring the ruins of Etal Castle. Our own photo, October 2021. More in Berwick and Holy Island

A stone cottage with white windows and a wood store, under golden autumn trees in Ford village. — An autumn walk through Ford village, near Etal. Our own photo, November 2021. More in Berwick and Holy Island

A toddler in a red backpack walks past the black-roofed upturned-boat sheds on Holy Island. — Exploring the upturned-boat sheds below Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island. Our own photo, February 2022. More in Berwick and Holy Island

Dan, Julia and their two small children picnicking on the grass on Holy Island, with Lindisfarne Castle in the distance. — All four of us on Holy Island, with Lindisfarne Castle on its crag behind. Our own photo, May 2022. Read the guide

Two children in a riverside garden watching a train cross the arches of the Royal Border Bridge. — Watching a train cross the Royal Border Bridge in Berwick. Our own photo, July 2022. More in Berwick and Holy Island

A smiling child with an umbrella on Marygate in Berwick-upon-Tweed, with the Town Hall spire and bunting behind. — A wet morning on Marygate in Berwick, under the Town Hall spire. Our own photo, July 2022. Read the guide

A child in a sun hat on the lawn by the lily pond at Paxton House, with the Georgian house behind. — The gardens at Paxton House, just over the border from Berwick. Our own photo, July 2022. More in Berwick and Holy Island

Inside Slightly Foxed bookshop in Berwick, with red shelves and a domed ceiling painted with the Royal Border Bridge and the Town Hall. — Looking up at the painted ceiling in Slightly Foxed, the bookshop in Berwick, with the Royal Border Bridge and the Town Hall in the clouds. Our own photo, July 2023. More in Berwick and Holy Island

A child with curly hair watching a parade with a vintage Land Rover coming up a crowded street in Berwick. — Watching a parade come up the street in Berwick. Our own photo, July 2023. More in Berwick and Holy Island

The window of Berwick Cycles, with a sign showing Berwick's three bridges above a red bicycle. — The Berwick Cycles window, with the town's three bridges in its sign. Our own photo, January 2025. More in Berwick and Holy Island

What is on in Berwick and Holy Island soon

Wednesday 30 September 2026

Berwick Film Society: Miroirs No. 3
14:00 Maltings Cinema at Berwick Barracks, Berwick-upon-Tweed · £10 full, £9.50 concession, £6 Berwick Film Society members
Christian Petzold's 2026 German and French drama about a young piano student who finds refuge with a local woman after a mysterious incident in the countryside. Screened at 2pm and 7pm. Organiser
Alana Brook organ recital
19:00 Berwick Parish Church (Holy Trinity), Berwick-upon-Tweed · Free
An evening organ recital by Alana Brook in Holy Trinity, the parish church on the Parade. Entry is free with a retiring collection. Organiser

Thursday 1 October 2026

Berwick Comedy Club
19:00 The Straw Yard, Berwick Barracks, Berwick-upon-Tweed
An evening of stand-up comedy at The Straw Yard in the Barracks. Organiser
The Incomer
19:00 Maltings Cinema at Berwick Barracks, Berwick-upon-Tweed · £10.50 full (£8 Thursday special), £10 concession, £6.50 child, student and benefit
Louis Paxton directs this darkly comic Scottish debut about two siblings who survive by hunting seabirds on a remote island, starring Domhnall Gleeson and Gayle Rankin. Organiser

Friday 2 October 2026

Practical Magic 2
Maltings Cinema at Berwick Barracks, Berwick-upon-Tweed · £10.50 full (£8 on Thursdays), £10 concession, £6.50 under 18s, students 18 to 26 and benefit
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as the Owens sisters, who must confront the curse that threatens their family. Check the cinema listing for screening times. Organiser

Saturday 3 October 2026

Berwick Open Studios
Venues across Berwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed · Free
Artists and makers open more than 25 studios and spaces around Berwick for the second weekend of the town's first open studios event. Free, with maps from the visitor centre. Organiser
Practical Magic 2
Maltings Cinema at Berwick Barracks, Berwick-upon-Tweed · £10.50 full (£8 on Thursdays), £10 concession, £6.50 under 18s, students 18 to 26 and benefit
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as the Owens sisters, who must confront the curse that threatens their family. Check the cinema listing for screening times. Organiser
Berwick Music Society: Trio Kagura
14:00 Berwick Parish Church (Holy Trinity), Berwick-upon-Tweed · £15, under 18s free
The Berwick Music Society season opens with violin, cello and piano trio Trio Kagura. Under 18s get in free. Organiser

Everything on in Berwick and Holy Island

The Northumbrian Almanac

What's on in Berwick and Holy Island

Dated events, seasonal happenings and local knowledge, updated every week.

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Rainy days Towns and places Seasons For grown-ups Beaches and coast Castles and history Wildlife Stargazing Bamburgh and the north coast Alnwick and the Coquet coast Wooler, Rothbury and the Cheviots Kielder and the North Tyne Hexham and Hadrian's Wall Morpeth and the south east

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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.
Every week: Holy Island crossing times, new guides and what's on at half term.

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