Updated every week
Things to do in Northumberland this weekend
The weekend of 3 to 4 October: family days out across Northumberland, from the coast to Kielder, with every dated event from The Northumbrian Almanac and, when the Friday edition is out, the weather call and one proper adventure.
Latest edition: Weekend edition, Friday 25 September 2026. Refreshed 30 September 2026.
Last weekend of September. Start early, the light's gone by seven.
Late September in Northumberland usually means cool mornings, mild afternoons and a wind that decides everything. The North Sea is at its warmest of the year, which still only means about 13C, so paddles are short and wetsuits are sensible. The equinox has just gone, so nights are now longer than days, and a sea fret can roll in on the coast even when Rothbury is in sunshine. On the beaches and the boats, check the wind and the tide before you set off. For the actual weekend weather, check the Met Office forecast before you go.
Sunset 6.55pm in Alnwick on Saturday. Full forecast (Met Office)
Archive edition. We wrote this one for the website to cover the week of Friday 25 September 2026, so it lists what was on then and says nothing about the weather that week. The emails proper started on Tuesday 29 September 2026.
Schools across Northumberland have been back since Tuesday 1 September, so this is the weekend the bairns are properly tired and properly in need of fresh air. One big day out at Cragside, then the best of what's open and what's on across the county.
The weekend adventure
- About 2.5 miles of walking in short pieces: a wander round the house, the Rock Garden and the Iron Bridge, then the 1.5 mile Nelly's Moss Lakes loop (blue waymarkers), with the 6 mile Carriage Drive done by car in between
- A full day. Allow 5 to 6 hours if you want the house, the play area and the labyrinth
- Start: Cragside visitor centre car park, Rothbury, Morpeth NE65 7PX
Cragside was Lord Armstrong's house, and the first in the world lit by hydroelectricity, so it's a history lesson with a lot of running about attached. The house is open 11am to 4pm and the grounds 10am to 5pm in late September. Start with the house and the Iron Bridge below the Rock Garden (the photo everyone takes), then drive the Carriage Drive to the Crozier car park, where there's an adventure play area with a zip wire and a log mountain, a trim trail and a den building area. Carry on to Nelly's Moss car park for the labyrinth, a giant maze cut into a forest of rhododendron, and finish with a lap of the lakes. Autumn colour starts to come through on the estate's trees at this time of year, and there's no booking: pay or show your National Trust card on arrival.
It's not cheap for non-members (adult tickets were £27 without Gift Aid at the time of writing), so this is one to do as a full day. The estate entrance closes at 4pm and the Carriage Drive at 4.45pm, so don't turn up late. Buggies will manage the routes to the play area and round the lakes, but the paths are gravelly, rocky and hilly in places. Toilets are at the visitor centre, the Crozier car park and the house.
Route details (opens the official page)
Friday after school
Fri 25 Sep, open until 5.30pm (café until 4.30pm)
Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre, near Amble
Small parking charge, All ages
Northumberland Wildlife Trust's reserve just south of Amble is open until 5.30pm, which makes it a rare after-school option. There's an accessible 1km route to two hides, and autumn is one of the busiest times for birds here. The car park is locked at 5.30pm sharp, and the sat nav postcode (NE65 0JR) takes you to Low Hauxley village, so follow the road signs. Details and booking
Saturday
Sat 26 and Sun 27 Sep, studios open within 10am to 4pm
Studios and spaces across Berwick-upon-Tweed
See the Create Berwick guide, All ages
The first ever Berwick Open Studios, run by Create Berwick, opens artists' workspaces round the town over two weekends. Pith, the Berwick furniture makers, are opening their Assembly Shop with workshops at 10.30am and 3pm and a factory tour at noon, which is a good one for teenagers who like making things. Details and booking
Sat 26 and Sun 27 Sep, 10am to 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh
£19.95 adults, £10 children 5 to 16, under 5s free; parking £6 a day, All ages
The King's Hall and the Armstrong and Aviation Museum for the rainy bits, then straight down onto the beach below for the rest. Parking isn't included in the ticket (the castle car park and the village Glebe car park are both £6 a day), and the castle is cash free, so bring a card. Details and booking
Sails daily, weather permitting; about 90 minutes
Seahouses Harbour, Seahouses
Serenity: £22 adults, £17 children 15 and under, under 5s free, All ages
Both Billy Shiel's and Serenity run sail-around trips all year to see the grey seal colony, with no landing. The pups don't arrive until late October, so this weekend it's the grown-ups lolling on the rocks. Be at the harbour booking office 30 minutes before you sail. Details and booking
Daily to 1 Nov; trains leave Heatherslaw at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm
Heatherslaw station, Ford Forge, near Cornhill-on-Tweed
Return £12.50 adults, £6 children 2 to 16, £34 family of four; under 2s free, All ages
A little narrow gauge line along the River Till to Etal, where you can hop off to see Etal Castle and catch a later train back. Short enough for the smallest ones, and the last train back from Etal leaves at 4pm. Details and booking
Daily 10.30am to 4pm; flying displays 1.30pm and 3pm, weather permitting
Kielder Waterside, Kielder
Normal admission, All ages
Your ticket lasts all day, so look round in the morning, go for a walk by the reservoir, and come back for the flying demonstrations after lunch. It's a long drive up the North Tyne, so make a day of it. Details and booking
Sunday
Sun 27 Sep, 9am
Tyne Green, Hexham
Free, 4 to 14
A free, timed 2k run for 4 to 14 year olds on the flat riverside grass at Tyne Green (NE46 3SG). Register once online and bring the barcode. Blyth has one at the same time at South Beach Estate if you're on the coast. Details and booking
Sat 26 and Sun 27 Sep, 9.30am to 5pm
Vindolanda, Bardon Mill
Normal admission, All ages
The Roman fort and town just south of Hadrian's Wall, with a museum full of the things the soldiers left behind, shoes and writing tablets included. There's a free 45 minute guided tour of the fort site on scheduled days, so check the timetable when you arrive. Postcode NE47 7JN. Details and booking
Sat 26 and Sun 27 Sep, 10am to 4pm
Woodhorn Museum, Ashington
£11 adults (annual pass); under 18s free; free parking, All ages
The old colliery with the big pit wheels, and a museum about the mining communities of south east Northumberland. Under 18s go free, the car park closes at 4.30pm, and the café does last food orders at 2.30pm. Details and booking
Daily, 10am to 5pm
The Alnwick Garden, Alnwick
Garden: £17.90 adults (no Gift Aid), up to four under 16s free per adult. Lilidorei: £16.65 per child 3 to 16, All ages
The Grand Cascade and the Poison Garden for everyone, and Lilidorei, the giant play village, for the ones with energy to burn. Tickets are non-refundable, so check the forecast before you buy. Details and booking
Four guided tours a day, seven days a week
Chillingham Wild Cattle Park, Chillingham
£12 adults, £10 concessions, £5 under 16s, under 5s free, £30 family, All ages
A warden takes you out on a trailer and then on foot to see the herd of wild white cattle. Closed shoes are a must, numbers are capped at 20 a tour, and booking online is the safe bet. Details and booking
Plan ahead
Thu 1 Oct (daytime only), then Fri 2 to Sun 4 Oct, 10am to 8.15pm
The Alnwick Garden, Alnwick
Evening-only tickets £10 (5pm to 8.15pm); up to four under 16s free with each paying adult, All ages
Rides, games and bubble performers by day, then fire jugglers and a Grand Cascade show with lights, lasers and fireworks in the evenings. Dogs can't come to the evening shows because of the fireworks. Details and booking
Sat 3 Oct (10K and gravel duathlon) and Sun 4 Oct (marathon, half marathon and junior races)
Kielder Water and Forest Park, Kielder
Entries through the event site, Junior races on the Sunday
A mostly off-road marathon round Kielder Water, with junior races on the Sunday for runners in the family. Expect busy roads round the reservoir that weekend. Details and booking
Sat 24 Oct to Sun 1 Nov for most Northumberland council schools
Across the county
Schools close on Fri 23 Oct and go back on Mon 2 Nov. Pumpkin fields such as Brocksbushes near Corbridge need booking online, and some schools set their own dates, so check yours. Details and booking
Tip. At The Alnwick Garden, up to four under 16s go free with each paying adult, but Lilidorei next door is a separate ticket at £16.65 per child. If the bairns only want the play village, do the garden first on the free tickets and decide on Lilidorei once you've seen the weather.
Where this came from
Everything else on this weekend
Saturday 3 October 2026
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
Alnwick Playhouse, Alnwick · £26, concessions £21, students and children £16
A local production of the musical that follows Elle Woods from sorority house to Harvard Law School. Organiser
Kielder Waterside, Kielder
The off-road marathon weekend around Kielder Water, with shorter races alongside the full marathon. Spectators can cheer runners from the waterside. Organiser
Market Place, Morpeth · Free
The monthly farmers' market fills the Market Place on the first Saturday of the month, with local food and produce stalls. Good for a browse before a walk along the Wansbeck in Carlisle Park. Organiser
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick · Included with castle admission
The Newcastle Garrison live history group fires a replica Napoleonic cannon on the Gun Terrace every hour, weather permitting. Organiser
10:00 Seaton Delaval Arts Centre, Seaton Delaval
A relaxed community coffee morning at the arts centre on Blyth Street, a good chance to see the building and pick up the programme. Organiser
13:30 Catcleugh Reservoir entrance, Byrness · Pay on arrival
An easy one mile guided visit to the last surviving hut built for the Victorian navvies who dug Catcleugh Reservoir, with period objects inside. No dogs; the gate opens 30 minutes before the start. Organiser
15:00 St Cuthbert's Church, Norham · Free
Norham Village Band plays to celebrate the reopening of St Cuthbert's Church after three months of works, with afternoon tea. Entry by donation. Organiser
16:30 Kielder Observatory, Kielder · £25 per person (sold out when we checked on 29 September; check for returns)
An early-evening session for children: a short talk, making constellations the way the ancient Greeks did, then a tour of the observatory and the telescopes. It was sold out when we checked, so look for returns or a later date. Organiser
18:00 St Mary's Church, The Gallery, Belford
A harvest supper for the parishes of Bamburgh, Belford and Lucker, held ahead of the individual harvest celebrations. Organiser
Sunday 4 October 2026
St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh · Free
St Aidan's marks the end of its Season of Creation with a Harvest Festival thinking of farming communities near and far. The church's main Sunday service is at 11am, but check the parish site for the harvest timings. Organiser
10:00 Northumberlandia, Cramlington · Free entry, £3 suggested parking donation
A monthly food and craft market at Northumberlandia, the landform of a reclining woman near Cramlington, easy to combine with a walk over the figure. Organiser
10:00 Norham Village Hall, Norham
A traditional village show of home baking, handicrafts, photography, garden produce and children's entries, held every year in the village hall. Organiser
10:15 Kielder Water, Kielder · Spectator pass £5 per day
The full marathon runs the whole way round Kielder Water on trails and forest roads, with the half marathon starting at the dam. Supporters can watch from Kielder Waterside with a spectator pass. Organiser
10:45 Kielder Waterside, Kielder
Short races for children on marathon day, run within the Kielder Waterside park: the 1.5km Osprey run for 6 to 10 year olds and the 2.5km Falcon run for 11 to 14 year olds. Organiser
11:00 Prudhoe Castle, Prudhoe · Free
The inner ward and manor house at Prudhoe Castle open on the first Sunday of the month; the outer ward is free to explore every day. Upper floors and the chapel are reached by steep steps. Organiser
11:00 Etal Village Hall, Etal · Free
The Tin Shed's last Sunday makers' market of the season, with locally made arts and crafts and demonstrations. Dogs are welcome. Organiser
14:00 Maltings Cinema at Berwick Barracks, Berwick-upon-Tweed · £10.50 full, £10 concession, £6.50 under 18s, students 18 to 26 and benefit
A relaxed screening of the Practical Magic sequel with the lights left on low, the sound turned down, no trailers and subtitles throughout. Moving around and making noise is welcome. Organiser
14:00 Queen's Hall Arts Centre, Hexham · From £13
A fast-paced Sunday afternoon show mixing magic tricks with science experiments, promising mystery, suspense and a lot of mess. Organiser
Open The Northumbrian Almanac
Get this by email, free
Free, two short emails a week, and you choose which. Read the latest one first.
- 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.
No spam, no ads. Unsubscribe from any email with one click. Privacy