There are few better places in Britain to combine a walk and a pint than the Northumberland coast. It’s a land of shifting sands, seabirds with strong opinions, and beaches so wide you begin to suspect they’re showing off. But tucked just behind the dunes, around corners or halfway up cobbled lanes, you’ll find something equally life-affirming: a good, honest pub.
This crawl isn’t about bravado or downing things in threes. It’s a windswept, scenic wander, a string of pubs that offer shelter from the sea breeze and views that deserve to be toasted. Some are smugglers’ haunts turned gastro, others are proper locals with dartboards and bar mats older than you. Many serve crab in some form. All serve beer.
One moment you’re in a pub overlooking a medieval castle; the next, you’re ankle-deep in foam with chips wrapped in paper and a Northumbrian ale in your mitts. It’s a pilgrimage for people who like their heritage with hops and their landscapes with a perfect pint.
Waterproofs optional. Appetite for scenery and stout: essential.
1. Berwick-upon-Tweed
Northumberland’s northernmost town, fortified and handsome, where English charm meets Scottish suspicion. Spittal Beach is just across the bridge from Berwick: broad, brisk, and popular with hardy dog walkers.
Pub Stop: The Barrels Ale House
Down a side street near the old walls, this is a proper beer-drinkers’ pub. Dark, hoppy, no nonsense. The kind of place where the barman recommends the stout and means it.
Beach Walk: Spittal Beach – urban‑fringed but charming little beach with views of Berwick’s striped lighthouse and Holy Island’s castle.
2. Holy Island (Lindisfarne)
Reachable only at low tide, this mystical tidal isle offers windswept sands, castle drama, and the faint echo of monks chanting through time (or maybe it’s the wind).
Pub Stop: The Crown & Anchor
Cosy inn with beams, real ales, and a menu that knows its way around a mackerel. Ideal for post-priory pondering.
Beach Walk: Ross Back Sands – The unique glory of standing on sand framed by two castles – Bamburgh and Lindisfarne. It demands a mile‑long walk to get there, but rewards you with dramatic beauty and occasional seals.
3. Bamburgh
The sort of beach that looks like it’s been photoshopped. Bamburgh Castle stands behind like it owns the place, which historically—it did.
Pub Stop: The Lord Crewe Arms
A grand name for a friendly pub, with sea views, fine fish dishes, and a garden that turns golden in late afternoon. Castles always look better with a pint.
Beach Walk: Bamburgh Beach – An award‑winning Blue Flag expanse backed by the sandy Bamburgh Dunes and overshadowed by the Norman castle. Ideal for long walks, shallow paddles, and kite flying in the dunes.
4. Seahouses
Fishing harbour turned family favourite. Great for boats to the Farnes, very good for chips, surprisingly good for tales of puffin-related peril.
Pub Stop: The Olde Ship Inn
Feels like it was built by mariners, for mariners, and then enthusiastically decorated by them. Wood-panelled, nautically obsessed, deeply loveable.
Beach Walk: Seahouses Beach – Family‑friendly, practical, and lively. Boats to the Farne Islands from the harbour, and the town offers fish & chips, ice‑cream shops, and arcades.
5. Beadnell
A horseshoe of sand popular with paddleboarders and the occasional seal. Somehow always breezier than anywhere else.
Pub Stop: The Craster Arms
All stone and hearth and hearty food, with a walled beer garden that’s a suntrap on lucky days. Try the local IPA and resist the sticky toffee pudding (you won’t).
Beach Walk: Beadnell Bay – A pristine white‑sand beach backed by dunes and the energetic waters of Long Nanny Nature Reserve. A hotspot for paddle‑boarding, kitesurfing, and bird‑watching, with Arctic terns everywhere.
6. Newton-by-the-Sea
Possibly the most perfect beach-village combo in the county. Sand dunes, rock pools, and a square that isn’t so much a square as a pub with buildings nearby.
Pub Stop: The Ship Inn
Microbrewery on site. Crab sandwiches. A view of the bay. If that’s not enough, they also allow dogs and don’t judge wet feet.
Beach Walk: Embleton Bay – A sweeping golden cove overlooked by gloriously gothic Dunstanburgh Castle. Whinstone reefs and backed by wildlife filled dunes, perfect for a reflective stroll.
7. Warkworth
A noble loop in the River Coquet, with Warkworth castle a dramatic riverside ruin with plenty left to explore and one of the best-kept secrets in the country.
Pub Stop: The Mason’s Arms
Low ceilings, creaky floors, and a beer garden you’ll want to linger in. Order something involving ale gravy and feel like a minor lord.
Beach Walk: Warkworth Beach – a long, golden arc backed by dunes and usually devoid of crowds. Walk from the village in under 15 minutes.
8. Alnmouth
A sweet jumble of picture perfect houses facing a windswept estuary beach. Once a busy port it now feels like a fishing village that got distracted halfway through a watercolour painting.
Pub Stop: The Red Lion Inn
Welcoming, well-worn, and always lively. Try to bag a seat by the fire or the window. Good for a mid-crawl nap disguised as a “rest stop.”
Beach Walk: Alnmouth Beach – wide, breezy, with excellent sandcastle infrastructure and the occasional visiting heron.
9. Amble
Fishing town turned foodie hub. Boats bob, kids crab fish, and the seafood huts by the harbour deserve your full attention.
Pub Stop: The Amble Inn
More modern than most, but friendly, clean, and handy for the road.
Beach Walk: Druridge Bay – Seven miles of natural, unspoilt sand with status as a reserve. Home to natures’ greats -golden plover, purple sandpiper – and also the occasional naturist. This beach is a favourite for wild swimming, dog walking and solitary contemplation.
10. Seaton Sluice
A sleepy village with a wide beach, soft dunes, and a fondness for birds and slow conversations.
Pub Stop: The King’s Arms
A locals’ local, with a warm welcome and views over the sluice. Expect to hear someone’s theory about a seal they once rescued from a puddle.
Beach Walk: Seaton Sluice Beach – A small yet serene sandy stretch at the mouth of Seaton Burn, backed by dunes and a charming, historic harbour. Ideal for dog-walking, rock-pooling.
11. Whitley Bay
Retro-resort charm with a spruced-up promenade. Beach is broad, flat, and perfect for flip-flop ambling.
Pub Stop: The Dog & Rabbit
Whitley Bay’s best-kept beer secret. Small, cosy, and independently run micropub and brewery, the Dog & Rabbit is the sort of place where the barman knows half the room and someone is probably talking about Belgian hops.
Beach Walk: Whitley Bay Beach – A two-mile sweep of golden sand backed by a lively promenade, family amusements, cafés, and the iconic Spanish City. St Mary’s Lighthouse on its tidal island, perfect for low-tide exploration. A Blue Flag beach beloved by families, surfers, and dog walkers
12. Tynemouth
Victorian elegance, surfers in winter wetsuits, and the best beach views from a takeaway coffee window in the northeast.
Pub Stop: The Turks Head – all polished wood, soft lighting, and the comforting hum of people talking about their dogs, house renovations, or how the beer used to be better but is still pretty good. The real pull here is the bar: eight to ten real ales, many from North East breweries, all meticulously kept. Beach Walk: Longsands and King Edwards Bay – Tynemouth’s jewel is Longsands, a Blue Flag, mile-long golden beach famed for surfing and family fun. Flanked to the south by the sheltered cove of King Edward’s Bay overlooked by Priory & Castle.
