We love Northumberland and love to spend quality family time exploring the area, finding new places we have never been to before, or even exploring those that we have been to many times, but still love. There's so much to do and there's something for everyone too!
Northumberland is just beautiful, with miles of golden beaches, beautiful countryside and loads of fun family attractions to sink your teeth into, what's not to love? We have put together this handy guide for family friendly attractions, it was quite difficult trying to narrow it down as I had so many in my list. However, we did manage it and I hope you get some ideas when you are looking for your next family adventure.
Ford & Etal
We love Ford & Etal, there is loads to do and you can easily spend the day, or week there if you love it like I do. The boys used to go to Scouts in the village and we would visit regularly when we lived in the borders. We don't get to visit as often now that we are almost an hour away, but when we do visit we always have a great day. We were recently invited to spend the day and you can read everything we got up to in the post HERE
Flodden Battlefield
You could head along to Flodden Battlefield for a lovely walk through the countryside, explore the local area, and take in the history that happened here at the sight. We usually combine with Ford & Etal for a full day out.
Alnwick Castle is a fantastic day out for the whole family, with broomstick training, a look around parts of the castle, Dragon Quest and not to forgetting the major Harry Potter vibes here. For the best day I suggest combining it with a trip to:
Alnwick Gardens, I love walking around here and really enjoy the tours around the Toxic Gardens, I purchased the book the last time I was here and it is really interesting. Currently Alnwick Gardens is offering free entry for kids (Summer 2021)
Seaton Delaval Hall NT
We have been National Trust members for years and for some silly reason we had never been to Seaton Delaval before recently, it is amazing! You can look around the hall, the gardens, let the kids play in the play area which is great, have a picnic on the lawn You can read about our last visit HERE
Howick Hall & Gardens
We visit Howick regularly and love taking advantage of our annul pass, we love visiting throughout the seasons and seeing the trees and plants change. There's quite a few different sections to wander around here, including the sensory gardens to get lost in. The tea room is fantastic and we visit every time we go. I love the building and the history it holds. Read more HERE
Bamburgh Castle
I will be honest I prefer to visit Bamburgh after the Summer, it just gets unbearable when it's really busy and you can't move. We tend to visit in autumn, the castle is quieter and so is the village. Loads to see and do here, on our last visit we had some great conversations with the archaeological team, which was fascinating.
Preston Tower
Preston Tower in my opinion is a real hidden gem. You can climb to the top of the tower and the views are amazing. The tower is set in lovely grounds and there's even a forest walk you can go on. Find out more HERE. You can spend a few hours here
Cragside is one of our favourite places to head for a fun family day. We usually start with the house which is just stunning and then we head outdoors, where you really can just get lost. We like to end the day with a nice sit down next to the lake. Cragside is a full day out.
Belsay is one of my personal favourite places to visit, I like to look around the hall, take a walk through the wonderful gardens and head down to the castle. You can go to the top of the castle and look at the lush views across the estate. You could easily spend the day here, in the summer they have various kids activities and they sell amazing jams here too.
Druridge Bay
Druridge bay used to be one of our favourite beaches to head to, but we have since found better ones. However This is more than just a beach. There's a play area, stepping stones, café, and various walks to go on.
If you are looking for somewhere to go that involves walking, feeding ducks, a woodland trail with various activities and amazing views, then this is your place. I love coming here, especially when it is quiet. You can walk up various parts of the lady and take in the stunning countryside. The boys like to watch the workers in the quarry.
Chillingham Castle
We have visited Chillingham Castle a few times over the years, I love going and specifically looking for ghosts! We usually park in the upper car park and walk through the woods until we reach the castle (takes about 5 minutes) We then head into the castle and take a look around. The last time we visited, one of the staff members went out of his way giving the boys a history lesson and showing them some of the old books and maps. We just thought this was lovely. When we have been in the house we head out into the gardens. Don't miss out on the river walk it is absolutely stunning. Read more HERE You can also combine your visit with The Chillingham Wild Cattle
Kielder has so much to offer everyone that visits. Take a walk on one of the many different trails, go on a bike ride, visit the minotaur maze, there's a bird of prey centre, observatory and a forest drive. Oh and a pretty big reservoir. So many options for a brilliant day out here.
We really enjoy visiting some of the attractions along Hadrian's wall, as you all know we home educate and we recently did a topic on the Romans, so we visited Hadrian's wall and expanded our learning. Our favourites to visit are Chester's Roman Fort, Corbridge Roman Town, Housesteads, Aydon Castle, Birdoswald Roman Fort and there are so many more to enjoy too. Read more HERE
Holy Island
We like to go to Holy Island and do a spot of birdwatching. You get some really interesting ones there. However we have been onto the island many, many times before and you can expect to enjoy a visit to the Lindisfarne Castle, Lindisfarne Priory, walk through the nature reserve, visit the winery, visit the causeway. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE TIDE TIMES!
I honestly love visiting Warkworth Castle, it is just a fab place to experience. You can go inside the castle too which is a plus. Get there early during the holidays as it does get a bit busy, English heritage usually have activities on for the kids too.
We visited a few months ago for the first time and we loved it! We did the full walk around the lake which was lovely, even in the rain it was gorgeous. We saw so many birds, including a Heron landing and eating a fish! We are heading back soon to check out the other trails.
Others worth checking out:
Hauxley Nature reserve
Northumberland College Zoo (Kirkley Hall)
Farne Islands
Wizard Treasure Trail
Dino Mini Golf Morpeth
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