Beadnell

The Northumberland coast is increasingly popular, as more and more people cotton on to the fact that it is (if you ask me) miles better than the over crowded beaches in the south. While the majority of Northumberland’s beaches are pristine, unbroken stretches of golden sand, the beach between Beadnell and Seahouses is littered with rock pools, making it a particularly appealing choice for families and those who like having a good look at just what gets washed in with the tide.

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We ended up going to Beadnell for the day because it was forecast to chuck it down literally everywhere else in Northumberland, with Beadnell some how being forecast for sunshine and blue skies. It’s not that we didn’t want to go, but we were visiting in May half term and usually avoid the beach during school holidays when it tends to be busier. However, I’d always rather deal with a few more people and stay dry, so we packed the dogs into the car and set off to do the seven and a half kilometre walk from Beadnell to the neighbouring village of Seahouses (7.5km there and back), a route from our Pocket Mountains guide.

There is a fairly large pay & display car park in Beadnell, or you can park for free in one of the limited roadside spaces by starting the walk from Seahouses instead. I always opt to park in Beadnell if I can, purely for the opportunity to stop off at Bait, the pop up car park cafe which is absolutely fantastic. When we arrived Sam got the parking ticket while I popped over to Bait to order two bacon butties, then suitably fortified we set off along the coast.

From Beadnell, you can head north or south on the Northumberland Coast path. On this occasion we were heading north towards Seahouses, but passing through the harbour gives you a good view to the south – on a clear day you can see the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle in the distance, which on foot is a walk of around ten kilometres.

After walking for a short way along the road, we picked up the coast path to pick our way across a pebbly beach – which we quickly abandoned and headed back to the road in order to avoid the decomposing seal on the shore. It was already dead so there was nothing we could do, but a) it smelled awful, b) we don’t want the dogs to get too interested in seals and c) passing things like this makes me sad so I try and avoid them where possible (nature is a brutal thing and I won’t watch any David Attenborough programmes). Shortly after this there is another footpath which leads you onto the sandier beach which runs between Beadnell and Seahouses, and where the best of the rock pools are to be found.

This part of the beach was surprisingly quiet – there were a few people around, but nowhere near as many as there were in Beadnell Bay (turn right from the Beadnell car park instead of left). It was even quiet enough that we spotted a heron fishing for his dinner in a rock pool! As we got nearer to Seahouses the number of people we encountered started to steadily increase, proving (as far as I’m concerned) my theory that all you need to do to find a quiet spot is walk more than twenty minutes away from the car park.

We turned around to retrace our steps before we reached Seahouses – and driving through it on our way home we were glad we’d done so, as it was in full on half term chaos. A straightforward walk back to the car (the best thing about beach walks if you ask me is that they’re always flat) and a hot chocolate from Bait to warm up (it may have been sunny but the wind was cold) and we were ready to head home.

Dog friendly rating – 4/5. This beach is dog friendly year round, but it does get busy which is why I’ve knocked a point off. Make sure that your dog has good recall and isn’t likely to run over and sabotage someone’s attempt at rock pooling on a family day out!

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