HOLY islands, playful puffins and medieval castles looming over the wild North Sea . . . the Northumberland coast really is rather magical.
With it being the ancient capital of Northumbria, I almost expect to see wizards whirling along Bamburgh promenade waving sticks of candy floss like wands.
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Forget the bright lights and bumper cars of Bridlington, Bournemouth or Bognor Regis, and choose Bamburgh for your next staycation seaside getaway.
Which? last year named it our top seaside town, so as a born-and-bred seasider from Brighton, I ventured to North East England to check out our competition.
On this early spring afternoon, I’m welcomed by blue skies and blazing sunshine over the slate-grey sea as I pull into Bamburgh.
Centred around a quaint promenade, it is dominated by the dramatic 11th Century castle perched on the rocky headland overlooking the crashing waves.
Although the village lacks the jangling amusement arcades and fairground rides of its competitors, the wide sandy beaches, rugged sand dunes and old-school charm make it easy to see why it was awarded the coveted accolade.
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Enjoy seriously fresh seafood
I’m staying at Beadnell Towers, a gorgeous boutique hotel in the tiny fishing village of Beadnell, five miles south of Bamburgh.
Opened last summer, it’s the first of its kind in the area and has an unusual fisherman’s cottage-meets- country-manor vibe, but practise your Geordie as all 18 rooms are named after Northumbrian dialect words like Ducket (dovecote), Cooth (comfortable) and Muckle Hoose (great house).
On the ground floor is a stylish, but comfortable bar and restaurant which serves local ales, Beadnell Gin and some seriously fresh seafood.
After breakfast — poached Craster kippers or the full Northumbrian with Bamburgh sausages, locally smoked bacon and black pudding — it’s a five-minute walk down to Beadnell Bay, a horseshoe-shaped beach banked by sand dunes.
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It’s easy to walk off that extra slice of black pudding with a 40-minute stroll over to Seahouses, the fishing harbour town and gateway to the Farne Islands.
Run by the National Trust as a wildlife reserve, in spring the islands are home to guillemots, shags, seals and white-tailed eagles, while in May until late August the islands are home to 70,000 quirky orange-beaked puffins.
You will find it’s well worth taking an organised boat tour from the likes of Billy Shiel’s Boat Trips, whose family have been offering excursions to the islands since 1918.
Back on the mainland, it’s a three-mile hike along the beach to Bamburgh.
Don’t miss a tour of Bamburgh Castle, the medieval fortress overlooking the North Sea.
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Stay in the first lifeboat station
One of the largest inhabited castles in Britain, it has guarded the Northumberland coastline for more than 1,400 years.
Many will recognise it as Brancaster Castle from Downton Abbey.
Nip in to the RNLI Grace Darling Museum, which pays tribute to the woman who rowed out in stormy seas to save the survivors of wrecked steamship SS Forfarshire in 1838.
Thanks to Ms Darling, the first-ever lifeboat was launched in Bamburgh.
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GO: Bamburgh
GETTING THERE: Chathill is the nearest station to Bamburgh and Beadnell. Trainline offers return tickets from London Kings Cross to Chathill (changing at Newcastle or Alnmouth) from £145.30, thetrainline.com.
STAYING THERE: Beadnell Towers, double rooms from £129 B&B, beadnelltowers.co.uk.
OUT & ABOUT: Visit Bamburgh Castle – bamburghcastle.com – or go puffin- spotting on Billy Shiel’s Boat Trips – farne-islands.com.
MORE INFO: visitnorthumberland.com.
Visitors can even stay in the country’s first lifeboat station, which is now a self-catering cottage called The Boat House.
Take a slow wander back along the coastal path, being sure to stop off for a leisurely pint in the Olde Ship Inn in Seahouses.
Look around – it’s almost more of a maritime museum than a pub. Then head back by the dunes for a well-earned fish supper at Beadnell Towers, all puffin’d out.
