With plodding, clockwork-like predictability, Bamburgh has once again been crowned the UK’s favourite seaside town.
The Northumberland village claimed the number one spot in Which?’s annual battle of the beaches — the fifth year in a row it has made it to the top of the slippery seaside pole. It earned five-star ratings for its beach, seafront, scenery, and peaceful atmosphere.
Situated about an hour's drive from Newcastle, Bamburgh attracts thousands of people every year. And this is part of the problem — and why I found myself left cold by its alleged charms. When I visited earlier this month, the sheer number of people crowded along its narrow pavements really took the calm edge off the village’s peaceful reputation.
Cars are also a big issue. On a hot June day, the stream of traffic on the arterial road that runs through Bamburgh's centre is relentless. The closest train station is seven miles away in Chathill, and the buses are sporadic, so any hopes of embarking on a relaxing, car-free day trip will prove difficult.
What do you think of Bamburgh? Let us know in the comments below or email webtravel@reachplc.com
READ MORE: UK's best and worst seaside towns named - with tiny village new favourite
Gripes about logistics aside, the real issue with Bamburgh is its vibe. Central to the charm of Britain's great seaside towns is a slightly edgy, salty quality in some way connected to large quantities of sailors. Bamburgh, with its Farrow and Ball doors and memorial benches, has none of this.
The stars of the show in Bamburgh are the beach and the castle. It is undeniable that the combination of the two — how the 1,400-year-old fort hangs above the broad, sandy shore — is magnificent. You won’t find me criticising Bamburgh Castle.
The beach, however, is arguably a little one-note. Once you’ve waded out half a mile to get to a patch of water deep enough to paddle in, you’ll be frozen by a North Sea that rarely swells itself into anything remotely as interesting as what you’d find on the UK’s Atlantic coast.
If you’re in search of a very long beach, Camber Sands near Rye in East Sussex not only enjoys a lot more sunshine — as one of the sunniest places in the country — it also has superior sand dunes, particularly so if you’re a teenager interested in launching yourself off their summits.
If you’re looking for pure picturesqueness, there are plenty of more peaceful seaside towns that give you space to contemplate the waves and commune with nature. Glenelg, on the west coast of Scotland, is one. It’s home to not only the best pub garden in the UK — courtesy of the Glenelg Inn — but also the staggeringly pretty beach of Sandaig.
The peaceful spot was immortalised as Camusfearna in Ring of Bright Water, a book written by Gavin Maxwell about his life living alongside pet otters. With its winding paths, craggy islands, and coves, it delivers a lot more than the flat track on offer at Bamburgh.
Of course, the Northumberland coastline is a stunner. But if you’re in that neck of the woods, then why not travel a few miles further north from Bamburgh to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, where you’ll find a unique species of orchid, the remains of St Cuthbert’s hermit hole, a castle and — when I went — a choir of mournfully singing seals?
At the end of a yomp around the achingly beautiful island, there’s the thrill of driving across the causeway that connects the tidal island to the mainland. As warning signs in the car park gleefully note, many an overconfident Range Rover driver has found themselves bobbing around in the salty drink in a belated effort to make it across.
Clearly, I am in the minority when it comes to my indifference to this chart-topping coastal spot.
One Bamburgh visitor told Which? what they love about it: “It’s a gem. The beaches are sandy, clean, and stretch for miles. There are walks galore, the food on offer is top notch, the feel is of a time gone by, and there’s enough history to delve into to last several holidays.”
An average night’s stay in Bamburgh costs £130, which is reasonable. If you’re looking to splash out, then the castle’s current owners, Francis and Claire Watson-Armstrong, will have you to stay.
Francis is a fifth-generation custodian of the Grade I listed building — originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as Din Guarie, dating back around 3,000 years.
“The castle’s history goes back 3,000 years. It has been in his family since 1894, which is relatively recent in the grand scheme of things. The first Lord Armstrong, who bought the castle, was an incredible inventor who was called ‘the Magician of the North’,” Claire told The Mirror.
For Claire, the fact that Bamburgh won the Which? survey yet again shows how remarkable a place it is — especially given that it is not gifted with the sun and warmth of seaside counterparts in the south of the country.
“There is nowhere like Bamburgh. You can see dolphins, the sunsets, the sunrises. You just stand there and breathe in — the smell of the sea. It is unique. As it has been over the centuries, there is something about the soul of the place,” she said.
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