Why Bamburgh keeps being crowned Britain’s best seaside town

Nobody is swimming in the shimmering water off the UK’s no. 1 beach. It’s a little too nippy, though a few hardy waders are splashing about.

But you immediately ‘get’ why Bamburgh Beach in Northumberland is so regularly – for six years in a row now – voted top of the Which? consumer champion’s annual survey of the country’s best stretches of coastline.

The sand is soft and tan-coloured. Dunes sprouting wispy grᴀss arise, simultaneously acting as a windbreak and a sun trap – and somehow a bulwark against the hectic modern life beyond.

It is quiet. There are neither amusement arcades nor pleasure rides in Bamburgh village (population 414). There is no graffiti, not a scrap of litter. This is no gaudy Blackpool or Brighton.

The beach stretches 1.5 miles. Near Bamburgh Lighthouse, starfish and hermit crabs dwell in inky rock pools. Discreetly tucked away is a tiny, unpretentious beach hut named Bait at Bamburgh selling £9.50 crab sandwiches and £5.50 bacon ʙuттies.

This is as much ‘commercialism’ as you get.

Bamburgh Beach has been voted top of the Which? consumer champion’s annual survey of the country’s best stretches of coastline

The Daily Mail’s travel writer, Tom Chesshyre, visited the Northumberland spot

‘We’ve been open seven years. Every year the business grows,’ says Monty, who is preparing sandwiches. ‘It’s always bouncing here.’

You might be on a remote stretch of Californian sand or a peaceful Caribbean island, were it not for the cooler weather, of course. But what really seals the deal is what juts sharply upwards inland, dominating nine acres of hill above the village in a vivid silhouette.

Bamburgh Castle is arguably Britain’s finest seaside castle and the trump card in the UK’s annual ‘top beach’ discussion. 

Not only is it almost impossible to take your eyes off, with its solid Norman keep, battlements, high leaded windows, conical towers and splendid blue-and-gold-faced clock. It is also imbued with history that seems to drift down the dunes.

Romans had a fort here long ago, before Bamburgh became an Anglo-Saxon stronghold when a powerful king named Ida took control of what was then the northern kingdom of Bernicia, in 547AD. 

This kingdom, after the defeat of local rivals, became Northumbria and was later to be run by Ida’s grandson King Aethelfrith, whose wife was Queen Bebba.

In her honour, the fortress was named ‘Bebbanburgh’. Over the years this became Bamburgh.

Yet it was another ruler in this line, King Oswald, who had even greater impact. After being exiled to Iona in the Inner Hebrides, he returned to reclaim Bamburgh in 633AD. 

Bamburgh Castle, pictured, overlooks the beach which Chesshyre writes is ‘arguably Britain’s finest seaside castle’

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Then, he invited Aidan, later to become St Aidan (famous for appreciating rich and poor alike), to visit and spread Christianity. He even gave Aidan nearby Lindisfarne Island. Hence Holy Island, another major local draw alongside the Farne Islands.

I am lucky enough to be shown the castle’s grand halls, armoury and wood-panelled chambers by Claire Watson-Armstrong, wife of Francis, Bamburgh Castle’s owner. 

She tells me that parts of Netflix series The Last Kingdom starring Alexander Dreymon were filmed here. The castle is privately owned by the Armstrongs after the highly successful hydraulics engineer William Armstrong purchased it in the 19th century.

Of the beach below, Claire says: ‘I love it. I go paddle boarding and swimming.’ Sometimes, dolphins join her.

Bamburgh village is not too quiet. There are three pubs: the Lord Crewe, the Middle Inn (my favourite) and the Victoria H๏τel, where I stay in a smart, comfortable room. The Potted Lobster, beside the Victoria, is famous for seafood and rightly so. 

A charming couple, West Yorkshire retirees whom I befriend at the Potted Lobster, say they long ago gave up on Cornwall: ‘It’s just too busy’.

The village has a handful of independent shops: no chains. At the Pantry (crab sandwiches £8, kippers £3), owner Julie, formerly of Cornwall, backs Bamburgh too: ‘The beaches here are superior [to Cornwall’s],’ she says.

Bamburgh village is quiet with neither amusement arcades nor pleasure rides, like those found in other seaside resorts

To top it all off, Bamburgh has another proud history: Grace Darling (1815-1842), who helped save nine lives in an infamous 1838 shipwreck, lived locally.

What a beach and you can even surf on it. No wonder Bamburgh keeps winning (even if it can be a tad chilly).

Travel facts 

London-Berwick from £39 one-way (trainline.com). Berwick-Bamburgh taxis from £55 (berwickupontweedtaxis.co.uk). 

Doubles at the Victoria from £170 (thevictoriaH๏τelbamburgh.co.uk). Two courses at the Potted Lobster from £35 (thepottedlobster.co.uk). Bamburgh Castle entry £19.95 (bamburghcastle.com).

For more information, go to visitnorthumberland.com.