Dog Friendly Beaches and Accommodation

Northumberland is unique in so many ways but one of my favourite reasons has to be the fact that you can take your pooch with you, practically anywhere in fact! The beaches here are not only an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but we are the only County in the UK that has almost no restrictions on its beaches for dogs. Imagine that! An absolute haven for dog lovers and to back it up Northumberland delivers with pet friendly accommodation too, with so many visitors bringing their pets why wouldn’t they? Gone are the days where pet friendly self-catering accommodation tended to be a little grubby and smell of dogs, the perfect examples are Stablewood Coastal Cottages.

Located in and around Bamburgh and Budle Bay, Stablewood are relatively new to the Self Catering market after opening around a year ago but they’re making quite a splash. Stablewood offer 5 beautiful Cottages and 2 Lodges, all with immediate access to one of our favourite glorious beaches!

Budle Bay is a beautiful and important bird sanctuary, with huge mud flats that are exposed at low tide. The whole area is part of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve and is very popular with birdwatchers, particularly in the winter when thousands of wildfowl and waders spend their winter on the bay's mud flats. Beaches sprawl from here South towards Bamburgh offering the perfect coastal escape with your pets.

We are rather spoiled for choice when it comes to dog friendly beaches but we’ve racked our brains and come up with our favourites:

Our Top 5 Dog Friendly Beaches in Northumberland
1 Bamburgh and Budle Bay
2 Alnmouth
3 Druridge Bay
4 Beadnell Bay
5 Warkworth Beach

Do you agree?

With spectacular beaches on your doorstep and lots to see Stablewood Coastal Cottages are situated in prime locations, so get in touch soon and stay in an area that boasts outstanding natural beauty with one of the most magnificent coastlines in the United Kingdom. Because they are all together they are great for groups of friends and extended family members.

www.stablewoodcoastalcottages.com
t: 01668 219607 f: 01668 219645
e: tkj@stablewoodcoastalcottages.com

Award-winning Photo from Alnmouth Beach

I was really pleased to be informed yesterday that this photo I took of my dog on Alnmouth beach came third in a National photo competition to find Britain's Next Top Dog that was being run by Welcome Cottages. I've been visiting Alnmouth for as long as I can remember and it is such a special place to me and my family, so I was thrilled to find out that the photo had won a prize.

The photo came about in a really strange way, we were walking along the beach as we had done thousands of times before and Homer just stopped and sat down in a rare monent of calmness. He stared out to sea as if transfixed on something amazingly beautiful that we couldn't see. Perhaps he just stopped to admire the view (and who could blame him!), but it gave me just enough time to snap him in a real moment of serendipity. I can't help but think the location is what sold the judges on the photo, it has to be my favourite beach in Northumberland.... and that's not an easy decision to make!

I look forward to receiving the canvas print that is part of the prize.

Budle Bay and Waren Mill

What could be more beautiful than one of the most important bird watching bays in the United Kingdom? Waren Mill sits on the edge of Budle Bay, at low tide it is a vast expanse of mud-flats, home to literally thousands of migratory birds in the winter. At high tide in the summer, the bay is filled with watersports enthusiasts enjoying kite surfing and jet skiing in one of the most naturally beautiful, and safe, venues around. Your Guide to Budle Bay and Waren Mill is complete and can be read here http://www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/area-guides/budle-bay-waren-mill

Bamburgh Village Guide

'It's a coastline ravaged by nature and steeped in history, there's a story round every single corner ...you're not just looking at a view, you're standing in the footsteps of kings, and all on one of the most dramatic coastlines nature has to offer.' Janet Street Porter on ITV's Britain's Best View.

Bamburgh is a stunningly attractive small Village set on the Northern stretch of the Northumberland Coast. It is without doubt dominated by it's magnificently striking Castle that can be seen for miles around, giving the whole Village a somewhat dramatic feeling. You can't fail to be impressed by the sheer scale of the Castle once you are up close and in the Village itself. There is much to do in the Village alongside the Castle and it's amazing history, there are impressive stretches of pure golden sandy beaches, many 'proper' English tea rooms and restaurants, St Aidan's Church and a newly renovated museum dedicated to Grace Darling, amongst other things. Click here for Your Guide to the wonderful coastal Village of Bamburgh.

After ten years, it's still a "Wow"

This is why i love this County. A bit of history first, I grew up in the heart of Northumberland and it is the only place that i will ever consider to be 'home', I love it dearly. My partner grew up in the Midlands and we have been visiting places all over the County for over ten years together. Not long ago we were discussing where we could go for a bit of a walk and a drink at the weekend, "I fancy somewhere different"... so i wracked my brains and realised that for some reason we'd never been to the beach at Low Newton and had a drink at the Ship Inn. How could we have overlooked it for so long?

So off we went on a gloriously sunny morning, drove through the village and out towards Low Newton beach. As we hit the brow of the hill something amazing happened. The stunning view of the beach at low tide sprawled out in front of us, the sea sparking in the low sunlight and Dunstanburgh Castle's dramatic ruins finishing off the horizon like a punctuation mark. "oh wow" i hear next to me in the car. After over ten years of exploring and enjoying this amazing place, it's still capable of raising a "wow" from a seasoned travellor. And that's why i love Northumberland.