Plan your visit to Bamburgh Castle with North East Escapes. Explore the iconic clifftop fortress above Bamburgh Beach and find nearby holiday homes. |
Visit Bamburgh Castle, The Clifftop Fortress of the Northumberland Coast
Bamburgh Castle is one of the most dramatically sited buildings in England, rising from a great basalt outcrop above the golden sands of Bamburgh Beach on the Northumberland coast. Visible for miles in every direction, it commands an awe-inspiring presence above the sea, with the Farne Islands offshore and the Cheviot Hills rising inland. It is the largest inhabited castle in Northumberland, home to a remarkable collection of art, armour and artefacts, and one of the most photographed buildings in the country. A visit to Bamburgh is an experience that stays with you long after you leave.
The rock on which Bamburgh stands has been fortified since at least the sixth century, when it served as the royal seat of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia and later the unified kingdom of Northumbria. It was the birthplace of Saint Oswald and figures prominently in the history of early Christianity in the North. The Normans built a new castle here after the Conquest, and the great square keep that still dominates the site dates from the twelfth century. After centuries of neglect the castle was purchased in 1894 by the industrialist William Armstrong, first Baron Armstrong, who undertook an extensive restoration and furnished it with the treasures and collections you see today. The Armstrong family still own and run the castle.
The castle's fourteen state rooms contain a superb collection of arms and armour, including a magnificent display in the King's Hall, along with fine furniture, porcelain, tapestries and paintings accumulated by the Armstrong family over four generations. The Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum in the castle grounds tells the story of Lord Armstrong's revolutionary contribution to engineering and armaments. The Grace Darling connection runs deep here too: the Victorian heroine who rowed out to rescue survivors of the wrecked Forfarshire in 1838 grew up in Bamburgh, and the Grace Darling Museum in the village tells her extraordinary story. Outside the castle, the beach below is a spectacular place for walking and picnics, with views north to Holy Island and south to Dunstanburgh Castle.
Bamburgh Castle is located at Bamburgh, Northumberland, NE69 7DF, on the B1340 coast road. The nearest mainline railway station is Berwick-upon-Tweed, about 20 miles north, and Alnmouth, approximately 15 miles south. The castle is open daily from late February through to the end of November, and advance booking online is recommended in peak summer months. The village of Bamburgh has a small selection of cafés, pubs and shops. Parking is available in the village.
North East Escapes offers a beautiful collection of holiday homes near Bamburgh Castle, many within a short walk or drive of the castle itself. Staying near Bamburgh gives you instant access to one of England's finest coastal landscapes, with Bamburgh Beach on your doorstep, Seahouses harbour and the Farne Islands boat trips a few minutes away, and Holy Island reachable in under 30 minutes. Our Northumberland coast holiday homes are among the most popular in our collection, and the setting beneath Bamburgh Castle is truly unforgettable for a special family or couples break.
