Out & About
Explore Your Surroundings
Budle Cove guests are spoilt for choice for things to see and do in the local area. Take in some of the incredible scenery and areas of outstanding natural beauty, enjoy a wide range of activities from the sedate to the lung busting and sample fantastic local produce from land and sea. Here are a few ideas to get you started…
Family Fun
There are many reasons why families keep coming back to the Northumberland coast to holiday year after year - some of Britain’s best beaches are right on the doorstep with endless dunes and rockpools to explore. You can get your kite out to make the most of the fresh north-easterlies or try your hand at surfing or paddle boarding. You can also take advantage of the many family-friendly cycle tracks that snake along the coast or book a pony trekking experience. For the more faint-hearted there are endless castles and gardens to take a stroll around – the list of things to do in the area really is endless!
Walking
The Northumberland coast path offers some of the finest coastal walking in Europe, stretching 100 kilometres (62 Miles) from Cresswell in the south to Berwick-upon-Tweed in the north. Alongside sandy beaches, over rocky headlands, past dramatic castles and through attractive coastal villages, the Northumberland Coast Path offers a constantly changing landscape which is a pleasure to explore. The route follows the coast in most places with an inland detour between Belford and Holy Island. Most of the paths are public rights of way (footpaths and bridleways) but in some places beaches, minor roads, tracks and permissive paths are used. The route is generally level with very few steep climbs. Most stiles along the route have been replaced with gates and the walking surfaces are generally good, although some sections of the path can become muddy in winter or after heavy rainfall.
Fishing
Visitors to Budle Cove can try their hand at sea angling in a variety of locations along the heritage coastline while the River Tweed with its abundance of Atlantic Salmon can be reached in an hour for those who prefer the challenge of fly fishing. Steeped in history, the Tweed is seen by many as the ultimate salmon fishing river.
Golf
If you’re a golf fan there are many reasons to visit Northumberland – 40 fantastic courses, spectacular scenery and warm hospitality. Courses hug the outstanding heritage coastline allowing you to sample true links, with courses like Goswick, Warkworth, Dunstanburgh Castle and Bamburgh Castle nestling just yards from stunning sandy beaches. The 40 golf courses in Northumberland offer visitors an incredibly wide and varied range of golfing options from the raw natural beauty of a coastal links course to the sweeping fairways of the many parkland courses that are scattered across the area.
Castles & Historic Houses
Northumberland and the Borders are blessed with more stately homes, castles and historic sites than you can shake a stick at! Visitors are spoilt for choice and while we would recommend jumping online to see what is on offer, you won’t be disappointed if you take a trip to any of Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Lindisfarne, Floors Castle, Thirlestane Castle, Paxton House, Manderston House or Mellerstain House. Enjoy!
Spa & Wellbeing
Everyone needs some time-out to relax and enjoy a little pampering now and again; it may be just the ticket to unwind and rejuvenate. Why not try the award winning Doxford Hall which, just off Northumberland’s Heritage Coast, offers half and full day spa packages, including body and facial treatments by Decleor. Further afield, Schloss Roxburghe has just opened Scotland’s finest Spa with an outdoor heated infinity pool, brilliant saunas and a first-class ambience!
Wildlife
The area around Budle Cove is home to outstanding scenery boasting woodland, rivers, sweeping moorlands and, of course, a picture perfect coastline; for nature lovers, that means an abundance of wildlife on the doorstep. The Farne Islands lie off just off the coast and are home to 23 bird species and 120,000 pairs of breeding birds, half of which are the characterful puffins. The Islands are also home to a colony of over 5000 grey seals - visit in late Autumn and you might be rewarded with the wonderful sight of up to 1,500 new-born seal pups. Boats to the Farne Islands leave every day from Seahouses harbour (weather permitting) and take approximately 30-60 minutes - you may even be lucky enough to spot a pod of dolphins or perhaps a minke whale along the way!
Shopping & Sites
City shopping and site seeing are available in Newcastle, 1 hour away by car or Edinburgh which is 1½ hours away by car or can be reached by hourly trains from Berwick.
Eating Out
There is nothing quite like a walk on the Northumberland coast to work up an appetite and there is plenty of choice when it comes to finding the right place to satisfy your hunger! Head to The Copper Kettle in Bamburgh for a great choice of cakes and sandwiches or check out one of the fish and chip shops in Seahouses. For the freshest seafood pulled from the North Sea the very same day, look no further than the Potted Lobster in Bamburgh where you’ll find a fixed menu and a blackboard of changing daily specials. Yum!