The Northumberland Coast is best known for its sweeping sandy beaches, rolling dunes and islands. This is a lovely gentle leisure cycling holiday that takes in the special qualities of this coastal landscape with spectacular views, as the route passes impressive castles and fortresses. There are opportunities most days to ride a longer or a shorter route, so daily distances are fairly flexible and range from 11 to 28 miles (18 to 44km) per day.
Beginning in the beautiful market town of Alnwick, there are plenty of local attractions to visit on your arrival day. Alnwick is home to the world-famous castle, thanks to Harry Potter, and 12 acres of award-winning gardens, well worth visiting before enjoying lunch in the world's largest Treehouse Restaurant. Alnwick itself is a fabulous introduction to Northumberland, with its medieval winding cobbled streets, delightful cafes, independent shops, and pretty riverside walks.
From Alnwick, you can choose to take the longer ride via Warkworth to see its impressive castle, before heading to the coast at Alnmouth, or take the shorter, more direct route to Alnmouth, before weaving northwards through pretty villages and skirting alongside wide sandy beaches and dunes. Your route takes you past the picturesque fishing villages of Craster and Seahouses and you get to pedal past the impressive coastal castles of Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh. If tide and time allow (always check!), you can cross the causeway to the historic Holy Island of Lindisfarne, where the Lindisfarne Gospels were written in the 8th Century. It is also home to the world-famous Lindisfarne mead.
The route continues north, to finish at the historic Elizabethan border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, with its impressive defences built during many years of border wars. From Berwick-upon-Tweed, we'll whisk you back to your car in Alnwick, or you can catch the train home from here.
This self-guided trip is available for a minimum of 2 people and accommodation, transfers, luggage transfers and emergency backup are all included. With access to the navigation app, you'll be able to navigate the route with ease. Nothing could be simpler! There is so much to see and do on our Northumberland Coast holiday, so if you are looking to add extra days to explore Alnwick or extra routes or transfers, then please let us know.