emilywillisblogAlnmouth beach is situated in the North East of England, in Northumberland, near the market town of Alnwick, and the neighbouring beach of Warkworth. Although the beach is not recommended for swimmers, for walkers and beach lovers it is a stunning beach with a variety of pubs and restaurants and cafes to enjoy nearby, and it is very accessible from the train station and carpark, making it an excellent place to visit.
Best walks at Alnmouth beach
Alnmouth beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Northumberland, but is often overlooked for other beaches such as Bamburgh. Alnmouth is often a lot quieter than Bamburgh, even in high season, which is a draw for those seeking solitude and contemplation in nature away from the rowdiness of tourists.
Alnmouth beach is fed by the river Aln and it is a pleasant walk down to the beach along the river where the estuary mouth gives onto the sea in a beautiful curve sweeping the edge of the village, resembling an impressionist painter’s flourish.
To the South of the beach, you can see boats bobbing in the estuary and beyond that, the large sand dunes of Warkworth beach, which always seem to be sun kissed. The beach is lined by large concrete boulders which get very warm on sunny days and make for nice places to lie back and look up at the sky or have a picnic.
When the tide is out it is quite a walk, perhaps around 300m to the tideline across the shingle and the tide leaves little shimmering pools where if you’re lucky you often find huge dripping barnacle-encrusted dog whelk shells that have been deposited by the estuary.
A golf course lines the edge of the beach but it does not distract you from your walk – you rarely hear any noise from the golf course and viewing it from the beach it just looks like fields. Behind this are some hills covered in brambles and nettles and on top of these are the old braziers, which still get lit at New Year.
Walking to the North, you will eventually make it to Boulmer beach if you traverse the rocky outcrop at the end of the beach. It is a large and straight beach and because of this can trick you into thinking it’s a shorter walk than it is. Traversing the length of Alnmouth beach from the far end of the carpark to the far end of the rockpools bordering the edge of the next beach and returning, will take in total around 2 hours if walking at a leisurely pace. You often find in high season that the majority of visitors do not stray far from the entrance to the carpark and you only have to walk for about 15 minutes before you’re unlikely to see another soul other than the odd dog walker, which makes it perfect for contemplating the sea in peace.
There are some alternative walks you can take, for example up to St Cuthbert’s Cross on the steep Church Hill, which affords great views of the surrounding area.
Is Alnmouth beach accessible?
Alnmouth beach is pretty flat and has a decent amount of wet sand even at high tide which makes it ideal for walkers.
The beach is long and straight and because of that you will have to contend with some sandbreakers which stop windblown sand being swept the entire way along the beach. Some of these battered fences are quite high to step over, so it’s something to bear in mind if mobility is difficult for you.
The carpark at Alnmouth is right on the beach and there aren’t any sand dunes to climb so it’s great for getting straight onto the beach if balance is an issue for you or you can’t walk very far.
There are rocks at the end of the beach which would have to be traversed if you wanted to walk around the cove to the next beach towards Boulmer. Bear in mind these are very uneven and very slippy – even when dry they are covered in bladderwrack which will be slippy so is best avoided if you have problems with balance or want to avoid the possibility of a twisted ankle, and they are unsuitable for a pushchair.
Safety considerations at Alnmouth beach
Never swim in the estuary. It has surprise rip currents and it fills up very quickly when the tide is coming in. This also means you need to be careful if at low tide you have paddled across the estuary to the ocean beyond, because you could turn around to find yourself faced with the full force of a suddenly very deep river cutting you off from the shoreline. Trying to swim across here would be arduous and likely to sweep you off your feet and carry you horizontally across the coastline and then out to sea. Official advice is now not to swim at any location at Alnmouth beach because the estuary waters cut across the whole beach on incoming tides, and effectively make a sand bank of the entire beach.
Most people visiting the beach will be coming via car or on foot which necessitates crossing the golf course. Beware of unruly golf balls as you don’t want to be hit in the head by one of those!
How to get to Alnmouth beach?
Alnmouth is home to one of the only functioning train stations on the Northumberland coastline. The station is only a couple of miles’ walk from the beach itself which makes it very convenient for travellers coming by train. You have even been known to be able to get direct trains from the South e.g London and Oxford, to Alnmouth too. When you leave the station, turn left and you will come to a bus stop and then a small bridge over the river. Cross this and continue walking to the next mini roundabout and turn right. Then take a left and follow the road around where it bends sharply and then downhill. It will bring you out near the golf course which you can traverse to get to the beach.
If you are coming by car, you can access Alnmouth from the A1 motorway near Hakhill and Hipsburn.
There is car parking available at Alnmouth beach. On weekends and in the high season there is a parking charge and you will need to pay the attendant at the hut on entry as there are no parking meters where you can pay by phone. The carpark does not have marked bays and is a mixture of stone and pebbles and potholes so do bear this in mind if you have a car which you don’t want to get muddy or have any pebbles hit it. The carpark is also relatively small and liable to get full at peak times in the high season, so do get there early if you don’t want to walk from the overflow parking in the field next to the golf course.
Food and drink in Alnmouth
Alnmouth village has some lovely eateries. You will have to walk uphill from the beach to get here or else attempt to find somewhere to park which can be a little tricky in Alnmouth itself as there isn’t a lot of on street parking and the streets are narrow, so this is something to bear in mind. The Hope and Anchor will cater to a lot of dietary requirements such as vegetarian and gluten free and has an elevated menu, with country house hotel vibes. Dogs are allowed in too. The Schooner is a lovely small pub with good local ales that is also purportedly haunted for those who like a good ghost story.
Things to do in Alnmouth
Aside from the beach there is not a plethora of tourist attractions in Alnmouth, but this lends the village its quiet charm and a sense of being a coastal haven. At Alnmouth harbour there is also the Ferryman’s Hut which is the smallest museum in Northumberland. There is also an art gallery in Alnmouth situated in a 19th century schoolhouse called The Old School Gallery, which has a courtyard covered in red geraniums out the back where you can sit and have coffee and pizza.
There is lots to see in surrounding places near Alnmouth, such as the fishing village of Amble, and Alnwick a few miles inland, where, if you’re an avid reader, you can quite happily while away a whole day in the secondhand and rare bookshop Barter Books, located in an abandoned railway station. Alnwick is also home to Alnwick Castle and a wide variety of gift shops, restaurants, and pubs.
Where can I stay in Alnmouth?
Airbnb and Sykes cottages have some places to stay in Alnmouth, but there aren’t a lot, so make sure to book up well in advance. In terms of hotels, the Sun Inn and the Schooner have rooms, as does the Hope and Anchor. Prices will be over £100 per night in high season.
