Paws across Bamburgh | Northumberland

Beautiful, beachy, Bamburgh was the perfect location for our first mini-break with Buffy. We were keen to see how she would cope with both the car journey (approx. 4 hrs each way) along with staying somewhere unfamiliar and exploring new scenery, including the beach!

Despite being a little bit anxious in the car, Buffy settled into the journey incredibly well… I made every possible provision to ensure that the car would be a tranquil place for her to relax by spraying calming mists and administered homeopathic remedies before we set off. I also sat with her throughout the journey and although she was a little jittery at first, she eventually relaxed and wedged herself firmly between my leg and Elsa. We broke the journey up with a stop at Tebay Services. (Although not dog friendly inside, they do have a nice area where you can sit outside and enjoy the lovely view.)

We booked a holiday cottage that was as close to the beach as possible so that we could enjoy morning and evening walks with the pups along the wide stretches of sand. On arrival, the location did not disappoint and we had barely settled in before we headed out to explore and get our bearings. I’ve read so many great reviews about this part of the coastline and how dog friendly it is and my expectations were surpassed. Once over the dunes, you can see the beach stretching out for miles. The area delivers spectacular views of both the castle and the shoreline from every angle, complemented by the mood of the weather and framed by the colour of the sky.

As a reward for the long morning walk (including carrying Buffy part of the way so that she didn’t over-exert herself) we stopped at a local dog friendly pub/hotel called The Lord Crewe where I enjoyed a delicious bacon sandwich, washed down with a hot chocolate. We returned to this pub again the following day for lunch with our family too, and discovered that they also sold doggy ice cream!

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh is a small village with a handful of shops, pubs, restaurants, cafes and hotels that are all overlooked by one majestic, imposing structure – Bamburgh Castle.

We found it to be very accommodating towards visitors with dogs on the whole, with dogs even allowed in the castle grounds. We took turns to explore the interior of the castle – there is quite a lot to see inside. It doesn’t take too long to walk around the grounds but there were plenty of nooks and crannies for the dogs to sniff while we waited.