Getting Here

Here we are, we're over here...

Here's a location map of St Cuthbert's House, on Google maps. (It will open in a new window) It's very cool - you can use the slider to zoom in and out to get your bearings. Be sure to try the 'Satellite' option, which shows you an aerial photo - when you zoom right in, you can see our car parked outside the house. (Yes, really...you can!)

Driving yourself round the bends...

Here are some driving directions in pdf format, which bring you from the main A1 trunk road directly to the front door, via the shortest and most direct route. I can personally guarantee their accuracy.

If you're coming from the south then these are the directions you need.

If you're approaching from Scotland then you need this set of directions.

If you insist on using your satnav, and are prepared for it to take you on a circuitous mystery tour around the lanes of Northumberland, then tell it to bring you to NE68 7UB. Call us when you get frustrated, or lost. And remember - don't shout at that lady who's telling you which way to go, because she's not real.

You could use the AA Route Planner to plan a route to us. Enter your starting point, and enter our postcode NE68 7UB in the 'To' box,and hit 'Get Route'. You can't go wrong. Except we always seem to, every time we use one of these.

If you're approaching from the West - well you already know where you are, on those country lanes. If you're coming from the East then look for the lighthouse flashing twice every 15 seconds, and pull your oars in because you're nearly here.

If you plan to drop in by balloon (no jet-packs please, we're in an AONB) here are the coordinates: Lat 55.57591221431669 Long -1.6693425178527832

On the right track...

We are close to the main East Coast railway line, which carries high-speed trains run by (insert the name of the train operator who will soon renege on the terms of the franchise here) between Scotland and London, and also Cross-Country services between Edinburgh and the south-west. The trains pass within four miles of St Cuthbert's House, but unfortunately we have to travel much further to actually get on or off any of them. The nearest mainline stations are at Alnmouth (15 miles to the south) and Berwick-upon-Tweed (about 20 miles to the north). Bus services run from either town to Seahouses, although they can hardly be described as 'frequent'.

Much as we would like to be able to wholeheartedly recommend this modus transportum, the fact is that (although the train is a delightful way to get to the region), public transport - or the relative lack of it - makes it difficult to conveniently move around and actually get to places, once you're here. Coming by train is great if you're a strong walker, or bringing your bike...or don't mind slowly pottering around the countryside on an empty bus.

If you're really determined, there is one slow train per day which connects from Newcastle-upon-Tyne (a mainline interchange) to our sleepy local station called Chathill, which is four miles from here. But there are absolutely no buses from there. See what I mean?

If you want (or need) to come by train, then please contact us so we can help you to plan your journey, and your transport from the station to St Cuthbert's House.

Some useful travel-by-train links:
East Coast trains
Cross-country trains
thetrainline.com (covers all networks but you seem to pay a commission to them.)

Magic Bus

There are a number of coach networks which seem to link virtually every town in Europe together. The nearest main coach drop-off point is Alnwick.

Some useful travel-by-coach links:
National Express coaches
Megabus

On your bike

Northumberland is a cyclist's dream. There's a great choice of beautiful, quiet waymarked routes, both on and off-road. Sustrans' 'jewel' is the Coast and Castles route, which goes - literally - past our front door. It's a linear route, but it's easy to turn sections of it into circular tours. As well as the 'official' waymarked routes, almost every road for miles around makes for wonderful cycling.

St Cuthbert's House is a great base for a cycling holiday. We have routes, ideas, maps and advice, as well as a track pump and a well-stocked bike toolkit. We also have about 20 spare inner tubes of every conceivable dimension... the result of being a large cycling family! We do have secure and dry cycle storage available too, and therefore we earned the 'Cyclists Welcome' accolade. Cool.

To quote an old pop song I vaguely remember: 'I don't care how you get here; just get here if you can...'