Useful stuff for planning your trip

A one-stop preparation resource...

We want this to be a library of all kinds of useful resources, so that you'll have loads of ideas for things to do when you arrive. Any link which you click on this page should open in a new window or a new tab, so this page will always be open, somewhere on your screen.

Local restaurants, hotels and other places to eat

We're gathering lots of informal culinary reviews from our guests. Here are some of their recommendations, all of which we have personal experience of too. There are lots of ways we could arrange and classify them, but of course the 'best' one for you depends on what you're looking for. If you tell us, then we'll tell you...

So for the sake of simplicity, these eateries are arranged simply by proximity to St Cuthbert's House - but I cannot resist offering a completely subjective and personal opinion:

These places are in the centre of our village, which is walkable in about 12-15 mins:
The Spice House 01665 720345 (Indian restaurant, no-nonsense good curry)
The Links Hotel, Seahouses 01665 720062 (good pub-restaurant food, huge portions)
Indian Brasserie 01665 722999 (a good Indian - with tablecloths!)
The Olde Ship, Seahouses 01665 720200 (a must-visit, the best drinkers' pub in Seahouses by some margin)
Neptune Fish & Chip restaurant, Seahouses (no need to book!)

These places are in neighbouring villages; Bamburgh is 3 miles, Beadnell 2 miles, Newton 5 miles, and Alnwick/Beal are both about 15 miles:
The Mizen Head, Bamburgh 01668 214254 (upmarket, very good-quality food)
The Beadnell Towers Hotel, Beadnell 01665 721211 (great food, quirky pub)
Blacketts of Bamburgh 01668 214714 (small cafe-style restaurant, with a good reputation)
The Lord Crewe Hotel, Bamburgh 01668 214243 (Not-bad Italian restaurant)
The Joiner's Arms, High Newton 01665 576112 (recently refurbed, good pub food)
The Ship, Low Newton 01665 576262 (famous, busy, small, good reputation)
The Tree House at Alnwick Garden 01665 511852 (a real tree-house, up a real tree)
The Barn at Beal 01289 540044 (dinner at weekends only, lovely setting)

Local Information

There are two taxi firms in Seahouses:
Louise and Alan run Hunters Taxis 01665 720400
Andrew is Park Taxis 01665 720542

Don't venture across the causeway without carfully observing the Holy Island safe crossing times

Doctor's Surgery, Seahouses Medical Centre 01665 720917 (an outpost of Belford Medical Practice)

Tourist Information Office, Seahouses, 01665 720884

Ordnance Survey maps you might find useful are Landranger Sheet 75 (Berwick, Holy Island & Wooler), and Landranger 81 Alnwick & Morpeth, Rothbury & Amble...and others depending on how far afield you want to go! They can be purchased locally of course, or we can lend you one for a day out. If you want to walk sections of the 62-mile Northumberland Coast Path, you'll be better with the Explorer range of OS maps. The whole walk is covered by Sheets 325,332,340 and 346 - as well as the Landranger maps listed above. Don't forget your boots...

Seahouses Development Trust, Main Street, Seahouses

Churches:
Seahouses Methodist Church, Main St Seahouses has services at 10.45am on Sundays. The Minister is Rev Pauline Fellows, 01665 720349.
St Paul's Parish Church, North Sunderland. The Parish Church is just a few strides form St Cuthbert's House. Family Communion is held every Sunday at 10.30am, and there's lots going on at other times in the week too.The Minister is Rev Jane Wood, 01665 720202
St Aidan's RC Church King St Seahouses. Mass at 11am every Sunday and Holy Days, Saturday Vigil Mass 12 noon. Fr Tony Owens, 01665 720427
St Cuthbert's United Reformed Church meets in the Parish Church at 9.30am each Sunday. This is the small congregation who vacated St Cuthbert's as we bought it - and they will give you a very warm welcome, especially if you tell them where you're staying! Minister Rev David Herbert, 01668 219594
Erskine United Reformed Church, Nursery Lane Belford (about 8 miles from St Cuthberts House) meets at 10.30am on Sundays. Minister Rev David Herbert, 01668 219594

Links

This visitnortheastengland page has a lovely short video which plays when the page loads (if you have Flash installed), and then if you click on the 'Northumberland' link below the main picture panel, there's another, more detailed 8-minute film about our area. Watch them, and be convinced... We've also managed to get DVD copies of this video, so there's one in your room too.

Visit Northumberland - the official visitor site for Northumberland. It has a very comprehensive things to do page , which we couldn't hope to surpass.
Vist Northumberland also have a nice website about Hadrian's Wall, a marvellous spectacle which makes for a great day out from St Cuthbert's House.

The North Northumberland Tourism Association website has lots of useful information too.

northumberland-coast.co.uk is another very useul collection of information for the visitor, and so is yournorthumberland.co.uk

Boat trips to the Farne Islands with Billy Shiel - although there are also several other companies offering the same trips, including Serenity who run a catamaran reputed to be more stable in the water, and Golden Gate, which is the only one which can get you to the Longstone Lighthouse

Our friend Martin Kitching runs Northern Experience Wildlife Tours, and provides exclusive natural history excursions and birdwatching tours. He's an enthusiastic, experienced and friendly leader with an intimate knowledge of Northern Britain.

Alnwick Castle (01665 510777) is the medieval family home of the Duke of Northumberland and the film location for Harry Potter's Hogwarts School.
Alnwick Garden (01665 511350) - Now a large visitor attraction, and vision of the Duchess of Northumberland - The Alnwick Garden is gardening on a grand scale, and it's something you have to do...

... but if you're really into gardening, you might prefer these little-known but absolutely fantastic 'gardener's gardens': Howick Hall Gardens Howick has been owned by the Grey family (of Earl Grey tea fame - but did you know he was also Prime Minister - it's a fascinating story which you can read something about here and here ) since 1319. It has a delightful tearoom, as you might expect. The gardens are about 15 mins drive from St Cuthbert's House. Chipchase Castle Nursery is about an hour's drive from us, through beautiful countryside. Stanton Hall gardens and plant centre is about 7 miles form Morpeth. Bide-A-Wee is a little gem, near Morpeth. Herterton House is in Cambo, near Morpeth.

Barter Books, in Alnwick, is one of the largest second-hand bookshops in the country, and is a based in the old railway station, with waiting (now reading) room, a model railway tootling around above your head, open fires and very cheap coffee! It's a great place to visit and is unsurpassed as a rainy day option! Bookworms beware, this place is addictive.

Bamburgh Castle (01668 214 515) - Perhaps the most iconic photo you'll take, or see - but be sure to get into the right place to take it - we can help...

Chillingham Castle ( 01668 215359) is a charming, rustic, non-polished castle which is very endearing. You can also visit the rare, unusual and famous Chillingham Wild Cattle whilst you're out that way. Our teenagers visited reluctantly, and came back raving about them!

Cragside House (National Trust) was the first house in the world to have hydroelectric powered lighting. It has recently reopened after extensive renovation work. This is a 'must see' place. The house is beautiful, and so are the grounds, with a scenic drive and 40 miles of footpaths.

Just 11 miles further on from Cragside is Wallington Hall, another National Trust gem, especially for gardeners.

The Chain Bridge Honey Farm The historic chain bridge across the Tweed at Horncliffe is well worth a visit. The honey farm, at the English end of the bridge, has a great visitor centre which tells the honey & bee story, and you can watch the bees at work. Willy Robson has been such a great help in getting our own St Cuthbert's House bees settled here in the village. The honey farm has a double-decker bus for a tearoom, and a London bus and lots of other vintage vehicles pootling about.

If you're going up that way, you might want to visit the fortified town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. If you really want to get to know about the town's turbulent and colourful history, we thoroughly recommend a guided walk in the company of Derek Sharman of 'Time to Explore'. He is expert and friendly - and his walks cost just a few pounds, but really open you up to things you would otherwise be oblivious to. Derek also does a guided walk of Bamburgh at 6pm on Sundays too - well worth doing.

Our favourite castle is Dunstanburgh (01665 576231) and makes for a lovely walk from the north or south (you can't take the car to it, but it's a lovely coastal walk from either Craster or Embleton links.)

Our favourite local drive is a day out over the tops, which we'll be happy to share with you - but in the middle is a chance to talk a short walk from the road to Ros Castle. Not a lot of people know about it...

Our friends Mark & Mary Fleeson run The Lindisfarne Scriptorium on Holy Island, and we'd thoroughly recommend a visit to see her artwork.

We're sure you'll want to venture across the causeway to Lindisfarne. But please, heed the safe crossing times. It seems unbelievable that people choose to drive their cars into the sea and need to be rescued by the lifeboat, but it happens regularly in the summer.

Whilst you're on the island, you should visit the Lindisfarne Heritage Centre (01289 389004). Be sure to check the safe crossing times before you go (or try to come back) They're also on the wall in our Cuthbert Room. Getting the message?

The last building you pass as you leave the mainland (or the first one on your way back) is The Barn at Beal and we always try to make it a tea-break stop. It's a lovely place, with a great panoramic view across the enormous vista.

Whilst we're talking of Lindisfarne, you might want to listen to a BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour feature - which is now quite old but is still pertinent - about the Lindisfarne Gospels - something you should definitely explore, because it's an absolutely amazing document. The Heritage Centre has an interesting computer-based display about them. Here's a snapshot to whet your appetite, and here's the British Library's site about the Gospels. (The originals are there, and it makes a great 10-minute stop-off when arriving into Kings Cross by train.)

Flodden 1513 is an interesting site dedicated to educating and informing you about what happened at the Battle of Flodden Field, which is just a few miles from here, and its significance. Fascinating.

Heatherslaw Mill and Lady Waterford Hall, Ford (01890 820338) makes for a lovely day out. You should take in nearby Etal too. It's 'off the beaten track' a bit, and that makes Ford & Etal Estate all the more charming. There are lovely riverside and country walks, a castle, a thatched pub and even a light-gauge railway. And don't miss Duddo Stones whilst you're out that way.

Preston Tower (01665 589227) is an intriguing Border Pele Tower, open to the public without a lot of hype and spin...

If you're into wildlife and the natural landscape, you might find the Nature on the Map site useful, as you can search it to find all the special places. Enter Seahouses in the search box and away you'll go..

Warkworth Castle and Hermitage (English Heritage: 01665 711423) is well worth a visit.

If (like us) you're into music, then there's a fantastic live music venue in Rothbury - which is a bit of a hike for a night out, but we'll take it whenever we can. The schedule is available on the Rothbury Roots website.

The Northumbria Community - a Christian Community drawing inspiration from the Celtic Saints.

A while ago we had a lovely email from a lady called Rachel who has a website about her work and her hermitage, called St Cuthbert's House! Her work is lovely, and so we thought we'd encourage you to visit...

We get lots of birdwatchers coming to Northumberland. If you're one of them, you might want to check out theNorthumberland page on the 'fat birder' site.

For a self catering holiday cottage near beautiful Dunstanburgh Castle, Shepherds Cottage - Self Catering Holiday Cottage, Dunstan Steads, Northumberland Coast sleeps 5 and is available all year round. And Fenton Hill farm cottages are also lovely, if you're looking for self-catering accommodation.

We had some very nice people with us recently who run Corbridge Art. They produce exceptionally beautiful bespoke pewter and jewellery, inspired by Northumbrian heritage.

Our dear friend Tim Ralph recently came to Seahouses to give an account of his fantastic achievement, in being the oldest Briton to summit the highest mountain on each of the world's Continents. He donated the funds raised to local charity, so the least I can do is give a link to his excellent website.

If perhaps you were actually intending to visit Weardale rather than the Northumberland Coast, then you should really stay with our friends Rupert & Jill at Dowfold House. They won a Silver Award at the North-East Tourism Awards 2010, when we won Gold - but we have stayed friends nonetheless. Their place is lovely, and you could find no better base for Teesdale, Weardale, or Durham. But how did you end up here, if you were looking for them?