How to get here at St Cuthbert's House

How to get here

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

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. They will open in a new tab or window.

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.

Here's a location map of St Cuthbert's House, on Google maps.

Comprehensive information on this page will help you actually get to St Cuthbert's House - which of course most people choose to do by car. But you should seriously consider leaving it in the car park once you've arrived, at least for some of your days - because the local bus makes it possible to enjoy linear walks by taking the bus out to Craster, or Belford for example, and then walking home. This makes a great day out!

There are also 3-day, 7-day and multi-journey discount bus tickets available, which work out much cheaper than single trips. Buses are very regular, running hourly throughout the main summer season and two-hourly at other times - we can help you plan your journey. The bus links the main local towns of Berwick and Alnwick, and all coastal villages along the way. The new fleet of double-deckers (which run most, but not all, of the timetabled services) have leather seats and free wifi! We have a folder on the coffee-table with lots of great ideas for car-free days, and if you're using the bus we will issue you with your own personal copy of the timetable.

We're keen to do our bit to develop this worthy initiative, and so how about this; if you present us with tickets for three bus journeys you've made whilst staying with us, then we'll reward you with a bottle of our very good house wine. As long as you promise not to drink it on the bus...

Driving yourself round the bends...

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.

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 here are the coordinates: Lat 55.57591221431669 Long -1.6693425178527832

Car-park charging policies around Northumberland are a bit of a mish-mash. Depending on where you're parking (and which Parish Council rules the roost there) then you may need to either pay and display or simply display a Parking Disc for free parking. We can lend you one of these for the duration of your stay, which will save you buying one for £1.

On the right track...

We are close to the main East Coast railway line, which carries high-speed trains 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 a bit further to actually get on or off any of them. The nearest mainline stations are at Alnmouth (17 miles to the south) and Berwick-upon-Tweed (about 23 miles to the north). Regular bus services run from either town to Seahouses, once every hour or so. Andrew or Rob, our local taxi drivers, will also be pleased to collect you.

We are keen to wholeheartedly recommend travelling to Northumberland by train, and it is now practical to do so because it's also possible to move around by bus once you're here, as we said earlier. And of course you could bring your bike on the train and then ride along Sustrans' Coast & Castles route to get here.

You can even arrive by train and then climb onto a hired bike, thanks to a great scheme called Bike and Go. Alnmouth station is one of only two in Northumberland which are part of the scheme. You can also arrive by train and hire a serious bike from Adventure Northumberland or Pedal Power too.

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, so you'd need a short taxi ride.

If you want 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.)

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.

It's very easy to use the train to get you and your bike here, and then ride along the beautiful Coast & Castles cycle route to get to St Cuthbert's House. Thanks to the Bike and Go scheme, you can also hire a bike at Alnmouth rail station - although this would need careful planning if you were bringing panniers or any bags of kit with you.

If you're arriving by train, you can also hire a serious bike from Adventure Northumberland or Pedal Power too. Even if you're coming in your own car, this gives you a real opportunity to leave it in the car park for a few days and get out there.

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. We are CTC members ourselves.

Magic Bus

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