Alnmouth is a tiny village on the Northumberland coast, in north-east England, with a few hundred inhabitants, overlooking the mouth of the River Aln. Its red-roofed houses, wide and almost deserted sandy beaches, dunes and green hills make it one of the most photogenic places on a coast still little known to international tourism and designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
History
In the Middle Ages and until the early 19th century Alnmouth was a busy trading port, from which grain was shipped to London and the Low Countries. Its fate changed on Christmas night 1806, when a violent storm changed the course of the river: the mouth shifted, the harbour silted up and the hill where the old church stood, Church Hill, was left isolated on the other bank. In the 19th century, with the arrival of the railway, the village reinvented itself as a seaside resort for well-off families from the north, who built elegant villas. Its golf club, founded in 1869, is one of the oldest in England.
What to do
Alnmouth is a place to relax: walk the long beach, much loved by dog owners, watch the birds on the estuary, look at the boats in the little harbour, sit in a pub or a tea room on the main street. At low tide you can walk towards the river and look across to Church Hill and its cross. The Northumberland Coast Path passes through the village and leads north towards cliffs and lonely bays.
Surroundings
Alnmouth is the ideal base for exploring one of the most castle-rich coasts in England. Seven kilometres away, the town of Alnwick is dominated by the imposing castle of the Dukes of Northumberland, where scenes from the first Harry Potter films were shot, and by the Alnwick Garden, with its curious Poison Garden. A little to the south, Warkworth Castle overlooks the River Coquet. To the north lie the fishing village of Craster, famous for its kippers, from where a walk leads to the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, then the grand castle of Bamburgh above a vast beach and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, reachable only at low tide, cradle of Christianity in the north.
Practical information
Alnmouth has a station on the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh: from London King's Cross you arrive in about three and a half hours, from Edinburgh in about an hour, from Newcastle in half an hour. The best time is from May to September.
See also Newcastle, York and British cities.