Embleton Bay

Embleton Bay is a long stretch of golden sand overlooked by the dramatic ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle. Running behind the beach is the Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club and a little way beyond this the medieval village of Embleton.

This section of the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is very much unspoiled and the beach is backed by low dunes (Newton Links) and very few signs of human habitation. Embleton Bay is something of a gem even on this coast with the BBC’s Countryfile Magazine readers voting it the best beach in the UK 2017

There is wildlife in abundance here with flora in the dunes including species such as bloody cranesbill, eye bright, bedstraw, potentilla, spring squill, wild thyme, and wild vetch. Some of the bay’s nearby cliffs are a breeding site for seabirds such as by fulmars, kittiwake, eider ducks, and shags.

At the far northern end of the beach is the village of Low Newton, which is considered a separate beach. Reached down a small country lane, the village feels blissfully isolated from the rest of the world. It boasts a church, a couple of small shops, a pub that has been open since the 18th century and a few holiday cottages.