Low Newton Guide
Your Guide to Low Newton
Known locally simply as 'Low Newton' the village of Low Newton-By-The-Sea is considered by many, including myself, to be one of the most attractive villages on The Northumberland Coast. It is almost completely owned by the National Trust and has an open ended square of beautiful cream-washed cottages looking out onto the glorious sandy beach. In the centre of this square is The Ship Inn (originally known as the Smack Inn) and is a popular and friendly pub serving an excellent range of sandwiches and meals. Because it is tucked out of the way off the beaten track Low Newton beach can often be found almost empty in the off season.
Getting There
Low Newton is accessed by road via the Village of High Newton which is just off the Northumberland Coastal Route. Travel through High Newton and after approximately two thirds of a mile you will reach Low Newton. You can't miss it, there is only only one road in and one road out of Low Newton! Parking is limited in Low Newton, there is a small public car park on the brow of the hill before entering the Village. However, depending on the time of year f your visit you may notice a long line of cars parked on the verge to the left before you reach the car park. Locals tend to park here as there is no charge and it's only a short walk further along to the beach.
High Newton is a stop on the Arriva "Newcastle - Morpeth - Amble - Alnwick - The Coast - Berwick" which is the service between Newcastle and Berwick on their X18 route (see link below for more information). Multi journey tickets are available and you can get more information here.
Restaurants, Pubs and Cafes in Low NewtonSet in a beautiful square of cream-washed Cottages is the outstanding Ship Inn. It is said that there has been a Pub here since the 1700's and the current owner took over at the turn of this century. The owner of the Ship Inn, Christine Forsyth, explains why Low Newton is so special:
"To stand on the beach on a moonlight night and hear the seals calling from the rocks, to watch the path of the moon on the sea and see the fingers of Dunstanburgh castle stand black against the sky or to watch the sun rise over the sea on a glorious summer morning"
Their food and drink ethos is second to none and it has very quickly become one of my favourite points to stop off on this stretch of the coast. Food is freshly made to order from good, quality, local produce with fish caught by the local fishermen. What more could you ask for? Home-brewed beer perhaps? In March 2008 The Ship Inn converted their garage into possibly England's most Northerly micro-brewery and the pub is now self sufficient with 14 varieties of real ale. These beers are also available from the Ship in bottled form. The Ship Inn is officially one of Your Northumberland Guide's Food and Drink Highlights and we would strongly recommend a visit at any time of year.
We should also mention that there is another pub serving food a short distance away in High Newton, The Joiners Arms is set in the attractive Village Square and offers meals in a comfortable location.
Accommodation in Low Newton and High NewtonFor such a small place the Villages of Low Newton and High Newton have a surprisingly large number of places to stay! Most of these are self catering holiday cottages that are available to rent and to be honest I can't think of a better spot to have a holiday on this coastline. We will be launching our full Accommodation listings very shortly.
Beaches and WalkingThe beach here is so vast that even if the car park is full it will simply never feel crowded. The picture on the right was taken on a beautiful sunny day during the Easter Holiday Weekend, as you can see we had to fight through the crowds! The Good Beach Guide describes Low Newton beach as being 'situated in a sheltered bay with rock pools and rocky outcrops. It is popular for water sports and with bird watchers' and describes the water quality as recommended fir the highest UK standard of bathing water quality.
The walk from Craster to Low Newton that takes in Dunstanburgh Castle has featured in the Guardian Newspaper's top ten walks in the UK. The circular walk can be started from either Craster or Low Newton and takes in the spectacular scenery of the beaches and rocky outcrops near Dunstanburgh Castle. If you start the walk in Low Newton head along the coast towards Dunstanburgh Castle on the horizon, the Village of Craster is about a mile further South along the Coast. You may want to stop off in Craster for some refreshments before heading back, see our Craster Village Guide for information on where to go.
Birdwatching and Wildlife
The area around Low Newton is well known for it's excellent birdwatching opportunities and for it's wildlife. The beach is backed by huge sand dunes and 80 metres behind these lay Newton Pond, famous for the Newton Pool Bird Reserve. This is a wildlife haven with many seabirds, shorebirds and wildfowl to be seen from the two purpose built hides.
Watersports
Windsurfing and surfing are both popular pursuits at Low Newton with the bay creating some very good breaks for surfers in the right weather conditions. Many years ago when windsurfing was just taking off as a sport, Low Newton was one of the first places where it could be seen. Kitesurfing and yachting are also becoming more popular and there is a dinghy park for small crafts behind the square where the Ship Inn is located. You will find this beach a little quieter (and some would argue more picturesque) for watersports than the slightly more popular Beadnell Bay, just a couple of miles North up the coast. Boards and Bikes are a recommended local company where you can hire all sorts of equipment for watersports and cycling, they will even deliver it to the door of your accommodation.
Golf
Northumberland is blessed with many beautiful links courses and this stretch of coast is no different. The nearest is Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Course at Embleton, just a mile down the road. It is a traditional, 18 hole links course designed by the great golf course architect James Braid and offers stunning views of Dunstanburgh Castle and the beautiful Embleton Bay. Other courses nearby include Seahouses Golf Club, Alnmouth Golf Club, Alnmouth Village Golf Club and Bamburgh Castle Golf Club. Take a look at our Golf page for a full breakdown of all the golfing in Northumberland.
Amenities
Situated on the road connecting the Villages of High and Low Newton is the Church of St Mary the Virgin. This strange little church was built in 1870 and is made entirely out of corrugated iron! The church has recently undergone refurbishment and is still popular with the local community.
Food Shopping and Supermarkets
Low Newton is situated in quite a remote part of Northumberland's coast and as such there are no supermarkets nearby. There is a Village Shop in Embleton to the South and in Beadnell to the North, both are a couple of miles away. The nearest supermarket of note is a Co-op food store in Seahouses. For a selection of larger supermarkets you will need to head to Alnwick (approx 10 miles). Here you will find a Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Iceland, Lidl and Co-op along with numerous independent Butchers, Bakers and other shops selling excellent quality local produce.
Places and Attractions Nearby
Seahouses, Seahouses' Attractions, Beadnell, Embleton, Holy Island, Holy Island's Attractions, Farne Islands, Alnwick, Alnwick's Attractions, Lindisfarne Castle, Craster, Bamburgh,Bamburgh's Attractions, Farne Islands, A-Z of All Guides
Have we missed something? Can you recommend an attraction, restaurant or accommodation? Or maybe you have a business you would like to be included? Let us know.