Dunstanburgh Castle

Dunstanburgh Castle is a National Trust property and one of the most photographed ruins in the country and i'm sure you can appreciate why. The Castle is accessed via Craster, a small fishing village famous for it's Kippers. If you want to visit the Castle please be aware that it is only accessible by foot from Craster, so it is not suitable for the less mobile. However, it was named one of the UK's top ten coastal walks by the Guardian newspaper who said:

"The seacliffs are excellent and the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle summon up every possible image of Macbeth, Richard the

Lionheart and all those other mighty chaps. Find particularly interesting birdlife on the cliffs and at Newton beach and Newton Pool nature reserve"

Your insider tip: Although this is a National Trust Property it is managed by English Heritage. When you get to the Castle the entry sign says English Heritage and has their price structure. Please ignore this and go to the ticket booth, they will accept a National Trust membership card, despite the signage. Please also note that there are no public toilets at the Castle, I would advise using the facilities in Craster before setting off. I have learned this the hard way!

Getting There

There is ample parking at Craster, just before you reach the harbour there is a large car park on your right, behind the Tourist Information Centre. There are public toilets here and if you are planning on walking to Dunstanburgh I would suggest you use them before you set off, there are no public toilets at the Castle itself (I learned that the hard way!). The car park continues to an overflow into a former quarry site, though it can still get full very quickly at the weekends and in the summer months. Please be very careful when parking here, there are signs saying you must park within a bay or you will receive a fine. I know of many people who have received the full fine (currently £60) for simply having a small amount of their tyre touching a white bay marker line.

Craster 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. 

Postcode for your SatNav: NE66 3TW