Rothbury's Attractions and Things To Do

Cragside House and Gardens

Cragside House and Gardens is well worth a visit for it's unique place in History. This National Trust property, the revolutionary home of Lord Armstrong, was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity and was a wonder of it's age. It is built on a rocky crag high above the Debdon Burn, Cragside is crammed with ingenious gadgets and surrounded on all sides by one of the largest rock gardens in Europe.

If you are National Trust members, entry to the Grounds and the House is free with your membership. However, the cost for non-members is not cheap and I would therefore suggest that non-members plan ahead and make a full day of their visit in order to get full value for money. 

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Brinkburn Priory

Brinkburn Priory is a beautiful 12th century Church, the Augustinian Priory of Brinkburn lies approximately four and a half miles East of Rothbury on the B6344. It was founded in 1130 and 1135 by William Bertram and the setting is very picturesque, accessed via a ten minute sloped walk from the car parking area. The Priory is managed by English Heritage and along with the neighbouring manor house has been recently restored. I actually did my two weeks work experience here as a fifteen year old so I can vouch for the peaceful setting on the banks of the River Coquet and the beauty of the Church. I can also vouch for the fact that there are a huge number of rare breeds of bats that live in the Church roof. The guardian wrote an article about them, but my persisting memory is just cleaning up the mess each morning!

The Priory is also home to the annual Brinkburn Music Festival, three days of wonderful music and entertainment set in the grounds for the public to enjoy. The Festival is run by a charitable body and more information can be found on their website.

Fontburn Waterside Park

Many years ago this rservoir was home to a cafe called Goats on the Roof, which was incredibly popular with families. Now it has been redevloped and reimagined as Fontburn Waterside Park. Set in the countryside to the South of Rothbury there plenty to see and do here. Circular walks around the reservoir offer scenic views, an on site fish farm famous for its fishing opportunities and a great play area for the kids. There's plenty of on site parking and a shop with toilet facilities so this is a great place to stop for a picnic too! Find out more on the Fontburn Waterside Park website.

Walking

There is fantastic circular walk from Rothbury's main car park that is approximately 5 miles long (8km) and takes in stunning views of the  Coquetdale Countryside and moorlands. A route for this walk can be downloaded from the Visit Northumberland website. A personal short walk favourite, also from the main car park is simply to cross the river using the footbridge and walk West along the river side. This is a pleasant riverside walk, with views of the golf course and countryside, on a stable surface and you can go as far as you feel comfortable before heading back to the car.

Not far from Rothbury, about two miles to the South, is Simonside, also known as the Sacred Mountain. The Simonside Hills are within the Northumberland National Park and are a huge draw to walkers and cyclists alike. The views from the top of Simonside is one of the most spectacular in the Country, on a clear day you can see right to the coast. To get to Simonside on foot from Rothbury you need to head out of the Village on the public footpaths via Whitton and Hillhead Lane.

The Forests around Rothbury cover a huge area, almost 26,000 acres! This provides some glorious walking opportunities. Thrunton Wood lies just north of Rothbury and despite taking a huge battering from storm Arwen in 2021 the main walking routes are now back open and are a personal favourite walk int he area. More information on the Forestry Commission's website.

Golf

Northumberland has a fine selection of Golf Courses and Rothbury is one of them. While the coast offers some fantastic links courses, the clubs like Rothbury further inland offer spectacular views of the Northumberland National Park and the Cheviot Hills. This relatively new 18 hole golf course has a par of 71 and offers excellent amenities such as a clubhouse, bar and function room. The club welcomes visitors and groups and packages can be arranged with the secretary. For more information about the course and green fees, visit their Website. Remember to visit our Golf page to check out all the other stunning golf courses nearby.