There are not many tour guides who are willing to play football or beach games in order to keep the children occupied on a sunny day or help to find sea shells amongst the rocks.
One of the advantages of our private tours is the ability to be flexible on the day depending on weather conditions and time constraints. Our most popular tours tend to be day trips up the coast of Northumberland to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne which can only be reached by causeway twice a day when the tide permits. So it’s not the easiest place to reach if you’re a visitor without transport. This is when Lundgren Tours is useful or more specifically – Rob, our award-winning tour guide.
Reaching Holy Island is not always easy because of tidal crossing times
He can arrange for you to be picked up and transported to your desired destination (in Northumberland of course), guide you and provide subject knowledge. Provided it’s not pouring down or the tide is about to engulf you when crossing the Holy Island causeway, there is usually time to scramble among the rocks or spend some time on the beach at Bamburgh, a bit further down the coast. This is always a welcome opportunity, especially if our visitors have children and Rob is only too happy to get the football out and have a kick-about on the sand or play beach games. Parents are then able to spend a bit of time relaxing, enjoying the scenery or taking some photos of the mighty Bamburgh Castle. Of course, we can also arrange to enter the castle for a guided tour. It’s definitely worth it, even just to see the view from the ramparts.
Looking at the Farne Islands from Bamburgh Beach
From Bamburgh Castle, you can see Lindisfarne Castle to the north and the Farne Islands to the east. The beach alone is worth admiring with its miles of golden sand and dunes that are fun to climb and shelter from the easterly winds. You can stop off for lunch at Seahouses, a small harbour town just south of Bamburgh. If you like a good fish and chips or other dishes, we recommend The Bamburgh Castle Inn with great views overlooking the harbour or if you prefer a Tearoom, then The Copper Kettle In Bamburgh is always a good choice. Crossing times permitting, you can even have lunch in one of Holy Island’s many eateries.
The Copper Kettle Tearoom with the majestic Bamburgh Castle in the background
If you wish, a private tour can include a visit to Warkworth which lies on the River Coquet and is dominated by an impressive Norman castle. This is not far from the newly developed harbour town of Amble, the ‘friendliest port’ where it’s possible to wander amongst some shopping ‘pods’ and visit an interesting Lobster Hatchery. This can be followed by an ice-cream at the nearby Spurreli Ice-cream Boutique.
Amble harbour’s Seafood Centre and Lobster Hatchery
Wherever you choose to go with us on a private tour in Northumberland, our aim is always to ensure you have an enjoyable and memorable day and we try to be as flexible as possible to meet your family needs.
Karen Lundgren Jones
April 15th, 2019
