Dog-Friendly Places to visit in Northumberland & The North East
Back in May, we went on our first little UK Staycation with Walter. If you’re new around here, Walter is our (now) 9 month old Dachshund. So he was around 6 months on this trip where we rented an Air B&B in Amble. Although he didn’t settle in the Air B&B as it was such a new environment, he did ever so well everywhere else we visited. Obviously, everything we did had to be mega dog-friendly and thankfully, many of the beaches in Northumberland are dog-friendly, even in Summer. I thought I’d put together a post of the places we visited whether that’s different beaches, restaurants or towns.
We really found that the North East was a great destination for furry friends and offered a plethora of options of places to visit. As I mentioned we stationed ourselves in Amble which is a gorgeous little coastal town. It was a lovely place to just wander around, we walked around the harbour which is home lot’s of little shops and Geordie Bangers. Of course, we got a sausage on a stick EVERY DAY. We also walked along the South Pier but it’s worth noting there was restrictions in place on their small beach. However, we just walked on the adjacent path.
Aside from Geordie Bangers, the only place we ate in Amble was The Harbour Inn. This was recommended to me a few times for being a great dog-friendly spot and it didn’t disappoint. The Harbour Inn had a good mixture of seafood and steakhouse specials and actually is the Sister restaurant of The Market Tavern in Alnwick which we visited last year. I went for their Steakhouse Special which was 10oz Ribeye Steak with sautéed garlic butter, mushrooms, salad and homemade chips. It was a big plate full but so delicious! Stefan went for the Super Steak Baguette with Cheese which you can see looks incredible. It was a big hit with Stefan. We were really impressed with the food here and it was a nice dog-friendly spot for Walter.
The next day, after obviously getting a sausage on a stick from Geordie Bangers we headed up the coast to Bamburgh. I previously tried to plan a visit to Lindisfarne but sadly the tide wasn’t in our favour. We absolutely loved Bamburgh, at first the village reminded me of The Cotswolds but it was the beach and castle which blew me away. We didn’t go inside the castle but it was just such a majestic sight next to the golden sands. The beach was dog friendly and Walter enjoyed a run around before a walk around the quaint little village with local cafes and shops. Of course, we got an ice cream.
Our next stop was Seahouses. This place had a lot more hustle and bustle with Fish & Chip Restaurants, Arcades and a Harbour offering boat trips along the Northumberland coast. We didn’t stop here for long but just enjoyed a little walk around seeing what was there before heading to Beadnell.
Beadnell is a small village with the most stunning beach. If I remember correctly, we did get an hour’s free parking in their main car park which was enough time for a lovely walk on the beach, visit the harbour and enjoy a drink at The Landing. Their partner venue; The Craster Arms was recommended to me a few times, especially for a Roast. Sadly we didn’t have enough time but the Craster Arms is also dog-friendly. I thought it was absolutely lovely in Beadnell.
En route back to Amble, we stopped off at Alnwick. I’ve visited Alnwick plenty of times before but it’s worth noting that dogs aren’t permitted in the Castle or Gardens which is a shame but understandable. I was a tad upset we couldn’t visit the gardens as it was smack bang when the cherry blossom was in season and it’s the largest collection in the world! However, we went to visit The Dirty Bottles which is a bar/restaurant we had previously visited on a trip the year before. I was delighted it was dog friendly as I was craving their nachos so bad! I’d highly recommend this place as their menu is 10/10.
The next day we spent the whole day at Beamish which is an iconic open air museum taking you back in time. I visited Beamish a few times as a child and it’s incredible. The museum shows you life in the North East during 1820s, 1900s, and 1940s. You can walk along the cobbled streets, ride on vintage vehicles and visit different villages and towns. I was so glad to find out that Beamish was dog-friendly. Although we couldn’t go inside a lot of the houses, we still managed to see and do so much! Walter was even allowed in the pub, ride on the tram and we enjoyed some fish & chips. I think it’s a great fun day out for all ages and really educational. I think I’ll end up doing a full blogpost on out visit as I’ve got so many photos!
Beamish is located in the town of Stanley in County Durham so it was quite a drive from Amble but we then stopped off in Sunderland at Stack, Seaburn to enjoy some delicious street food. Another spot Walter was allowed to visit. We’ve been to Stack at Seaburn many times which is a shipping container village with street food, entertainment and bars. The variety of food here is great, you are always so spoilt for choice from Neapolitan style pizzas, Greek, Indian, tacos and much more!
The following day was our final day in the North East, so we made our way down the coast to Whitley Bay. Somewhere I don’t think i’ve ever been before. We had a lovely wander along the promenade. I’m not too sure about the Summer dog restrictions here but we stayed on the promenade. Walter loved the walk here. We then stopped off at No Fret which is a lovely little coffee kiosk where Stefan & I got a Hot Chocolate and Walter enjoyed his first ever Puppuccino!
We then stopped off in Tynemouth which is a place that completely surprised me. I found it mega dog-friendly and we even came across two dog boutiques which of course, I had to buy things in. Nelly & Nova and The Dog Hoose were the two shops I’d highly recommend visiting. Tynemouth had so many restaurant, bars and independent shops. We definitely want to go back as we really liked the vibe of Tynemouth
Our final stop before heading back down to Yorkshire was back in Sunderland on Roker Beach. I had wanted to visit Love Lily for the longest time after seeing them on Instagram. The pink interiors and huge stacks of pancakes was drawing me in. As we had Walter with us, we sat outside and they were all so lovely to him offering him treats and giving him attention. Let me tell you, the food here is as good as it looks. I got a Nutella half pancake stack (god knows how anyone can eat a full stack) and Stefan got the breakfast burger. The food was all lovely and I got the Death by Chocolate Cake to take home and it was insane. I’d definitely recommend a trip here, it’s not only mega cute but the food is decent.
Roker Beach was lovely for a little mooch with Walter before heading home. Overall, we found the North East to be mega dog friendly. With it being the Summer months, there tends to be a lot of beach restrictions but we found plenty of lovely beaches to enjoy with Walter. Beamish and Bamburgh were both trip highlights and I think we would certainly book another dog-friendly trip to the area!
Have you visited the North East?
