Dog-Friendly Beaches in Northumberland
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The dog-friendly beaches in Northumberland are Druridge Bay Beach, Longhoughton Beach, Low Hauxley Beach, Embleton Bay, Bamburgh Beach, Seaton Point and East Chevington Bay Beach.
Northumberland gives a dog plenty of room. Its coast is one long run of wide, open sand, big bays backed by dunes where the tide pulls out and leaves acres of firm beach underfoot.
Even in summer these shores stay quiet for their size, so there is space to wander without ever feeling crowded. From the great seven-mile sweep of Druridge Bay to the castle-crowned sands at Bamburgh, this is a coast made for long, salt-air walks with a companion trotting ahead.
Some stretches are pure sand, others break into rocky ledges and pools where the going slows and there is more to sniff out. Behind the beaches run the dunes and the Northumberland Coast Path, linking one bay to the next.
A few spots sit beside nature reserves rich in birds and wildlife, worth treating with a little care. Whether you want an easy stroll or a proper leg-stretch on empty sand, there is something here for every walk.
Here are seven dog-friendly beaches to seek out in Northumberland.
Druridge Bay Beach
Photo: Jim Barton via Geograph.org.uk
Druridge Bay Beach runs for some seven miles between Amble and Cresswell, a broad sweep of sand backed by a long line of dunes. It is wide and open, and stays quiet even in summer for its sheer size, so there is plenty of room to roam.
Behind the middle of the bay a country park sits around Ladyburn Lake, with a visitor centre, water sports and dune walks, and the coast path and cycle route run through it. All that space and firm sand makes for an easy, unhurried walk.
Seek it out for one of the longest open beaches on the whole Northumberland coast.
Longhoughton Beach
Photo: DS Pugh via Geograph.org.uk
Longhoughton Beach, also called Longhoughton Steel, is a quiet bay of sand, shingle and rock near Alnwick. Much of it turns to sand at low water, with rocky ledges, the local word Steel meaning a reef, and it is a good place for rock-pooling and sea fishing.
The Northumberland Coast Path runs along the back of the beach, and a small car park by the shore off Crowlea Road serves it. There are no facilities on the sand itself, and the village of Boulmer with its pub lies a short way south.
Seek it out for a peaceful, low-key stretch with room to wander at low tide.
Low Hauxley Beach
Photo: Maigheach-gheal via Geograph.org.uk
Low Hauxley Beach is a quiet, dune-backed sandy beach at the southern end of Druridge Bay near Amble, with a nature reserve just behind. The reserve, a former open-cast mine restored to lakes and dunes, has an eco-built discovery centre with a cafe, bird hides and an accessible trail.
The beach has drawn archaeologists too: erosion has uncovered Mesolithic traces, a Bronze Age burial and old peat beds holding prehistoric footprints, and a Bronze Age stone cist found on the shore is now shown at the centre. There is a car park by the reserve.
Seek it out for open sand with layers of deep history underfoot.
Embleton Bay
Photo: Russel Wills via Geograph.org.uk
Embleton Bay is a long, sweeping beach of golden sand backed by low dunes and a links golf course. At its southern end the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle stand out on a dark whinstone headland above the shore, and reefs of the same rock and pools break up the sand toward it.
It is reached on foot from Low Newton or along the shore from Craster, which keeps it feeling away from the crowds. All that open, curving sand gives a dog plenty of room to run beneath one of the finest views on the coast.
Seek it out for sand, dunes and a castle on the skyline.
Bamburgh Beach
Photo: Stephen McKay via Geograph.org.uk
Bamburgh Beach is a broad sweep of pale sand running for more than a mile beneath the walls of Bamburgh Castle, which rises on a dark crag of whinstone above the shore and dominates the view. Low marram dunes back the sand, which shelves gently and stretches wide at low water, leaving acres to roam.
Out to sea you can make out the Farne Islands and the tall Longstone lighthouse. The village behind holds the grave of Grace Darling, the lighthouse keeper's daughter known for a sea rescue off those islands.
Seek it out for one long band of sand, castle and North Sea sky.
Seaton Point
Photo: Helen Wilkinson via Geograph.org.uk
Seaton Point is a low rocky point with a beach of sand and pebble just south of the fishing village of Boulmer, a mile or so from Alnmouth. Rock outcrops with pools at low tide break up the sand, good for beachcombing and rock-pooling, and the Northumberland Coast Path runs along the shore.
It is a quiet, uncommercialised stretch, with a holiday park behind and the Boulmer pub close by, and informal parking rather than a beach car park. There are no lifeguards.
Seek it out for a low-key walk on a quiet, open shore.
East Chevington Bay Beach
Photo: David Robinson via Geograph.org.uk
East Chevington Bay Beach is a stretch of the long sandy sweep of Druridge Bay, backing onto a nature reserve made from a former opencast coal site. Behind the dunes lie two large lakes fringed with reedbeds, watched over by birdwatching hides and rich in wildfowl and waders, so it is worth treading gently near the reserve.
The beach itself runs wide and open, part of the great curve of Druridge Bay, with room to stretch out. The Northumberland Wildlife Trust looks after the reserve.
Seek it out for open sand alongside one of the coast's best bird havens.
FAQs
Which Northumberland beach has the most room to run?
Druridge Bay is the obvious choice, a broad sweep of sand running for some seven miles between Amble and Cresswell. It stays quiet even in summer for its size, so there is space to wander freely.
Where can you combine a beach walk with wildlife watching?
Low Hauxley and East Chevington both back onto nature reserves with lakes, reedbeds and bird hides. Tread gently near the reserves, and you can pair open sand with some of the coast's best birdwatching.
Are there facilities on these Northumberland beaches?
It varies. Bamburgh and Druridge Bay have parking and nearby amenities, while quieter spots like Longhoughton and Seaton Point have little more than informal parking and no lifeguards, so come prepared.
Conclusion
Few coasts in England give a dog as much room as this one. Northumberland strings together bay after bay of wide, open sand, from the long curve of Druridge to the castle sands at Bamburgh and Embleton, with quieter corners like Longhoughton and Seaton Point in between.
Some sit beside nature reserves alive with birds and wildlife, so a little care goes a long way, but the space to walk and run is everywhere. Pack the tide times, follow the coast path from one bay to the next, and you can spend a whole day on empty sand with the North Sea for company.
From the long sweeps to the rock-pool corners, these are the dog-friendly beaches to seek out in Northumberland.
