Dunstanburgh Castle is a beautiful 14th-century fortification, located in Northumberland between Craster and Embleton. The area is known as Northumberland Coast AONB (area of natural beauty). After my visit, I can completely see why!
As part of your walk, you can pay to look around the castle grounds. However, currently, during COVID times, they ask you to book ahead. Here is their website for ticket prices, opening times, and other information about visiting: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dunstanburgh-castle/
The walking route starts and finishes in the little village of Craster, beside the seafront. The route leads along the coast, towards Dunstanburgh Castle, to the beautiful Embleton Bay. The route is an easy 5-mile walk. Just watch out for flying golf balls as you head around Dunstanburgh Golf Course.
Location
The walk starts and finishes in the village of Craster, along the Northumberland Coast AONB. Craster is 40 miles north of Newcastle and 31 miles south of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Parking
There is a car park in Craster. However, it does get full quite quickly. My best advice is to get there early to get parked. It cost us ÂŖ6 for 24 hours. There are different charges, depending on how long you are planning on staying.
The car park is located, just before you head into the centre of Craster. It is well-signposted, so you shouldn’t miss it.
The Route
Follow this map, as you walk the route, you shouldn’t get lost! Make sure your location is turned on and you should be able to see exactly where you are, on this map. Or if you prefer, download the GPX file and use it on your choice of route tracker.
1.
Starting at the car park, head towards your right-hand side along a footpath. Follow the footpath as it bends round to your right-hand side and meets the road. Take your first left and head down Whin Hill. At the bottom of the street, turn to your left-hand side and head onto West End. Follow the path round the harbour to the gate, with a signpost making Dunstanburgh Castle.
2.
Follow the footpath across the fields, towards Dunstanburgh Castle.
3.
As you reach the castle, take the path that goes off to your left-hand side. Follow the footpath towards Embleton Bay, passing Dunstanburgh Golf Course on your left-hand side.
4.
Eventually, you will notice a path going off to your left-hand side, towards the village of Embleton. Take the path and head towards the village. However, before reaching the village, you should see a signpost for a public bridleway, off to your left-hand side, near some cottages. Take the bridleway and follow it, until you reach a farmhouse.
5.
At the farmhouse, take the footpath going off to your left-hand side. Follow it up the small hill until you reach a path junction at the edge of the field. Take the footpath going off to your right-hand side. The footpath isn’t very well marked, so make sure you use the map. Follow the footpath back into Craster. As you arrive in the village, take the road going off to your right-hand side. This will then lead you back to the car park, where you started the walk from.
If you enjoyed this walk and would like to know of another walk to do in the area, please check out one of my other guides: Northumberland Coast AONB
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