UK's 'most overlooked beach' has golden sands, a castle and no crowds

31 July 2023 , 15:02

621     0

Low Newton by the sea may be the most overlooked beach in the country (Image: Shutterstock / jimmonkphotography)

A Northumberland beach with sweeping gold sands and an impressive castle is the most overlooked coastal spot in the country. The UK and its 11,000 miles of coastline is a great beach nation, with even the furthest point from the sea - Coton in the Elms in Derbyshire - just 70 miles away from a stretch of sand and some salty water to paddle in.

Earlier this month Woolacombe in Dorset was judged to be the best in the country, in part due to its Edwardian charm, donkey rides and wide beach. While it may be a great place to go and sizeable, it is often very busy during the summer.

If you are pining after a beautiful beach away from the throngs, then Low Newton by the sea may be the one to go for. The Northumberland destination has come out as the number one alternative to the UK’s busiest beaches in a poll by Carmoola.

Low Newton is a small fishing village, almost completely owned by the National Trust. The curving beach and open-ended grass square surrounded by cream washed cottages is particularly picturesque.

The beach is tucked away on the Northumberland coast (Shutterstock / Dave Head)

One of the big draws to the area is the The Ship Inn, an 18th-century pub with its own microbrewery that began cooking up pints in 2008 and now serves more than 20 different cask ales.

Beauty spot café perched by edge of cliff forced to move due to coastal erosion

From the pub you can sit back with an ale and watch windsurfers skim across the sea out from the bay below. Once you are properly refreshed a trip down to the sandy beach is probably in order to explore the rock pools that run along the water and are filled with hermit crabs and porcelain crabs.

The wildlife spotting opportunities continue at the Newton Pool, a freshwater Nature Reserve just 80 metres from the shore that is a good place to catch migrating birds with its accessible hides.

The beach is arguably less busy than it should be (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A breeding colony of terns can be found at Long Nanny Burn in the middle of Beadnell Bay - just one of the rare bird spotting opportunities that the area offers.

From the beach itself you can see the skeletal ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle in the distance along from the long stretch of sand curving around Embleton Bay.

Another spot worth visiting is the unusual St Mary’s church, which dates from the end of the 19th century and was originally purchased in kit form. It is constructed from corrugated steel sheeting and features pretty stained glass windows.

According to a study in 2022 by the Royal National Lifeboat Association, 85% of the UK adult population (aged 16-64) expect to visit the UK coast or use the beach or sea between May and the end of September each year.

Milo Boyd