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This video shows the Dunstanburgh Castle and Embleton Bay walk from Craster in Northumberland. We head down to and then pass by Craster Harbour, heading out along the Northumberland coast path to reach Dunstanburgh Castle before reaching the golden sands of Embleton Bay. The entire walk has been filmed in 4K, allowing walkers to see the entire route, including where to park, eat, and drink.
Today's walk is Dunstanburgh Castle from Craster and then walking along Embleton Sands on the beautiful Northumberland coast. Before we start, let's have a look at what we're walking by today. We drop down to and then pass by Craster harbour before heading out along the Northumberland Coast Path to reach Dunstanburgh Castle.
Dunstanburgh Castle, I believe, is owned by the National Trust and run by English Heritage. The castle itself was built between 1313 and 1322, but has been in an increasing state of ruin since the 16th century.
We then continue along the Northumberland Coast Path past Dunstanburgh Golf Course and this pillbox to arrive at Embleton Sands.
It's really up to you how long to make the walk? With over two kilometres of beach here, and then a little further along the coast path, there are another three kilometres of sand at Beadnell Bay. Stay watching until the end so you can see where to eat and drink after the walk.
Back in the pay and display car park, head out now to the entrance. Just before reaching the Craster tourist information and the toilets, there are a few information signs, one for exploring the Craster trail, another on the Arnold Memorial Nature Reserve and another telling you all about Craster Harbour.
Craster Tourist Information Centre has more information about the local area, and if you want to read more before you set off on your walk, on the side of the building are further information signs about the area in the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age.
To start the walk, we head away from the Craster Tourist Information Centre to turn right along the road and follow it for a short distance down to Craster harbour.
We turn left just before the harbour along Dunstanburgh Road. Take time to look at the harbour, whose construction started in 1906 by the Craster family to commemorate the loss of Captain John Craster, who died during the Tibetan expedition in 1904. The harbour was built to provide protection for the fishing boats.
The concrete rectangle on the end of the southern wall of the pier was a base for an aerial ropeway, used for transporting stones to the harbour from the nearby quarry, which is now the car park in which we started the walk.
Walk along the road and pass through the wooden gate to the right of the English Heritage Dunstanburgh Castle sign. Head along the track and pass through the next wooden gate.
The footpath we walk along now for most of this walk is the Northumberland Coast Path, which is a 62-mile path from Creswell at the southern end of Druridge Bay, up to Berwick upon Tweed on the England-Scotland border.
This section of footpath also forms part of Saint Oswald's Way, which is a 97-mile walk from Holy Island down the coast and then inland, ending in Heaven Field near Hexham on the Hadrian's Wall Path. The St Oswald's Way links places associated with Saint Oswald, who was the King of Northumbria in the seventh century, taking in the wonderful Northumbrian countryside.
St Oswald played a major part at that time in bringing Christianity to his people. If you enjoy these videos, please click the like button, subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you know when any new walks have been uploaded.
It's free to subscribe, and your likes and comments really do help our channel. Pass through the gate and keep walking straight on towards the castle.
As we approach the castle. We'll just head along for a short while, in real time, to listen to the skylarks and the crashing waves. Pass through this next gate. Walk straight on.
Dunstanburgh Castle, I believe it's now owned by the National Trust and run by English Heritage. The castle itself was built by Earl Thomas of Lancaster between 1313 and 1322. Thomas, at the time, was opposed to King Edward the Second and was captured at the Battle of Boroughbridge as he attempted to escape to the safety of Dunstanburgh Castle.
John of Gaunt later on increased its castle defences in the 1380s in light of threats from Scotland and the castle itself changed hands several times between the rival houses of Lancaster and York during the War of the roses from 1455 to 1487, but it never really recovered from that, and has been in an increasing state of ruin since the 16th century.
The castle has been popular with artists over the years, including J. M. W. Turner, who sketched and painted it several times.
Today's walk isn't that difficult to follow, but if you want to look at it on a map on our website, the route of today's Dunstanburgh Castle from Craster Walk is set out on an Ordnance Survey map, along with a GPS download for your phone or GPS device. The link to our Walks4all website is down in the description below.
When you're finished exploring the castle, take the path around to the left, which heads back down to the shoreline. Pass through this next gate, where, over to your left, you can see the 13th green on the Dunstanburgh golf course.
If you have any thoughts about today's walk or find any issues with any of the footpaths used. Please share that with us in the comments below.
Walk along the path where, a few yards further on, the path splits. The Northumberland Coast Path here heads down the left-hand side of the golf course. We split away from that here, taking the right-hand path that keeps close to the shoreline. We walk along between the golf course and the beach.
A little further along the path, we reach this concrete structure, which is actually what is known as a pillbox, a fortified structure built during 1940 at the start of World War Two. I believe this to be a type 22 hexagonal pillbox used for observation and rifle and light machine gun placements. After exploring the pillbox, continue along the path.
As the sand starts over on the right-hand side, you can head down to the beach here through the rocks, but we are just going to join the beach just a little further on. Where the path bends around to the left, here to Dunstan Sands, we take the right-hand fork to head down onto the sands.
For the sand's walk today, rather than walking along in fast motion. I thought we would just head along at real speed to enjoy the relaxing sounds and sights of a beach walk. It's really then up to you how long to make the walk. With over two kilometres of beach here, and then a little further along the coast path, there are another three kilometres of sand at Beadnell Bay.
I was a little short on time today, so I haven't walked up to Beadnell Bay, but near where we turn today, I'll point out a couple of places to eat and drink mid-walk, where you could maybe even start the walk from this end and do it in reverse. I had planned initially to walk a little inland on the way back to Craster, but as I do enjoy walking on the sand and in the water, the beach route won out today.
If you look at the map, there are parallel paths back to Craster just a little way inland. If you are new to hiking or just want ideas for what walking gear to wear and take on your walk, check out our kit list recommendation in the description below.
I'm turning round here today, but make the walk as long as you wish. In the Ordnance Survey fly-through at the end of this video, I'll point out additional places to eat and drink, just over the other side of the sand dunes. It's a lot easier to see them on the map view.
On heading back, leave the sands along the same path you walked down to them on and then head back along the path beside the golf course towards the castle. Just before reaching the castle, you may have to wait, just in case any golfers are teeing off on the par-three 13th hole. They do play over the footpath to the green.
Pass back through the gate. Walk straight on, but this time, instead of heading off up left, back up to the castle, keep right along the lower path, and then at a path junction, take the right-hand path.
The path briefly becomes a little rougher underfoot as it passes through some gorse. We now head towards the gate we passed through earlier. Pass through the gate and head back along the coast path.
Pass back through the gate, and then on through the next gate. Then just walk back along the road towards the harbour.
At the end of the road, we turn right back up to the car park. A short distance to the left, here are the places to eat and drink, which I'll run through shortly.
A short distance back up the road. We turn left back into the car park. We cannot really mention food in Craster without mentioning the famous Craster kippers. The business has been run here by the Robson family since the early 1900s, and they still smoke kippers in the traditional way. The kippers have featured on a few TV programs.
Across from the smokehouse is the Jolly Fisherman, a gastropub and seafood restaurant. Dogs are welcome in the bar area and in the garden. It does have wonderful sea and castle views from the beer garden, but with the wind, it can be a little bit chilly as it is today.
Just a little further along the road is the Shoreline Cafe, which again is dog-friendly and serves a range of food and drink. Then, finally, in Craster, back at the car park entrance by the tourist info, is Piper's Pitch Catering, which again serves food and drink. It's home of the Craster kipper in a bun and also their famous Auchtermucty - haggis and bacon in a bun.
Whilst today's walk has been an easy one to follow, before ending, we can look at it on the Ordnance Survey flythrough, and I'll also point out the other eating places en route.
We turned right out of the quarry car park to head down to the harbour before heading out along the Northumberland Coast Path. We then arrived and looked around at Dunstanburgh Castle, before walking back down to the coast and then following the path along the side of the golf course, past the pillbox to reach the beach.
If you look over to the left of the beach, Embleton is just over half a mile up the lane. The Greys Inn in Embleton offers food, real ales and is dog friendly. For the cooler days, there are three open fires, and on the warmer ones, there's a terraced beer garden. The Blue Bell Inn serves food and drink, and I believe it is dog-friendly.
Then, finally, in Embleton is the Dunstanburgh Castle Hotel. This is dog friendly, serves food and drink, has a bar area and outside seating. On the way up to Embleton, almost just off the beach, is the clubhouse for the Dunstanburgh Golf Course. Visitors are welcome, and it says food and drink, and has outside seating to take in the views.
As we turn, If you look at the top of Embleton Sands, you can either take the coast path to join Beadnell Bay or get there by passing through Low Newton by the sea and High Newton by the sea, each of which has a pub.
The Ship Inn in Low Newton-by-the-Sea is at the end of Embleton Sands, just as you leave the beach. It's dog friendly as long as you abide by the dog rules, serves food and even has its own onsite brewery.
The Joiners Arms gastropub, in High Newton by the Sea, is a further half a mile down the road. It serves food and drink, and again, it's dog-friendly.
We return now via the outward route. Walking back alongside the golf course, and then underneath Dunstanburgh Castle, before turning back into the car park.
That ends our walk for today.
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