Hithe House

The Neighborhood

Home to a harbour filled with a selection of harbour side eateries, great seafood restaurants, cafes and pastel-painted beach huts, the waterfront town of Amble hugs the River Coquet estuary at the southern gateway to the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Amble prides itself on being the ‘friendliest port in England’, and its annual puffin festival, brightly coloured beach huts and the wooden retail pods of Amble Harbour Village are just a few of its quirks. Whether you are looking for a fun day out to explore with your family or a relaxing trip, Amble has so much to offer. A short walk through the clinking halyard of Amble’s award-winning marina will take you to the harbour’s wooden pods, which sell everything from cheese to charm bracelets. The Northumberland Seafood Centre located at the Amble Harbour Village sources and sells local seafood. They also have a lobster hatchery with an interactive and informative visitor centre. Boutique ice cream makers and Golden Fork winner for best speciality food, Spurelli sits on the waterfront, along with waterfront bistro, The Old Boathouse. The Fish Shack is another of the harbour’s highlights, where you can savour fresh fish in this harbourside seafood emporium. Watersports enthusiasts should head for the Coquet Shorebase Trust, which offers an array of aquatic fun, from sailing and kayaking to power boating and raft building. Clockwatching isn’t something we would usually recommend, but a time check with the Amble Sundial against the largest gnomon or indicator in Europe is not to be missed. Puffins, seals and a variety of other wildlife and seabirds dwell on Amble’s coastline and the Puffin Cruise that sails from Amble harbour is not to be missed. Hop on board to spot the 36,000-bird colony nesting on Coquet Island, an RSPB seabird sanctuary a mile off the coast. Head into Amble’s small town centre for a High Street crammed with cosy cafes, restaurants and traditional pubs perfect for tasting local tipples. Amble shops are perfect for finding that local Northumbrian gift to take home for a friend or a keepsake of your stay in Northumberland. Lace up your walking shoes to enjoy a walk (Approximately 6-mile circular walk) from Amble to Warkworth and visit Warkworth Castle and Hermitage, once home to the Percy family who also owned nearby Alnwick Castle. The fascinating cross-shaped keep, first built over 600 years ago remains largely intact.