The Northumberland run
It is three hours north and it is emptier, which is the whole argument.
By Ruth Ardsley · 5 min read
We say this quietly because we live here, but the Northumberland coast is better than ours. Longer beaches, bigger skies, castles at intervals along it, and a fraction of the people.
Getting there
Three hours if you go up the A1 and do not stop, which you should not do. Go inland through the hills instead and make a day of the drive.
The beaches
Enormous and frequently deserted even in summer. The water is colder than here, which takes some doing.
Staying
Book something in a village rather than a town. There is nothing to do in the evenings and that is entirely the point of the trip.