Bamburgh Castle - best views and a superb short coastal walk in Northumberland

Bamburgh castle walk best view Northumberland sunrise

Bamburgh Castle in all its glory at sunrise on the unspoilt Northumberland coastline. Read on to learn where the best view point of Bamburgh Castle is.

Bamburgh Castle - one of my favourite coastal views in the whole of the UK

The view of Bamburgh Castle from the area at Harkess Rocks must be one of my favourite UK coastal views. The pristine and unspoilt beach, the history, the remoteness and the ruggedness of the coastline, with Bamburgh Castle sitting proudly above it all - it really is pretty special and unique.

You'll get stunning views of Bamburgh Castle from all angles - but for me the best location to take photos has to be from the area on Bamburgh Beach just to the North West of Bamburgh Castle, on a rocky section called Harkess Rocks (see below map). If you can get to this location at Sunrise, then it's even extra special! I love this part of the world and whenever I'm staying in the area on holiday (in the likes of Seahouses or Bamburgh itself), if the weather conditions are looking favourable - I'll try and make the effort and set the alarm to try and catch a sunrise at Bamburgh Castle! It rarely fails to disappoint!

THE BEST LOCATION FOR THE BEST PHOTOS OF BAMBURGH CASTLE:

I've circled the area where you will get the best vantage point of Bamburgh Castle at Sunrise, and you can actually park the car quite close to this area. Infact you'll probs find quite a few camper vans here who stay the night!

Bamburgh Castle - my best photos at Sunrise

I'm using this blog post to share some of my favourite Bamburgh Castle photos, taken on various short holidays. Further down the page is a walk that I highly recommend to do in the area, which I often do with family & friends, with the last section of the walk giving these very same impressive views of Bamburgh Castle.

Bamburgh Castle at dawn from the air! I took this photo with my new drone - it gives a whole different perspective to this stunning and beautiful area of Northumberland

I love the warm glow of the morning light illuminating the rocks and Bamburgh Castle itself.

Photographers will enjoy all the compositions you can make at Harkess Rocks, and whilst it's a popular place for photographers, the rocks and tides and morning light mean you see lot's of different Bamburgh sunrise photos

This photo of Bamburgh Castle was taken in September 2013 with not a cloud in the sky. The rising sun moves around the horizon throughout the year, and in September you can just about get the sun in your composition. In December the sunrise would be right near the castle, if not right behind it. One day I might visit this time of year but I'm usually up this way in summer time.

Depending on the tides the views you get of Bamburgh Castle from Harkess Rocks can be very different day to day.

Even if you are not a photographer, I really do recommend seeing the sunrise if ever you are visiting the Bamburgh area. It's a magical experience and you'll probably get the beach pretty much to yourself. If you also want a short walk to do in the area then there is a great little walk you can do that takes in the vantage point of Bamburgh Castle you see on this page. Read on to learn more.

Bamburgh Castle and Budle Bay circular walk overview:

Bamburgh castle walk distance: 3.93 miles

Bamburgh castle walk time: 1.5 hours

Bamburgh castle walk difficulty: Easy

Bamburgh Castle circular walk map route:

I recommend going clock-wise on this walk, which I like to start in Bamburgh Village. You head out of Bamburgh along the minor road and towards Bamburgh Golf Club, and then head into Budle Bay. You then follow the coastline, and even walk on the beach if the tide is out. As you then get to Harkess Rocks, the stunning views of Bamburgh Castle at the end of the walk will be a fitting and impressive climax. See the banner link below to find out more on this walk.

This short Bamburgh Castle walk is an absolute beauty and one of my favourites in Northern England - click here to see more photos of what to expect

I hope that has made you want to visit the area around Bamburgh Castle and it helps all you photographers out there plan a trip to the area

Happy Hiking!

Post by Stuart Hodgson
'The Hiking Photographer'

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