The Northumberland coast by roof tent
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Try a three-day trip linking Alnmouth, Seahouses and Bamburgh, with two nights at a campsite that accepts your roof tent. The coast gives you a useful mix of town stops, beaches and optional outings without requiring a different campsite every evening.
This is our suggested touring plan, not a fixed or officially designated driving route. Choose a base, confirm its approach road and arrange the days around your arrival and departure. Add Holy Island only when the current safe crossing windows fit the visit and return journey.
A suggested three-day itinerary
| Day | Area | A manageable plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alnmouth | Arrive, choose a daytime stop and reach camp early enough to set up in daylight. |
| 2 | Seahouses | Make a harbour or local outing the main event, then return to your booked pitch. |
| 3 | Bamburgh | Choose a beach or castle visit before heading home; check attraction opening and booking arrangements separately. |
If you want to include Craster, replace another stop or add time. A short weekend is more useful when it gives you a full outing than when each destination becomes a quick search for parking. Visit Northumberland's beaches guide introduces Alnmouth, Seahouses, Bamburgh and Craster, among others.
A two-night base around the middle or northern part of your chosen itinerary can reduce camp moves. Ask what you may leave on the pitch while you are out. You still need to pack and secure the roof tent before driving, so allow for that in your morning plan.
Holy Island: plan around the crossing
Treat Holy Island as an optional extra day. Visit Northumberland says the island is cut off twice a day by fast incoming tides, and warns never to risk crossing outside the tide times. Northumberland County Council publishes the official safe crossing times for the causeway road. Check the date and both your outward and return windows before you set off.
Don't work out a crossing from a general low-tide time or reuse a window from a past visit. The council says local weather, such as high wind, can change the times, so allow 30 minutes extra. Its times are for the road only and don't apply to the marked walking route over the sands. If your schedule does not leave enough time for the visit and return, keep the day's outing on the mainland.
Keep your overnight booking on the mainland unless you have separately arranged suitable accommodation on the island. An island visit is not permission to open a tent in a car park.
Choosing dates and a fallback
Check the forecast for the campsite as well as your daytime destinations. Ask the operator about the pitch and its exposure, and follow your tent maker's weather instructions. Leave room in the plan for a town visit or rest day if your intended outdoor outing does not suit conditions.
Book opening dates, arrival times and any attraction tickets around the same itinerary. If an activity changes, check that you can still reach camp within its arrival window. For a first outing, use the first roof-tent weekend guide to keep the logistics simple.
Roads and daytime parking
Save the site's recommended approach rather than relying only on a postcode. On any single-track section, follow Highway Code rules 155 and 156 and keep passing places available for traffic.
Check the operator's current terms for each daytime car park: vehicle height, bay fit, the current price and permitted use. Have another stop in mind if the intended car park is full. A beach access or busy village entrance is not a useful place to wait for a space.
Record your complete vehicle height before the trip and confirm clearances on arrival. Avoid treating a motorhome parking listing as confirmation that a car with an open roof tent is accepted.
Booking a roof tent pitch
Use Visit Northumberland's campsite search to find sites in the area; its listings don't mention roof tents, so ask the operator which pitch to book. Confirm the car can stay with the tent and that the pitch accommodates the open tent, ladder and any permitted accessories.
Check drinking water, washing-up and waste facilities, grass-pitch conditions, check-in times and the arrangements for returning after a daytime outing. Keep the confirmation and arrival directions offline. A tent listing alone does not establish that vehicles may park on its tent pitches.
Packing and departure
Carry what you need between the daytime stop and camp, including drinking water, dry clothing and a torch. Keep cooking equipment and the first evening's meal accessible, and use the kit list builder to make your own packing list.
Before moving the car, complete the tent maker's travel checks, stow loose equipment and check the pitch for anything left behind. If you pack the tent wet, arrange time and space to reopen and dry it after the journey.
Official sources
Before you travel, check the council's crossing times, the Highway Code for narrow roads and Visit Northumberland for local visitor information. The overnight pitch needs direct acceptance from its operator. For another short northern trip, compare the Yorkshire Dales itinerary.
More in Routes
Sources
- Northumberland County Council: safe crossing times are for the Lindisfarne Causeway road; local weather such as high wind can change them; allow 30 minutes extra; the times do not apply to the walking route over the sands; never cross during a rising tide (checked )
- Visit Northumberland: the island is cut off twice a day by fast incoming tides; never risk crossing outside the tide times; links to the council's official times (checked )
- Visit Northumberland: Alnmouth, Seahouses, Bamburgh and Craster on the Northumberland coast, with more than 30 miles of coastline (checked )
- Visit Northumberland campsite search; booking goes through each provider; roof tents not mentioned (checked )
- Highway Code rules 155 and 156: single-track roads and passing places (checked )