With a population of just 269, Craster punches far above its weight on the Northumberland coast. The village has made The Telegraph's list of the UK's most beautiful seaside spots, and it's easy to see why: stone cottages, fishing boats hauled up on the shore after the day's catch, and the unmistakable smell of oak-smoked herring drifting through the streets. It sits about an hour north of Newcastle upon Tyne and two hours south of Edinburgh, making it an easy detour from either city.
The star attraction is Dunstanburgh Castle, whose dramatic ruins loom on a headland visible from the harbour. Reaching it is a gentle 1.3-mile walk along a flat grassy coastal trail — suitable for most abilities. Built in the 14th century on a promontory defended by the sea on two sides, the castle endured sieges during the Wars of the Roses but was allowed to fall into ruin by the 16th century thanks to its upkeep costs and remote spot. Today you enter through the still-imposing gatehouse, wander the walls, and climb the tower for wide views over Embleton Bay. The northern cliffs are a seabird colony in summer, with kittiwakes and fulmars nesting on the ledges. The ruins have long drawn artists too — J. M. W. Turner painted them, along with the castle at nearby Warkworth.
Then there's the food. Craster's fame rests on its kippers, smoked the same way for over 130 years at L. Robson & Sons, whose oak-smoked herrings are said to be a favourite of the British Royal Family. You can eat them at The Jolly Fisherman or the Shoreline Café, or do as locals do on a sunny day: grab a hot buttered kipper bun from Piper's Pitch and eat it on a bench overlooking the harbour. If kippers' strong smoky flavour isn't your thing, the same spots serve locally sourced crab, prawns, calamari and lobster.
What makes Craster worth prioritising over better-known Northumberland names like Bamburgh or Alnwick is its atmosphere. It hasn't been overrun — it's a stroll-and-soak-it-up kind of place rather than a box-ticking one — and it gives first-time visitors a genuine feel for a working Northumberland coastal village. The village car park is on the edge of town but fills fast in summer, so arrive early. If you want to keep going, Seahouses, another seafood hub, is 10 miles up the coast, with the seaside town of Eyemouth in Scotland around 30 miles beyond that.
