Northumberland
Coastal park above Budle Bay with views to Bamburgh Castle and Holy Island
Waren sits on the headland above Budle Bay, roughly two miles from Bamburgh, on a sheltered site of about 100 acres that mixes woodland with open pitches. The outlook is the selling point: from the higher terraces you can see Bamburgh Castle to the south, the Cheviot Hills inland and Holy Island to the north, with the bay itself a designated nature reserve that fills with waders and wildfowl through the autumn and winter.
Pitches cover grass, hardstanding and fully serviced options, and the park takes tents, touring caravans and motorhomes alongside its hire fleet of wigwam cabins and holiday homes. Facilities are more comprehensive than most coastal sites in the county: a modern heated toilet block with family and bath rooms, laundry, a licensed mini-market, a games room, a bar and restaurant, a children's play area and a heated outdoor splash pool that opens for the main season. Wi-Fi is available across the park and there is a motorhome service point. Dogs are welcome and there is a nature trail through the woodland for walking them.
The location works hard. Bamburgh village and its beach are a short drive or a walk of about an hour along the shore at low tide, the Holy Island causeway is fifteen minutes north, and Seahouses harbour for Farne Islands boats is ten minutes south. Budle Bay itself is a good spot for a low-tide walk, though the sands are soft and the tide runs in quickly across the flats. The site is exposed in the way the whole coast is, so bring windbreaks and decent pegs, and it gets busy from late July, when booking well ahead is essential. Touring pitches generally start from around £24 a night in low season, with serviced pitches and peak dates costing more.