Alnmouth Beach Northumberland
Alnmouth is a small estuary village on the Northumberland coast at the mouth of the River Aln, a settlement of considerable charm whose elevated position above the river estuary, the excellent sandy beach extending north along the coast and the character of a traditional Northumberland coastal community make it one of the most attractive small villages on this exceptionally beautiful stretch of coast. The village developed as a grain exporting port in the eighteenth century, its position at the river mouth providing the sheltered anchorage needed for the coastal trade.
The beach north of the estuary, accessible by the footbridge from the village, is a broad and largely deserted stretch of Northumberland sand backed by dunes that extends northward toward the Boulmer coast in a walking destination of considerable quality. The sands here are some of the finest on the Northumberland coast and the combination of the beach, the estuary wildlife and the views across to the dunes on the far bank create a coastal experience of great beauty that is less visited than the more celebrated destinations of this county.
The village itself, with its colourful painted cottages on the ridge above the estuary, the old granary buildings converted to new uses and the estuary views from the village green, provides an excellent complement to the beach visit. The golf course on the dunes north of the village is one of the finest links courses in the northeast, and the Northumberland coastal path connecting Alnmouth with Alnwick and the wider Northumberland heritage landscape provides excellent onward walking.