I visited the best undisputed seaside towns in the UK – it is very overrated (Image: Milo Boyd/Getty)
It is the seaside community that has once again been named the “best” of its kind in the UK.
It claimed the number one spot in the annual battle of the UK's best seaside towns (despite being a village). It's the fifth year of reaching the top, beating what Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Kent or Wales has to offer. It received a 5 star rating for the beach, seaside, scenery and peaceful atmosphere.
Located about an hour's drive from Newcastle, Bambara, Northumberland attracts thousands of people each year. And this is part of the problem. And why did I realize that it was still cold in that so-called charm. When I visited, the vast number of people crowded along its narrow pavement took a truly gentle edge from the peaceful reputation of the village.
Cars are also a big problem. On a hot June day, the flow of traffic on the arterial roads passing through Bambara's centre is unforgiving. The nearest train station is seven miles away in Chatil and the buses are sporadic, making it difficult to hope to embark on a relaxed, car-free day trip.
Bambara looks idyllic, but attracts thousands of people every year (Image: David C Tomlinson via Getty Images)
Any complaints about logistics aside, the real problem with Bambara is its atmosphere. The heart of the charm of the great British seaside town is the slightly edgy, salty quality that somehow relates to a large amount of sailors. Bambara has its farrow and ball doors and memorial benches, which are not available.
The stars of the Bambara show are the beaches and castles. There is no denying that the combination of the two and the way the 1,400-year-old fort hangs down on a wide sandy coast is spectacular. You will not find me criticizing Bambara Castle.
But the beach is definitely a bit of a one-note. After a stroll through half a mile of water to reach a patch of water deep enough to put in the paddle, you will be frozen in the North Sea, which rarely swells into something as interesting as you would find on the Atlantic coast of England.
The Bamburgh Sea rarely swells into something as interesting as you can find on the Atlantic coast of the UK (Image: Getty)
If you're looking for a very long beach, Camber Sands near the rye in East Sussex not only enjoys more sunlight (as one of the sunnystanding places in the country), but also has excellent sand dunes, especially if you're a teenager interested in starting up yourself from their peaks.
If you are looking for pure painting, there are many more peaceful seaside towns that offer you space to contemplate the waves and intersect with nature. There is one Glenelg on the west coast of Scotland. Not only is it the best pub garden in the UK, but also the incredibly clean beaches of Sandig, as well as the Glenelginn.
The Peaceful Spot was immortalized as Camusfearna of Ring of Bright Water, a book written by Gavin Maxwell about his life, living with a pet otter. It offers more than the flat tracks offered in Bamburgh, with winding roads, rugged islands and coves.
Views of Lindisfarne Castle on the Holy Island of Northumberland (Image: Getty Images)
Of course, Northumberland's coastline is shocking. But if you're on the neck of the forest, why not travel a few miles north from Bambara to the sacred island of the sacred island?
At the end of Yom around the awfully beautiful island there is the thrill of driving across the Causeway that connects the tide island to the mainland. As the car park warning signs are happy to be warned, many confident Range Rover drivers have found themselves shaking into salty drinks in late efforts to take over it.
Obviously, when it comes to my indifference to this chart-top coastal location, I am in the minority.
Bambara Castle on the hill near the beach (Image: Pa Thompson via Getty Images)
Which did the Bambara visitors say? What they like about it: “It's a gem. The beach is sandy and clean and stretches for miles. There are plenty of walks, the food on offer is at the top, the feel has passed and it's history enough to dig into some holidays.”
An average night stay in Bambara costs £130, which is reasonable. If you want to jump out, the current owners of the castle, Francis and Claire Watson Armstrong, will stay with you.
Francis was a Grade I custodian with Grade I listed and was originally the site of Fort Celtic Brittonic, known as Din Guarie, dating back three thousand years ago.
“The castle's history dates back three thousand years ago. It has been in his family since 1894. This is relatively recent in his grand scheme of things. The first Lord Armstrong to buy the castle was an incredible inventor called the “Sorcerer of the North,” Claire told the Mirror.
For Claire, what is the fact that Bambara won? The survey once again shows just how prominent it is – especially considering that it is not gifted the sun and warmth of its seaside counterparts in the country's southern seas.
“There is no place like Bambara. You can see dolphins, the sunset, the sunrise. You just stand there and breathe in – the smell of the sea. It's unique. Over the centuries, there's something about the soul of that place,” she said.
Bambara Castle's history dates back 3,000 years ago. (Image: Getty Images)
