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If you are looking for an English road trip with a difference, then this might well be the adventure for you. A 250 mile loop around Northumberland, this journey will take you across the most northern and sparsely populated county in the country. Home to the darkest skies in Europe, vast beaches and ancient forests, Northumberland is packed with options for adventure.

Difficulty:

As this is a road trip, it is by nature pretty straight forward. That said you can ramp up the difficulty and adventure as much as you like by stopping for hikes, swims and explorations along the way.

The loop caters for all types of adventure seekers from families, to those wanting to really push themselves.. This diverse corner of the country has a bit of everything.  

Time:

We had 4.5 days for our road trip which was enough to see a fair bit but could have done more. If you are pushed for time, a day or even a half day section of the 250 is of course possible, however for the ‘full’ experience we would recommend a few days at least.

The Adventure:

Setting off from our home in London we made the five and a half hour drive up to Rothbury, our first stop on the adventure. We spent our first night drinking Guinness and eating pie and mash in an old pub in the centre of town, before hitting the road early the next morning in search of one of the county’s famous beaches.

We had heard/seen a fair bit about this stretch of England’s north-east coast and setting foot on the sand of Bamburgh Beach, we were certainly not disappointed. Miles of sand, lined by beautiful dunes on one side and the ocean on the other, Bamburgh is nothing short of spectacular. We spent a couple of hours exploring and taking in the views of the famous castle, the Farne Islands and navigating the dune network.

This early morning experience set the tone for the rest of the day as we drove north along the coastal section of the 250, stopping whenever we felt like it to sunbathe and swim, ending the day by exploring Holy Island, a small tidal island situated a mile or so off the coast.

24 hours into our road trip and we had already seen and done enough to convince us that this was one of England’s hidden gems - a gorgeous location, packed with options for adventure.

The next couple of days saw us driving the most northern section of the route through the ‘Borderlands’, dipping in and out of Scotland, across rugged and in large parts untouched terrain. By this point we were really into the flow of the road trip, and embracing the impulsivity that travelling by car allows you. We stopped where we wanted, deviated from the route if we felt like it and generally took our time about things.

American adventure culture is in large parts centered around road trips, however in the UK it isn’t really something that we ‘do’, but winding through this glorious section of the trip we really began to ask why not?

Why aren’t there more people hopping in their cars in search of road tripping adventure? No two days the same, heading for the horizon, always moving forward… It's so liberating, travelling with no anchor, it feels to us like the polar opposite to city living. And how exciting is that? What's more the UK is set up for it, incredible landscapes, good roads, affordable (usually pub based) accommodation - we have all the ingredients for great roads trips.

And so in this new found groove we made our way south from the Borderlands into the vast Kielder Forest, a new and totally different environment - as mentioned, with the 250 the order of the day is variety! We spent a couple of days in the forest driving remote army tracks, mountain biking along wooded trails and hiking the forest. This section of the drive we were spoilt for choice, there was almost too many options for adventure - a nice problem to have!

Exhausted but very happy we made our way down for one final adventure as we closed the 250 loop at Hexham. As a final morning Northumberland send-off we headed out to tackle a small section of Hadrian’s wall and were certainly not disappointed as we were met by glorious sunshine and no other humans as far as the eye could see. Just us, this incredible work of ancient architectural art and the Northumberland hills.

The perfect way to round off what had been four and half days of discovery, adventure and fun, all at a very achievable price.

Pointers:

• Clothing - This is the north east of England, so even if you are visiting in the summer nothing is guaranteed, so we advice you take lots of layers - prepare for all eventualities!

• Picnics - The 250 has an abundance of places to eat outside in beautiful environments; from long beaches to lake side forests, and so we suggest making sure you’re set up for picnics. This means taking a comfy rug, maybe a little gas stove, cooler box, thermos etc and stopping at super markets to stock up on grub. As well as being a fun way to eat, it also saves a fair bit of money in the long run, so don’t be afraid to invest in a few bits of kit to take your al fresco meals to the next level!

Conclusion:

The perfect way to discover Northumberland, a part of the UK that is perhaps its most often underestimated. A vast corner of the country and England’s most sparsely populated area, the experience of driving across it is calming and exhilarating in equal measure.

The Numbers:

/ 4.5 Days

/ 250 Miles

/ 3 Incredible beaches

/ £600 (inc fuel) 

Read our full road trip itinerary HERE.