Northumberland, Craster to Golf Club Walking with Wheels

Craster car park, in an old quarry, has toilets, Information Centre and food outlet.  Parking is free with a Blue Badge. 

A footpath to the harbour avoids using the road.  After the harbour, at the end of the row of fishermen's cottages, there is a kissing gate leading to the coast path but the adjacent large field gate is usually unlocked.  Currently (2022) there is a padlock. Contact the National Trust for the code: 01665 576874 You will need this for the gate beyond the castle anyway.

Follow the path towards the castle. After going through a gate there is a very rough and fairly steep climb up to a flat area before the castle. Take great care. Go almost to the castle boundary fence then turn left and descend the grass slope with care.

Dunstanburgh Castle is in the care of both English Heritage and the National Trust and so membership of either gains you free admission - but the people at the Castle might not know this about the NT! Note that there are no toilets at the Castle.

Continue below and to the left of the castle on a rather rocky path to Rumble Churn Bay which is a good place for a break and to see the Whin Sill outcropping on top of which the castle was built. At this point there is a fence with a small kissing gate. This can only be by-passed if you can get code for the lock from the National Trust 01665 576874  It is hoped that a RADAR padlock will be added to the chain to allow the disabled to pass through the large field gate. Now turn left away from the coast path along the England Coast Path (see fingerpost). We now enter the Golf Course.  Keep well to the landward (left) side and watch out for golfers. The Golf Club House is open to all and provides food and drinks.  There is a toilet but it is not accessible. There is a step up to the Club House and a step into the small toilet.

Return the same way until you reach a gate leading to a small parking area at Dunstan Steads. There is often an ice-cream van here. (you could make the whole route shorter by turning here rather than going to the golf clubhouse).

Go up the road then turn left into Dunstan Steads farm, passing a row of cottages on your right. 

Continue to Dunstan Square and turn left.  Go downhill and through a gate. 

An alternative route back is  to continue up and over the hill (Little Shaid) which brings you to a grassy slope leading back to the start. The return route via the landward side of the Heughs (hill or a steep ravine or precipice) can be tricky in places.  If the ground is still wet when you reach a very boggy area there is a higher track to the left parallel to the valley floor to get around it. Returning to the lower track means coming down a difficult section so take extra care.

Another crossing point of the hills comes soon (Big Shaid). This can be useful if the final stretch is blocked by overgrown gorse.  Otherwise, the path soon ends at a gate opposite to the car park.