The key characteristics of the North Northumberland Coastal Plain are. . . 

1. North Northumberland Coastal Plain

The key characteristics of the North Northumberland Coastal Plain are:


• Narrow, low lying, windswept coastal plain with wide views east towards the sea and west to the Cheviots. Particularly striking lateral coastal views.

• Intensively farmed landscape of predominantly open mixed arable land with limited trees and woodland, and permanent pasture/semi-natural grassland typical of the valleys and coastal fringes.

• Diverse coastal scenery, with a ‘hard’ coast of spectacular high cliffs, off-shore islands, and rocky headlands to the north, contrasting with a ‘soft’ coast of wide sweeping sandy bays backed by sand dunes and intertidal flats backed by saltmarsh to the south. Patches of coastal grazing marsh still remain.

• Rivers Aln, Coquet and Tweed, and numerous smaller watercourses, meander across the coastal plain to the sea.

• Coastal plain and offshore islands provide rich wildlife habitats, particularly for migratory and breeding sea birds.

• Distinctive historic heritage reflects importance of ecclesiastical influences and the strategic defence of the coast and English/Scottish border. Features include prominent medieval castles, fortifications and structures from both world wars and religious buildings.

• Whin Sill intrusions produce dramatic landscape features, including the coastal cliffs at Bamburgh and the Farne Islands. Inland outcrops and escarpments form distinctive local landmarks and support rare semi-natural whinstone grasslands.

• Dispersed pattern of isolated farmsteads, small nucleated villages, fishing villages and small coastal resort towns.

• Long history of mineral extraction, including whinstone quarrying, and opencast coal- mining to the south-west of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

For further details on this character area and for an introduction to the region, please see the PDF documents in the box at the top right hand side of this page.