We checked 10 Boxing Day walks in Northumberland, from the Holy Island causeway to Housesteads, for tide times, parking and what is open. Updated November 2026.
Northumberland has 10 Boxing Day walks worth getting out for in 2026, and this guide puts them in one place with tide times, parking and what is open on the day. Most people head for the coast, to Holy Island, where the causeway is safe until 1.50pm, or the path from Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle. Inland, Housesteads on Hadrian’s Wall is open from 10am, and the country parks at Bolam Lake and Plessey Woods are the easy options. Every time and price was checked against the owner’s own pages on 14 November 2026.
Overview
Boxing Day 2026 is a Saturday, and the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December. Before you set out:
- Light. The sun sets at about 3.40pm on 26 December, so a walk that starts after 1pm is a short one.
- Most of the big houses and castles are shut. Dunstanburgh, Warkworth, Belsay, Lindisfarne Priory, Lindisfarne Castle and Bamburgh Castle close on Boxing Day, and so do Cragside and Wallington, car parks and all. Most reopen on Sunday 27 December. The walks past the castles stay open.
- Housesteads is the exception. English Heritage opens Housesteads Roman Fort from 10am to 4pm on 26 December.
- Cafés. Northumberland County Council publishes normal winter hours for its country park cafés but no separate Christmas times, so ring before you count on a hot drink.
On the coast
1. Holy Island (Lindisfarne)
The walk that needs a timetable. Northumberland County Council’s crossing table says the causeway road is safe to cross from 8am to 1.50pm on Saturday 26 December 2026, then not again until 8.15pm, which leaves a morning on the island and a firm time to leave.
The council adds 30 minutes of caution for wind, and its times are for the road only: the marked Pilgrims’ Way over the sands should be walked in daylight with someone who knows it, and finished before the middle of the safe period. English Heritage has Lindisfarne Priory closed on Boxing Day, and the National Trust has Lindisfarne Castle and its shop shut from 24 to 27 December, though its record lists the Gertrude Jekyll garden below the castle as open all day.
The harbour, the lime kilns and the shore path round to the castle are the walk.
Open causeway safe 8am to 1.50pm on 26 December; priory and castle closed
Price free to walk; castle £13 adults when open
Address Holy Island, Berwick-upon-Tweed TD15 2SH
Website holyislandcrossingtimes.northumberland.gov.uk
Good for a morning walk, the harbour, sea views, short legs
2. Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle
The classic Northumberland coast walk. The National Trust, which owns the castle, describes the path from Craster as a 1.3-mile walk over uneven ground that crosses farmland with cows in it, and asks walkers to follow the countryside code around livestock.
The ruin itself, one of the largest fortifications in the north of England, is run by English Heritage and is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day; it reopens on Sunday 27 December from 10am to 4pm. The view of it from the path is the reason to go anyway.
Carry on north past the castle and the path reaches the golf course and the beach at Embleton Bay.
Walk 1.3 miles each way, Craster to the castle; uneven, through fields with cattle
Open path always open; castle closed 24 to 26 December, open 27 December 10am to 4pm
Address Craster, Alnwick NE66 3TT
Call 01665 576231 (National Trust Northumberland coast)
Website nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/dunstanburgh-castle
Good for castle views, rock pools, a coastal loop, boots
3. Low Newton and Embleton Bay
The National Trust looks after the Embleton and Newton Links, the dunes and wide beaches between Dunstanburgh and Beadnell, and describes them as silver sands backed by wildlife-rich dunes. From the square at Low Newton-by-the-Sea the walk south along Embleton Bay heads towards Dunstanburgh across the sand.
It joins up with the Craster walk above for a longer day, if the light allows. The beach is open land with no opening hours and no charge from the Trust.
Open open access, all year
Price free
Address Low Newton-by-the-Sea, Alnwick NE66 3EW
Website nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/embleton-and-newton-links
Good for a beach walk, dunes, castle views
4. Bamburgh beach
The wide sands below Bamburgh Castle are open every day, looking out to the Farne Islands. The castle is a different matter: its Christmas display runs daily from 10am to 4pm until 3 January 2027 but is closed on 25 and 26 December, as set out in our Bamburgh Castle Christmas guide.
From the village the beach runs south towards Seahouses for a longer walk out and back.
Open beach always open; castle closed 25 and 26 December
Price free to walk the beach
Address Bamburgh NE69 7DF
Good for a long beach walk, castle views, the Farne Islands
5. Druridge Bay Country Park
Three miles south of Amble, a country park round Ladyburn Lake with the long Druridge Bay beach on the other side of the dunes. Northumberland County Council says many of the paths round the lake are accessible for people of all abilities, and the Northumberland Coast Path and National Cycle Network Route 1 run straight through. The gates open in daylight.
The café’s winter Saturday hours are 9am to 4pm, and the main toilets 9am to 5pm, though the council publishes no Christmas times. The council warns there is no lifeguard on the lake or the sea, and that the dunes can be unstable in places.
Open gates open in daylight hours
Price free entry; parking £3 up to two hours, £5 over two hours; Blue Badge free
Parking three car parks, the largest next to the visitor centre
Address Druridge Bay Country Park, A1068, Red Row, Morpeth NE61 5BX
Website northumberland.gov.uk/parks/country-parks-visitor-centres-coastal-sites/druridge-bay-country-park-and-cafe
Good for accessible paths, a lake and a beach, dogs, buses X18 and X20 to Hadston
Hadrian’s Wall and the South Tyne
6. Housesteads and Hadrian’s Wall
The one big heritage site in the county open on the day. English Heritage lists Housesteads Roman Fort open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 26 December, and the National Trust, which owns the land, lists Hadrian’s Wall itself as open all day.
The Trust suggests walking along the wall west towards Milecastle 37 and Sycamore Gap, over the Whin Sill crags. English Heritage notes there is currently no accessible parking by the museum, so everyone parks in the lower car park, and the fort’s toilets are closed but those in the car park are open.
The Trust says the visitor centre and café are closed while English Heritage makes changes.
Open fort 10am to 4pm on 26 December; the wall open all day
Price fort tickets from English Heritage, members of English Heritage and the National Trust free; the wall is free
Parking lower car park only
Call 01434 344525
Address near Bardon Mill, Hexham NE47 6NN
Website english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/housesteads-roman-fort-hadrians-wall
Good for Roman history, a crag-top walk, big views, boots
7. Allen Banks and Staward Gorge
The woodland walk of the Hexham side. The National Trust describes 250 hectares of gorge and the largest area of ancient semi-natural woodland in Northumberland, inside the North Pennines National Landscape, with red squirrels among more than 70 recorded bird and animal species.
Its calendar has the countryside open from dawn to dusk on 26 December. Entry is free; the car park charges non-members £3 for four hours or £5 for the day.
The toilet block has reopened, one ladies’ cubicle aside.
Open dawn to dusk on 26 December
Price free; parking £3 for four hours, £5 all day, National Trust members free
Address near Ridley Hall, Bardon Mill, Hexham NE47 7BP
Website nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/allen-banks-and-staward-gorge
Good for woodland, a river gorge, red squirrels, toilets on site
Woods, lakes and forest
8. Bolam Lake Country Park
Nine miles west of Morpeth off the A696, a lake dug for Lord Decies in 1816 to plans by John Dobson, with woodland planted in 1819. The council says the path round the lake is about a mile and fully accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and calls the park an excellent place to walk dogs. Roe deer and red squirrels live in the woods.
The three car parks open from 9.30am until sunset and are locked at dusk. The café’s winter Saturday hours are 10am to 3.30pm, with no Christmas times published; the toilets by the Boathouse Wood car park open daily from 9.30am to 5pm.
Open car parks 9.30am to sunset
Price free entry; parking £3 up to two hours, £5 over two hours
Parking three car parks; café and toilets at Boathouse Wood
Address Bolam Lake Country Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE20 0HE
Website northumberland.gov.uk/parks/country-parks-visitor-centres-coastal-sites/bolam-lake-country-park
Good for pushchairs, a flat one-mile loop, dogs, red squirrels
9. Plessey Woods Country Park
Between Bedlington and Cramlington, five miles south of Morpeth: 100 acres of woodland, meadow and riverside along the River Blyth, known locally as Bluebell Woods. The council puts a full circuit at about a mile and a half, with some steep steps and grassy paths, and surfaced paths from the visitor centre down to the river. There are woodland sculptures, three free climbing boulders and a play area by the café.
The park opens in daylight; the café’s winter Saturday hours are 10am to 3.30pm, subject to weather and change.
Open daylight hours
Price free entry; parking £3 up to two hours, £5 over two hours; Blue Badge free
Address Shields Road, Plessey, near Bedlington NE22 6HZ
Call 01670 824793
Website northumberland.gov.uk/parks/country-parks-visitor-centres-coastal-sites/plessey-woods-country-park-visitor-centre
Good for short legs, play area, riverside, dogs, toilets
10. Kielder Forest
The long drive, for the biggest forest in England. Forestry England has the Forest Drive open from dawn to dusk, but the café and information point at Kielder Castle are closed, so take a flask. One parking ticket covers every car park on the site: £2.50 for an hour or £6.50 for the day, valid until 3am for anyone staying on for the dark skies.
Warksburn and Sidwood car parks are free. Our Kielder Winter Wonderland page has the Christmas event dates.
Open Forest Drive dawn to dusk; café and information point closed
Price parking £2.50 for one hour, £6.50 all day; Warksburn and Sidwood free
Address Kielder Castle, Kielder NE48 1ER
Website forestryengland.uk/kielder-forest
Good for forest trails, a lakeside walk, dark skies, a long day out
Closed on Boxing Day
- Cragside, Rothbury: house, gardens, Carriage Drive and tea room closed 24 to 26 December; reopens Sunday 27 December, gardens 10am to 5pm. See Christmas at Cragside.
- Wallington, Cambo: house, walled garden, café, car park and woodland closed 24 to 26 December; grounds reopen Sunday 27 December from 10am to 4pm.
- Warkworth Castle, Belsay Hall and Lindisfarne Priory (English Heritage): closed Christmas Eve to Boxing Day; Warkworth and Belsay reopen Sunday 27 December from 10am to 4pm.
The Boxing Day dip at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, started by the Ashington Lions in the 1980s and run in recent years by the Newbiggin RNLI, has not published its 2026 details yet; we will add them when it does.
How we chose
These are the coast paths, country parks and wall walks in Northumberland that are open on 26 December, with times taken from Northumberland County Council, the National Trust, English Heritage and Forestry England and checked on 14 November 2026. Tides, opening times and Christmas buses can change, so check the owner’s page on the morning. For lunch afterwards, our Christmas dinner guide lists the local menus, and things to do in Northumberland and what’s on this month carry the rest of the season.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@northumberlandpost.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@northumberlandpost.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
Frequently asked questions
Can you cross to Holy Island on Boxing Day?
Yes, in the morning. Northumberland County Council’s crossing table says the causeway road is safe from 8am to 1.50pm on Saturday 26 December 2026, then unsafe until 8.15pm. Lindisfarne Priory and Lindisfarne Castle are both closed that day, but the village, the harbour and the shore paths are open.
Is Housesteads Roman Fort open on Boxing Day?
Yes. English Heritage and the National Trust both list Housesteads open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 26 December 2026. It is one of the few staffed heritage sites in Northumberland open that day; Dunstanburgh, Warkworth, Belsay, Cragside and Wallington are all closed.
Are Cragside and Wallington open on Boxing Day?
No. The National Trust’s calendars show every part of Cragside and Wallington closed from 24 to 26 December 2026, car parks included. Both reopen on Sunday 27 December, Cragside’s gardens from 10am to 5pm and Wallington’s grounds from 10am to 4pm.
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