Northumberland Castles and Coast

Join us for a photography workshop on the spectacular Northumberland coast in Northern England. Located in the northeast of England, Northumberland’s heritage coastline simply cannot fail to impress. A designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, not only it is of significant geological importance, it features some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the country.

Best known for its sweeping sandy beaches, rolling dunes which fringe the coast, rugged cliffs and isolated islands, it also contains some imposing castles such as Bamburgh and the evocative ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle with its distinctive boulder beach. Long a place of artistic interest, the landscape here was painted extensively by Turner and Thomas Girtin on their north-country travels. It’s not hard to see what attracted them.

At its best in the winter and early spring months, the light here can be outstanding, with often-spectacular sunrises and sunsets. The beaches are long, broad, and out of season, relatively empty, the shifting sand patterns and rock pools making for some fabulous images. Together we will travel to Holly Island, accessed via a tidal causeway, where we will explore its wealth of history. The fascinating harbour is a treasure trove for photographers. From it can be seen both the ancient castle of Lindisfarne and the ruins of the old priory.

We’ll visit traditional English fishing harbours, picturesque Embleton Bay with its golden sands and dramatic Bamburgh Castle with its grass-covered sand-dunes in the foreground. We’ll also be taking in the distinctive geology of Howick Scar and Cullernose Point, making use of long exposures to record the movement of the sea as it washes around the incredible rock formations to be found on the beach. If you’ve never been to this area, then you must because it is very beautiful, wild and remote and worthy of your time and effort to get there.

The opportunities presented by this fabulous coastline are endless, so why not join us on this photography workshop and find out for yourself why landscape photographers return to this part of England time and time again.