beach
Druridge Bay
Seven miles of near-empty sand backed by dunes and reclaimed opencast lakes now managed as nature reserves.
18 km · about 20 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Bedlington
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Bedlington
Bedlington works well as a base: 5 minutes from Stakeford, 24km from Warkworth Castle.
Bedlington is in England, United Kingdom, with about 18,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Stakeford, about 4 km away.
Bedlington is a town in the civil parish of West Bedlington, in Northumberland, England, with a population of 18,470 measured at the 2011 Census.
Bedlington is an ancient market town, with a rich history of industry and innovative residents. Located roughly 10 miles (16 kilometres) northeast of Newcastle and NewcastleRead more
Airport, Bedlington is roughly 10 minutes from the A1 road, in southeast Northumberland. Other nearby places include Morpeth to the northwest, Ashington to the northeast, Blyth to the east and Cramlington to the south. In 1961 the parish had a population of 29,403.
The town has evidence of habitation from the Bronze Age, with a burial site being located just behind what is now the main Front Street. A cluster of Bronze Age cist burials were discovered during excavation of the site in the 1930s. St Cuthbert's Church is the longest standing building in the town, with parts of this dating back to the 11th century and recently celebrated being 1000 years old. The church is in the heart of the original sandstone conservation town centre. Most of the medieval town has disappeared with many of the historic buildings and factories being demolished over the years, but there are still nods to medieval street layouts. The main Front Street is currently made up of Georgian and Victorian buildings.
At key points in history, before and during the Industrial Revolution, goods made in Bedlington made it to all corners of the globe through the distribution of nails and trains that were made in Bedlington from some 250 years ago. With large industry first being attracted to Bedlington over 250 years ago, in the form of its iron works, mining became an intrinsic part of Bedlington from 1838. The coal industry remained at the heart of the town until the closure of the mines in the 1980s. Today Bedlington's Front Street is host to a number of well-established eating and drinking venues, and there is an emergence of new establishments and retailers entering the town.
The parish of Bedlington constituted the historic exclave of County Durham called Bedlingtonshire.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Bedlington?
Within an hour or so of Bedlington: Druridge Bay (18 km), Angel of the North (24 km), Warkworth Castle (24 km), Cragside (27 km).
Are there any good drives near Bedlington?
The nearest famous roads are B6318 Military Road (Hadrian's Wall), College Valley and A689 Alston to Stanhope (Weardale).
Where is Bedlington?
Bedlington is in England, United Kingdom, about 4 km from Stakeford.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 18,470
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 55.1306, -1.5932
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Bedlington
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Angel of the North
Striking 20-metre steel sculpture with a 54-metre wingspan standing on a hilltop in Gateshead, England.
24 km · about 30 min drive
castle
Warkworth Castle
A striking cross-shaped keep above the River Coquet, the Percy family stronghold that appears in Shakespeare's Henry IV.
24 km · about 30 min drive
museum
Cragside
The Victorian home of engineer Lord Armstrong, the first house in the world lit by hydroelectric power, set in a vast rock garden estate.
27 km · about 30 min drive
castle
Alnwick Castle
A medieval castle in Northumberland that doubled as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, the second largest inhabited castle in England.
32 km · about 35 min drive
film location
Alnwick Castle (Hogwarts flying lessons)
The outer bailey of Alnwick Castle was Hogwarts for the first two Harry Potter films - the broomstick flying lesson and Quidditch practice were shot on its lawns.
32 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
The Alnwick Garden
A contemporary garden beside Alnwick Castle with a Grand Cascade, treehouse restaurant and a locked Poison Garden.
32 km · about 35 min drive
ancient ruins
Chesters Roman Fort
The best-preserved Roman cavalry fort in Britain, on the North Tyne, with a remarkably complete military bath house.
37 km · about 40 min drive
Driving roads near Bedlington
9 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 100km.
- 48 kmB6318 Military Road (Hadrian's Wall)General Wade's arrow-straight road along Hadrian's Wall, rolling over the whin sill with Roman forts on either side.
- 52 kmThe CheviotThe highest hill in Northumberland at 815 m, a broad peat-capped dome at the northern end of the Pennine Way.
- 53 kmSteel RiggA car park and viewpoint on the Whin Sill giving the classic switchback view of Hadrian's Wall towards Sycamore Gap.
- 59 kmCollege ValleyA remote Cheviot valley reached by a permit-only single-track road, one of the quietest drives in England.
- 60 kmA689 Alston to Stanhope (Weardale)A remote high Pennine road over Killhope with wide moorland views and almost no traffic; England's highest market town at one end.
- 61 kmA68 Jedburgh to Edinburgh (Carter Bar)A rollercoaster of blind crests over the Cheviots crossing the border at Carter Bar, then across the Lammermuirs.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
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