Amble named in the UK's top 10 seaside places to live

Amble has been named in a round-up of the 10 best places by the sea to live.
The Harbour Village in Amble.  Picture by Jane ColtmanThe Harbour Village in Amble.  Picture by Jane Coltman
The Harbour Village in Amble. Picture by Jane Coltman

The town, known as the Friendliest Port, features in the Sunday Times’ pick of the UK’s coastal hot-spots, published last weekend.

And with its recent developments, harbour village, wealth of eateries, independent shops and cracking beaches, it’s clear to see why it is featured in the list.

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The paper says of Amble: ‘Two decades ago, this former mining and fishing town at the mouth of the River Coquet was known mostly for its high unemployment rate, and was bypassed for the brooding castles and sandy beaches of Bamburgh and Alnmouth, to the north.

‘An enthusiastic regeneration scheme has transformed the harbour – now home to smart apartments, cafés, restaurants and the Northumberland Seafood Centre, a lobster hatchery and fish market – and with it the fortunes of the village.’

It mentions Spurelli’s ice cream parlour, Sea and Soil and the Old Boat House as tasty places to eat.

And it adds: ‘The friendly marina is used mostly by locals, there are weekend markets and the tasty selection of places to eat.’

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Julia Aston, director of Amble Development Trust, said: “We are thrilled to bits that it has been recognised and that is down to all the hard work that has been done over the last 22 years, which is starting to bear fruit.

“It hasn’t been easy changing people’s perceptions. It doesn’t matter what you put in place, you still need to change people’s opinions.

“But after all that hard work we have managed to turn it around and people are seeing Amble in a different light.

“We have seen a difference in the area in the last couple of years.

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“Hopefully this will help to drive tourism and help Amble become recognised as a tourist area for the future.”

The Sunday Times list is: Aberdyfi, Gwynedd; Amble; Burnham Overy Staith, Norfolk; Dornoch, Highlands; Heswall, Merseyside; Hove, East Sussex; Kingsbridge, Devon; Lyme Regis , Dorset; North Berwick, East Lothian; St Ives, Cornwall.