Bamburgh Castle offers visitors chance to watch solar eclipse from unique vantage point

During the partial solar eclipse on Wednesday, August 12, the moon will cover almost all of the sun, creating an extraordinary near-total effect and dramatically reducing the evening light.

It will be the darkest partial solar eclipse visible from the UK since 1999, creating an eerie and unforgettable atmosphere as daylight fades across the Northumberland coast.

And there can be few more dramatic places to experience the phenomena from than Bamburgh Castle. Standing around 150 feet above sea level, the castle’s elevated position gives an uninterrupted view to the west, critical for seeing the eclipse.

For this special ticketed event, visitors will be able to enter the castle grounds after normal opening hours, have a viewing spot on the castle’s west wall and watch the celestial spectacle unfold against the backdrop of one of Britain’s most historic castles.

The evening will also feature talks, lawn games and refreshments from the Tack Room café. Visitors are welcome to bring camping chairs and picnic blankets and settle in for the occasion.

Solar eclipse viewing glasses are included with every ticket.

Francis Watson-Armstrong, owner of Bamburgh Castle, said: “Solar eclipses are extraordinary wherever you experience them, but seeing the light change and the landscape darken from the grounds of Bamburgh Castle will be something very special indeed.

“Getting to a high point with good views towards the west is important for this eclipse and Bamburgh’s position around 150 feet above sea level gives us a fantastic vantage point.

“There is also something wonderfully atmospheric about experiencing an event like this inside the castle grounds after hours. As the moon moves across the sun and the light begins to fade, we expect things to feel just a little eerie and where better to experience that than somewhere with thousands of years of history?”

Numbers to the event are being deliberately limited so that everyone joining the experience has space to get the best possible views from the castle’s west wall, which runs from the windmill to the Clock Tower.

Gates open at 6pm with last admission at 7pm. The event finishes at 9pm.

Tickets are strictly limited and include entry into the grounds only.

External food and drink cannot be brought into the event, but the Tack Room café will be open for light refreshments. Only assistance dogs are permitted.

Tickets, priced at £12 for adults and £7pm for children, are available to buy online at Bamburghcastle.com https://www.bamburghcastle.com/events/eclipse-at-the-castle/?eventdate=2026-08-09