Bamburgh Castle’s indoor areas have reopened to visitors once again after almost 200 days,

As lockdown restrictions continue to ease across the UK, the doors were opened for visitors to enjoy Bamburgh Castle’s 14 staterooms, The Armstrong & Aviation Museum and newly refurbished Clock Tower Tearoom for the first time since November.

Castle owner Francis Watson-Armstrong was there to open up the castle’s staterooms and welcome visitors back inside, as Northumbrian piper Joanne Kemp played a specially composed piece of music, called Bamburgh, to mark the occasion.

Francis said: “It is a very proud day for us all and wonderful to see the castle staterooms alive with visitors once again. The castle needs people to bring it to life – they make its heart beat.

“The past year – and beyond –  has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone. It is a huge relief to be able to reopen once again – and to see our fellow tourism and hospitality businesses open after what has been a painfully long time.

“The safety and wellbeing of our visitors and our team is our utmost priority We have invested heavily in fortifying Bamburgh Castle as a Covid-secure attraction and are delighted that we can welcome visitors back inside once more and have an exciting line up of events over the coming months.

“I would like to thank our team who have worked incredibly hard conserving the staterooms and their collections throughout our closure and who have done a magnificent job preparing them for visitors to enjoy once again.  We would like to thank everyone who has sent us well wishes and messages of support ahead of our reopening today and we look forward to welcoming you back again.”

Sunrise over Bamburgh Castle by Alan Leightley

Bamburgh has been named best seaside destination by Which? with Bamburgh Castle helping to win votes for our village and claim the top spot out of almost 100 towns across the UK.

Bamburgh Castle was highlighted by members who also gave top marks for Bamburgh’s beach, stunning scenery, peaceful surroundings and value for money, pipping friendly rivals in popular destinations including Cornwall, Devon and Wales.

More than 4,000 Which? members voted in the survey for where they would choose to have a staycation or day out, based on their recent UK visits to seaside towns and villages.

Francis Watson-Armstrong, owner of Bamburgh Castle said: “This is absolutely fantastic news – not just for Bamburgh Castle but for the whole community here. There is something truly magical about Bamburgh which captures people’s hearts, as Which members have shown.

“During the lockdown we were absolutely staggered – and very grateful – to receive so many heartfelt messages of support from people across the world who just love Bamburgh. We had beautiful handwritten cards and letters, emails and astounding posts on social media. Bamburgh is a destination that means so much to so many people and it is on their bucket list to visit.

“It is a destination that really does have something for everyone – from its incredible beaches where you can walk for miles without hardly seeing a soul, to its array of attractions and things to do – whether that’s building sandcastles on the beach, to picnicking on the Green to exploring the village’s more hidden attractions like the Bamburgh Bones in St Aidan’s Church ossuary to visiting Bamburgh Castle itself. We have great restaurants, shops, hotels and inns and an array of places to stay from self catering properties to our friends the inns and holiday parks.

“The lockdown has had a devastating impact on tourism businesses and being named the UK’s best seaside destination means a great deal to us. It will play an important part in helping businesses get back on their feet again, showcasing Bamburgh as a year-round destination for a staycation or a day out.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to Which? and their members who voted for Bamburgh as the UK’s best seaside destination. We can’t wait to welcome you back to visit us again.”

Read the full Which? survey here.