Mudpie Fridays >> Crabbing >> Crabbing in Seahouses in Northumberland – Good to Know

Crabbing in Seahouses in Northumberland – Good to Know

When we visited the NC500 over the Summer holidays we stopped at Alnwick Castle on the way up. Staying for a couple of nights we also fitted in a visit to Alnwick Gardens and more specifically the Poison Garden, ate at Alnwick Treehouse Restaurant, went sea glass hunting at Seaham and went crabbing at Seahouses in Northumberland. If you are a regular reader of Mudpie Fridays, you will know that the boys are slightly obsessed with crabbing. Since it is one of their favourite things to do we have visited many places from Cromer in North Norfolk, to the Isle of Skye to our home county of West Sussex.

So when we found ourselves with half a day to spare, they of course requested to give crabbing a go. I was surprised to find very little information about the best places to go crabbing in Northumberland. But having visited Seahouses harbour on a previous trip and taken a boat trip to the Farne Islands to see Holy Island. I had thought that it may be a good place on the Northumberland coast to try.

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Crabbing at Seahouses in Northumberland

It turned out that it was a very good location since it had everything we needed. And most importantly we caught some crabs. There is a small harbour wall which is where we headed. When we arrived there was another family fishing off the end which is fully enclosed with railings. There was also a small lighthouse and a place to sit. It wasn’t long until we had it to ourselves. As you are at the end of the harbour wall then you need to be careful as boats come in and out of the small fishing port. These were mainly Farne Island boat tours but depending on the time of day you visit there may also be fishing boats bringing in their daily catch.

Parking at Seahouses

Seahouses village is one of the more popular destinations in the local area which means that there are two large car parks close to the beach and harbour. This makes parking straight forward. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon and still managed to find a place in the Station Yard car park. The first hour was free, but we opted for two hours which was £5. I did notice that after 6 pm the car park was free. This meant that the small harbour was only a short walk.

Amenities at Seahouses

Again because it is a tourist trap the small village has everything you need. There are public toilets right next to the car park. As well as plenty of places to grab a coffee or fish n chips. There is a Coop on Main Street which means you can pick up some bacon to tempt the crabs and there are also gift shops just opposite the roundabout that sell all sorts of beach toys for kids. Including crab lines and crab nets at very reasonable prices. There are also plenty of other local shops to browse. We also found a little deli that was selling fresh fruit and local produce which we brought to munch on while waiting for the crabs to bite.

Becuase of the location there are also steps down to the sea water in the harbour. So it is easy to fill up your crabbing bucket ahead of catching anything.

What did we catch at Seahouses

It would not have been the first time we have been crabbing and not caught anything. But thankfully the boys did manage to get a couple of crabs. One was a small brown crab and the other looked to be a red velvet crab. Having not seen one of these before I wasn’t convinced but later on in our holiday we also crabbed at John O Groats and caught the same. They must like the North Sea!

As well as the crabs we also caught an eel! Which took us all a little bit by surprise. Especially as I am not too much of a fan of long wiggly things. Thankfully Charlie managed to catch it in the net and pop it back into the water. It was pretty slippery!

Because of the location at the end of the harbour wall, it doesn’t matter if it is low tide or high tide. Unlike some other crabbing spots we have tried over the years. Although we only caught a couple of crabs there are also rock pools on Seahouses beach if you want to try rock pooling. However, you will need to check tide times before going to make sure you arrive at the best time.

Bamburgh Beach

If you have had enough of crabbing then there is a simply stunning beach a short drive away. Although we did not visit Bamburgh Beach on this trip we did on our last visit. It is one of the best beaches we have ever been to, backed by sand dunes and a vast stretch of sandy beaches that feels like it goes for miles. No wonder it is noted as an area of outstanding natural beauty and it has the iconic Bamburgh Castle in the background. Which is also worth a visit if you have time.