Espresso yourself
Discover our Earl Grey Tea history, settle by the fire in a second-hand bookshop or sip on your coffee in a renovated train carriage. Read on to discover some of Northumberland’s hidden gem coffee spots.
There’s nothing more comforting than a warming coffee, a creamy hot chocolate or a refreshing cup of tea to break up your day out. Luckily, Northumberland has an abundance of cosy cafés and tea rooms where you can huddle up, enjoy a hot drink and indulge on a slab of home-made cake.
Northumberland has a long history in tea, and Charles Grey himself, the man that Earl Grey tea was named after, was from Northumberland. Tea-lovers can visit his former home and go to The Earl Grey Teahouse at Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum for a unique afternoon tea experience and a slice of Earl Grey tea loaf.
Barter Books in Alnwick is a café-stroke-tourist spot, and is one of the largest antiquarian and second-hand book shops in Britain. People travel for miles to browse the abundance of books before picking one to flick through by the crackling open fire with a hot beverage in hand.
Other coffee spots include the unusual Carriages Tearoom, which is an actual train that was used for public service as far back as 1957. It has been restored, renovated and transformed into a café, and still contains original seats, fixtures and fittings from the train’s service days.
Kirkharle Lake and Courtyard is tucked away in the countryside, serving delicious brunches and freshly brewed teas and coffees, and is based in Kirkharle Estate which was the home of Lancelot Capability Brown for 23 years.
If you’re in need of a re-fuelling stop following some sight-seeing and walking, we have many cafés that are ideally located by some of our historical sites. Chesters Tearoom at Chesters Roman Fort makes for an excellent coffee spot along Hadrian’s Wall, where ravenous ramblers and gasping gallivanters can take a break. Hadrian’s Wall and Housesteads Fort Visitor Centre and The Sill also have cosy cafés to enjoy, and panoramic views of Northumberland National Park can be admired from The Sill’s floor-to-ceiling windows.