The Arden Grange

The clatter of cutlery drifts up from breakfast tables below, mingling with the cry of gulls wheeling in off the North Sea — this is a proper Whitley Bay guesthouse with a handful of camping pods tucked into the grounds for those who want the best of both worlds.

It suits couples after a coastal break without the full tent palaver, families testing the waters before committing to canvas, and anyone who fancies waking up outdoors but wants a cooked breakfast waiting nearby. Whitley Bay's long sandy beach is the main draw here — rock pools, fish and chips on the prom, and St. Mary's Lighthouse visible from the shore when the tide's right. The pods give you that camping feeling without the midnight guy-rope fumble.

Facilities aren't spelled out in detail, so it's worth ringing ahead to check what's in the pods and what you'll share with guesthouse guests. Dogs are welcome by arrangement — ask when you book. Campfires are a check-on-arrival situation, likely weather and wind dependent. Open all year, so you could feasibly pod it here in February if you're brave and the Northumberland coast in winter sounds romantic rather than mad.