A Picnic at Ingram Valley, Northumberland National Park

Ingram Valley in Northumberland National Park is somewhere I have fond memories of visiting as a child. We used to visit every summer and spend the day with friends and family. I loved it. 

It's one of those places I've been meaning to take my own children for so long but have never got around to it. I predict it has been around 20-25 years since my last visit and decided we couldn't put it off any longer. We set off on a sunny Saturday in hope of finding this spot I remember so fondly. 

Ingram Valley - Essential Info

After a quick look at google maps, we followed the A697 North towards Wooler and turned off at the road called '68' which was signposted as Ingram.

We followed this road for around 8 miles (do not turn off - stay on the road) and were amused at the sheep grazing by the side of the road without a care in the world before we arrived at this car park on the left.

We pulled over as there were toilets here and I realised that this was actually the place I remember. The car park is fairly small (and free) but I think people just park on the grass if it's busy. We hit lucky as there was only one other family there on the day of our visit.

Apologies that I can't be more specific with directions but you just need to follow the signs for Ingram until you see the big hill pictured on your left and the car park, toilets and river on your right. You won't go wrong. If you don't fancy this specific spot, there are a couple of other places to stop along the river en-route.

Edit to add, after a bit of digging, I have discovered this place is called Bulby's Wood Car Park. The postcode is: NE66 4LT 

We arrived prepared with our  picnic blankets, camping chairs, buckets and fishing nets. We chose a spot just by the river bed - sheep freely roam around the area so when choosing your spot, you'll need to watch out for sheep poo.

The area is dog-friendly but obviously, keep them on a lead if they're likely to run off and start chasing sheep. There were no sheep in the immediate vicinity of the river but there were plenty in the surrounding areas.

Please note, BBQs are no longer permitted in Northumberland National Park. 

There are clean public toilets in the car park. 

As we were setting up, the kids ran off to climb this hill. Something I remember doing as a child myself. They were practically vertical at some points!

 Catching tadpoles and plodging in the River Breamish

The river in the area we set up camp is nice and safe for children to plodge in. They had lots of fun with their nets and buckets catching tadpoles, watching the fish and generally having fun.

There's a deeper part and plunge pool further along at Linhope Spout where they can swim too but we're saving that for another adventure.

Make sure you take towels and a change of clothes - Jack fell in twice! I expected the kids to go in bare foot but they insisted on taking their wellies. After 20 minutes of them continously filling up with water though, they decided that mum knows best and barefoot was the way forward.

Scatch, stone skimming and ice creams

There's no phone signal (for EE - I've heard there may be for other providers) which meant we could really kick back and properly relax without worrying about checking our notifications.

After our picnic, Steve helped the kids perfect their stone skimming skills, we had a game of scatch (whilst again, avoiding the sheep poo) and an ice cream van pulled up so we couldn't resist treating ourselves (make sure you take change - ice creams are £2 each).

The sun was shining and it was so lovely just sitting, watching the world go by and having a quick chat with the occasional walker who passed us by.

Poor Jack was exhausted by the end of the day.......

We spent 4-5 hours at Ingram Valley and it was honestly one of the best days out we've had in ages. It was so chilled and relaxing and lovely to see the kids embracing the outdoors and having the kind of fun that doesn't involve playing Fortnite on X Box. 

It was an inexpensive day out too -  the only costs involved are your petrol and whatever you buy for lunch plus money for the ice cream van. It's never too late to start a new tradition and we've decided we're going to head back at the start of every summer from now on.

There was only one other family at Ingram Valley during our visit but I have heard that it can get busy sometimes. The family next to us brought their pop-up tent which is fine for the day but there is no camping allowed overnight. When I was younger, there used to be around 15 of us spend the day there and I think it's the perfect spot for a big family picnic. 

Are you looking for more ideas for days out across North East England? Why not join 2000 other parents in our North East Days Out Facebook group. It's FREE to join and a fab place to post your own recommendations, find inspiration or ask for ideas. You can request to join here.