Spittal Splashpad, Playground & Beach

This post was published by Gaia in August 2023. Always check with venues direct for the most up-to-date info before heading out.

Gaia and her kids met up with friends in Spittal, which is a seaside town just 5 mins away from Berwick-upon-Tweed. It's a perfect place for a day out or a stopover on the way to Scotland as it's just off the A1, about halfway to Edinburgh (St Abbs to see Thor's House or Harestanes Accessible Playground are other stop off ideas).

Splashpad which is regularly maintained
Newish playpark with pirate theme
Free parking (for up to 72 hours)
Typical seaside cafe selling chips, hot dogs, ice-creams, candy floss
Small traditional amusement arcade
Accessible with an accessible swing, a private changing place for wheelchair users and beach wheelchairs available to hire (this scheme is in it's final stages and will be open very soon)
Large stretch of sandy beach with bathing water classified as 'excellent'
5 mins south of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Good stopover on a journey to Scotland

Getting there

Spittal Splashpad and beach are around 1 hour 20 mins drive from Newcastle. It's easily accessible by public transport as you can get the train to Berwick-upon-Tweed and then a bus to Spittal, taking the same amount of time as driving.

Use postcode TD15 1RW. Parking in South Greenwich Road Car Park is free for up to 72 hours.

Accessibility

The carpark is right next to the playpark and splashpad, and the promenade along the seafront (which is surfaced). The cafe and amusements are also also right next to the playpark. There's a accessible swing in the playpark.

In June 2023, funding was raised to provide a private changing space for wheelchair users with an electric hoist and two beach wheelchairs which will be available for the public to hire.

At time of writing (August 2023), these beach wheelchairs are undergoing their test phase and Berwick Community Trust hope to open bookings to the public very soon. Check their Facebook Page for updates and booking info.

Spittal Splashpad

Looking for an indoor alternative? Check out Berwick Indoor Swimming Pool & Slides

The kids had a great time running through the fountains and playing with the various dams and water pumps in the splashpad.

The water comes on at regular intervals so they're not constantly being soaked, adding an element of excitement each tike they came back on. It's not the biggest splashpad but our kids aged 8 & 5 had lots of fun playing in it. It was clean and all working correctly on the day of our visit.

Looking for an alternative splashpad? Read our guide to North East Splash Pads.

The Splashpad is open during daylight hours in the summer season and the water is checked and tested weekly - see Berwick Town Council Facebook page for the latest info.

Spittal Playground

The playground has been recently updated and is pirate themed, with lots of climbing frames, swings, seesaws and roundabouts to keep kids of different ages occupied. Our kids especially loved the 'donut of doom' as we christened it - they loved walking on it and jumping off when it spun them round too fast.

The playground is enclosed, so of course you have to keep an eye on your kids but this means that unruly toddlers are contained in the playpark & Splashpad area (and can't get to the beach). We took a picnic blanket a sat on the ground, I didn't notice any picnic tables but there are benches dotted about along the seafront.

Spittal beach

There is a large stretch of sandy beach on the other side of the promenade which runs along the length of the playpark. It's apparently one of the best beaches in Northumberland but I'd never heard of it! We're so lucky in the North East.

The kids had lots of fun building sandcastles and swimming in the sea.

There are no lifeguards on this beach and the beach is dog-friendly year round. You can check current bathing water quality here. At time of publishing (August 2023), this beach was given the highest rating of 'Excellent Bathing Water Quality'

Cafe and amusements

We all had a very enjoyable ice-cream in the cafe during a brief rain shower. They have a good selection of hot and cold food and it was reasonably priced. We then popped outside for a last look at the sea and noticed a dolphin swimming close to the shore, which was very cool!

The amusement arcade has all the old favourites and we had some fun playing the 2p machines, aur hockey, unicorn and rally car racing and of course trying our hand at the claw (does anyone ever win at those?!)

We had a lovely day at Spittal seafront, it was the perfect place to meet up with friends for a fun day of splashing, playing and eating icecream. It's a bit far North but was well worth the trip in our opinion.

You can also enjoy some lovely walks in the area including the Tweed & Coast Nature Trail below or it's part of The Lowry Trail.