The Northumberland 250 - A great BIG wash out?

What a road trip!
Northumberland was a last minute destination choice for us and (what turned out to be) an 8 hour journey in the howling wind and torrential rain to reach our starting point of Bamburgh Castle.
The Northumberland 250 road trip may not be as official as Scotland's NC500 (it's not sign posted) but it still throws up some worthy scenery and an outstanding coastline. It's very easy to find yourself a little 'off piste' and doing your own thing but that's all part of the fun.
Despite the shocking weather, we had a blast with no trouble wild camping in the area, and have vowed to return in the Spring or Summer to soak in some more.
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(End Date: 2022-11-30 23:59 BST)
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[@andybolton4773]

Another great video, thanks guys and safe travels xx

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Andy mate! 👊🏼

[@kendavies4840]

Just found your channel and watched a few vlogs . Like the vibes of the two of you .

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Ken mate! 🫶🙌

[@OnTheRoadAgain-NikkiandBilly]

Aln-muff :) We were up that way Saturday for a first run out in the new van and take Billy’s mum out. He’s from up that way.

[@andrewkidd2707]

Excellent vid. Just found your account while looking for Lewis n Harris stuff. Did most of the Northumberland 250 last weekend when it was 28c. Stayed near Chillingham Castle and hunted their ghosts. All good fun. Keep on keepin on!

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Andrew mate, appreciate it…Enjoy the Outer Hebrides if you’re going, it’s SO beautiful 🫶👊🏼

[@paullawrence8572]

Cracking vid guys! And the best thing you talk like us! ☺👌

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Paul mate! 😉👊🏼

[@CraigDroneAdventures]

Love Northumberland!

[@OurVanTales]

We’re keen to go back Craig, definitely SO much more for us to see!

[@CraigDroneAdventures]

​@@OurVanTales Hope to see your future videos then :)

[@garyhenshaw9482]

Brilliant journey again . Don’t let the weather get you down after all you have a lovely cosy van & dog for a heat . Those forests trails were stunning my kind of drive 👍🏻😃

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Gary 🫶🙌

[@heatherheron6694]

Just watched Escape To The Country today and was blown away by the many scenic views in Northumberland absolutely beautiful . Thanks guys for your genuine unabated and genuine insight into your travels 🚌 🌈☮️

[@whitevanandTshirtman13]

Another great broadcast 👏 doesn't matter how miserable the weather is you guys brighten the day.

[@OurVanTales]

Thank you Dave, that’s kind of you mate 🥰🙌

[@billyandleanne]

Yes guys!!!! 🎉❤ sorry you had such bad weather but great to see your faces📺 😄🚐🙌

[@OurVanTales]

Much love to you beauties 🥰🫶

[@joannamorgan6911]

It's pronounced Bamborough as far as I know. Great video love you two and your little 🐕 x The people up north are very friendly my grandad was born in 1879 in Hexam, he is a two year old on the 1881 census. I found his house in Hebron Terrace. Sorry to bore you but your trip sent me down memory lane.x

[@OurVanTales]

🤭 Thank you & big love back at ya! 🫶

[@andrewkidd2707]

More like Bambre

[@rockingrodders8551]

Big Up lidl's brownies..they are the best..Love your Channel and Happy Travels from Sunny Essex..✌️

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers mate! 🥰👊🏼

[@christopherbainbridge1009]

Welcome to my neck of the woods I must say I belive Northumberland has some of the most spectacular looking coastal spots 👌 love the video as always

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Chris, we were stunned by the coastline and look forward to a Spring/Summer return to see much more. Longer days and sunshine would be a beautiful addition to any trip that way but even in the rain it was stunning 👊🏼

[@stevebrown6665]

Definitely worth a visit that part of the world Enjoyed the video thanks for posting

[@OurVanTales]

Thanks Steve 👊🏼

[@daveclarke6986]

Wow, great video guys 👍🇦🇺

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Dave mate 🙌

[@fionamooney8648]

I love the Northumberland coast , and the people are so friendly.

[@OurVanTales]

We were blown away by both the scenery and the lovely people 🥰

[@peterwinthorpe5152]

My god cant believe I’ve came across yous 2, what lovely people you are are and so clued up on life and the rights and wrongs. I hope some day we can meet to share our experiences. Thank you for the video it’s made a bad day turn into a not so bad night 👍🏻😃

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Peter, good to have you onboard mate, we appreciate it 🫶🙌

[@carlsadventures2361]

Great video always love your vlogs

[@OurVanTales]

Thanks Carl, appreciate that mate! 🙌

[@bennym8444]

Great video guys 👍. Love the channel

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Benny! 😉👊🏼

[@gatersontour]

We, too, live in the North East ( both southerners though) but it has some spectacular scenery. I'm glad you have enjoyed the Coastline.

[@OurVanTales]

Hi guys, thank you, we loved it…We’ll definitely be back in the Sunshine! Happy New Year to you both 🥰🙌

[@CampervanTales]

Good to hear you had no issue with park ups. We never go on a site and are off there next month. We keep hearing how unwelcome vanners are.

[@OurVanTales]

Yeah, it’s fairly limited for park ups BUT still do-able…Have fun! 🫶

[@nemoscamperadventures7563]

Fantastic Video as always guys, really enjoyed it 🤙🏻🍊

[@OurVanTales]

Thank you very much! 👊🏼

[@nemoscamperadventures7563]

@@OurVanTales pleasure 🤙🏻🍊

[@vandox21]

Nice one as usual guys, even liked before I viewed 😂😂

[@OurVanTales]

That’s what we like to hear! 👊🏼

[@chris-cole]

Northumberland, my homeland. Gillingham Castle I would have said was your best bet for spooky activity, reportedly anyway. The correct pronunciation is BAM BUR RURR just FYI 🙂 Best fish n chips going just up the road in Seahouses. Northumberland is the most populated borough for castles in the UK. At the carpark in Seahouses, just in the mini roundabout is a decent little ice cream shop. I wonder if oart of your route is thr Coastal Route, taking in Amble port, Warkworth (Castle ruin and Morwicks Ice Cream shop) a beautiful little place with ancient church and nice pubs, Seahouses (fish & chips), Bamburgh Castle, further North is Holy Island (Lindisfarne). About 6-8 mile inland is Alnwick Castle which is worth a trip around (first 2 Harry Potter films were shot here).

[@OurVanTales]

Top tips…Thank you! 🫶🙌

[@TheGamingClipHUB]

I live in Seahouses and me and my girlfriend have just bought our first Van Conversion. Been watching your channel together since getting the van to get an idea of how it will be. Great to now see you guys on our turf and so close to home!

[@OurVanTales]

Lovely area mate, we will definitely return in the Spring/Summer! Exciting times in your new van - Have fun 🥰🙌

[@samparker1637]

We came up from London in August stayed in Hexham and did a day trip to Seahouses great day out❤

[@petehall9827]

Just discovered you guys,what a great watch!Me and the Mrs heading up to Northumberland in a few weeks so this has given me some nice pointers to look out for.

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers Pete, good to have you onboard and we hope you have an awesome trip on the 250 mate! 👊🏼

[@petehall9827]

@@OurVanTales Nice one,thanks 👍

[@TristandKez]

Didn’t know about the forest drives, looks very cool will have to check it out. Great vid guys 😎

[@OurVanTales]

It’s awesome…12 miles of forest trail and only a handful of pot holes. £3 toll but the machine was out of order 🤭🙌

[@TristandKez]

@@OurVanTales that’s amazing. It’s on our list to visit. We saw something similar in Scotland but we were one day to late and it’s shut for the season till next year 😂

[@TheCraftyBlindersvanlife]

Love Bamburgh Castle and the beach there is awesome you need to come back to Kielder in the new year when the nights are cooler as the dark sky's are some of the best I've ever seen and something you can see the norther lights 🤞

[@OurVanTales]

Yeah, the photos I’ve seen of Kielder look insane!

[@KevinBage]

We stopped in Banburgh tonight, the council have blocked off the park up you stayed in by the coast. Gutted 😞

[@OurVanTales]

No way!? Simply ridiculous 😞

[@georgeshort4112]

Bone to pick with you two. I’ve put weight on since you recommended the bloody Brownies in Lidl. Cheers. Ha.

[@OurVanTales]

Tell me about it, I’ve (Andy) got to go on a diet very soon! 🤭

[@georgeshort4112]

@@OurVanTales Good vids enjoy them. Keep em coming.

[@NorthernersonTour]

hey you two lovlies i was only to happy to help sorry the northern weather was giving you hell the east coast is ferocious when it wants to be but you did pick a weekend where warnings were in place😂😂😂 sorry we missed you in castleton but next time we will be there for sure love to both and baby blu xxxx

[@OurVanTales]

Hi Lisa, thanks for all your help & support for this trip (& always) We had a blast! Mark was right about how much we’d love it round there. Much love right back at ya & I’ll get Lyndsey to sort out with you, a long over due catch up & Chinese 🥰🙌

[@AndrewandBarbara]

Just watched this one guys. Really nice video. You know a lot of people don't realise how much effort goes into producing something like this especially with the drone footage. Hope you got your heating issue sorted. Andy, your gas hob isn't burning properly. Should be a blue flame pal. Some air getting in somewhere. Look forward to seeing you both soon.A&B.x

[@OurVanTales]

Hey Andrew, cheers mate, yeah, I did notice the orange tinge to the hob flame in the video although it’s very blue off camera? At this rate, I’m coming round yours for an inspection & overhaul 😉🤭

[@OurVanTales]

Hey Andrew, cheers mate, yeah, I did notice the orange tinge to the hob flame in the video although it’s very blue off camera? At this rate, I’m coming round yours for an inspection & overhaul 😉🤭

[@TheGrayExplorer]

Been to that castle a lot. And I’ve done exactly the same when they tell you the prices 😂😂

[@OurVanTales]

🤭🙌

[@fc1984fc]

I saw your van in Cambridge this morning, parked right outside my house! Cool van!

[@OurVanTales]

No way! Small world 🌍 Cheers fella 😉🙌

[@fc1984fc]

@@OurVanTales tell you what, I will subscribe to your channel, and I will be that tiny dot in a scatter plot, the one people call an outlier, because I did not subscribe thanks to the algorithm, but rather because I saw you (almost) in person!

[@OurVanTales]

A warm welcome to you mate, appreciate you being around…See you properly next time 😉👊🏼

[@fc1984fc]

@@OurVanTales you've got to thank your stickers and BfGoodrich tires!

[@claremaidofthewave251]

Wouldn’t worry about the houses in Alnmouth as most are holiday homes! 😂

[@OurVanTales]

Really? Yeah, we did wonder. Lovely town though 🥰🙌

[@claremaidofthewave251]

@@OurVanTales Holy Island, Bamburgh, Seahouses, Alnmouth, Beadnell, Newton by the Sea, Embelton etc are all along the coast there, it’s holiday home heaven, but not great for the locals needing housing. I lost my rented home due to this near Holy Island. Same down South Coast for you guys. These last few years have made a huge difference with the influx of Staycationers and who can blame them. It’s gorgeous here. Sorry you got the rainy weather. There are plenty of places around the Borders area for hauntings and spirits. Yetholm, Kelso, Melrose, Selkirk, Peebles…….x 🤗🎄

[@OurVanTales]

We do need a return visit in the Spring to see much more. There’s some great tips there Clare so thank you lovely 🙏🏻🥰

[@claremaidofthewave251]

@@OurVanTales 🙋🏻‍♀️❤️

[@marksadventures3889]

Not being a lizard I'm not run by the need for sun, living in the North that would limit me to about 80 days a years at best. We do have a great place to live, well I do. Check out the Forest of Bowland. Talking of witchcraft have you been Pendle Hill yet? Best thing of your videos apart from you two is the music, where else can get some lovely dub reggae etc.

[@OurVanTales]

Hey, a few others have suggested Pendle Hill so we’re keen to visit at some point for sure Mark 😉

[@chris-cole]

So glad you guys checked out Kielder forest too, some wicked star gazing to be found there - next to zero light pollution 👍 History of the Border Reiver were little pockets/gangs of wronguns who would rude over the border into Scotland, pillage and plunder the Jocks then ride back into Northumberland by the cover of darkness. I'm from Ashington so i class myself as Northumbrian. By the ways dudes, is there a single episode in your videos that does not include brownies?!? 😂😂😂 gotta love em!!!

[@OurVanTales]

Kielder Forrest was a lucky find for us, shame it was so overcast as we’d read it was amazing for a night scape 🫶

[@callyakn718]

The trees down in kelder forest will be from storm arwen! I was working in the storms with the power cuts !

[@OurVanTales]

Quite possibly…I’ve noticed a lot down all over the country since so I guess they fall in fierce winds all the time 🙌

[@yvonnemerchant3916]

We live near the Northumberland 250 tour, very near Chris Sloane's . We love your videos, great fun. Just wanted to let you know Bamburgh is pronounced Bam-burra ❤️❤️❤️

[@OurVanTales]

🤭Ooops…Thanks for clarifying, it’s difficult to know all the local dialect. Beautiful location, you’re very lucky! 🥰🙌

[@yvonnemerchant3916]

@@OurVanTales hope you don't think I was criticising, we think you're great ❤️❤️❤️

[@OurVanTales]

🤭🤣 No, not at all…😉❤️

[@yvonnemerchant3916]

@@OurVanTales did you get my message about samye Ling's Buddhist monastery?

[@OurVanTales]

@@yvonnemerchant3916 No? So sorry if it was missed....What's that all about?

[@mbrider56]

Awesome stuff guys, love all of that. If you don't get a sponsorship from lidl its not from a want of trying eh??😂😂 Great to see you up in northumberland, iv visited some of those areas a while back and its great to see it again through your visits.

[@OurVanTales]

Thanks so much Paul, glad you enjoyed it mate! Ha, yeah, one day we’ll be wearing Lidl work wear and scoffing free brownies! ‘Til then, we can only hope 🤭

[@joannewalton-calvert5124]

I have recently come across your channel, and am enjoying catch up with your videos, for ideas for travelling when we get our van next year. Can you please tell me where you got your kettle as it is very stylish?

[@OurVanTales]

Thank you, glad you’re enjoying the Vlogs. The kettle was an Amazon purchase - Whistling Kettle 3 L Stove Induction,Gas, Electric Blue Cream Grey Black Gold (Grey) amzn.eu/d/8oEEnju 🥰🙌

[@MonsterMania74]

Hello Lynsey (hope I spelt your name right), Andy, lil bleu , great video, loved the beaches you visited. Kelder forest looked wonderful (did Lynsey manage to hug a tree) , lovely that Elizabeth Lees headstone is still there, witches are healers and wonderful people. May I ask whereabouts you both are from without revealing too much ? I presume London or the home counties. Also what are the extra lights you have on your bonnet for ? Safe travels

[@OurVanTales]

Hey Darren, thanks for your kind words fella, much appreciated! Yeah, Lyndsey got her tree hugs in 😉🤭 The extra spot lights on the front of the van & bonnet help us out with lighting the way with off road/off grid driving & parking mate. You’re right on the area mate, Herts/Essex boarders 🥰👊🏼

[@yobeaubaby]

I love your silly bickering back and forth. So much heartfelt love 💚🫀

[@OurVanTales]

Ha, yeah, Lyndsey is as mad as a bag of frogs but I love her dearly 🥰🤭

[@robertcrofts2108]

Kilder forest is a amazing place

[@OurVanTales]

Such a great road to drive. I think we’ll do it again sometime to hopefully see a clearer view 🙌

[@robertcrofts2108]

@@OurVanTales i spent 2weeks there the army reserve loads of wild horses

[@davidbloomfield4135]

So much fun watching you guys and now we get a toilet review as well you've taken it to a whole new level, along with Lindsy singing lol lol. Sometimes the wet weather can add to the atmosphere though, looks like a great place to tour round. How long did you guys spend on the 250, was it a couple of days or a bit longer. Take care guys

[@OurVanTales]

Hello mate, it was a great trip regardless of the shite weather but we’d be more than keen to go back & see much more in the (hopefully sunny) Spring. We enjoyed two & a bit days on the route and think three full days would have it ideally sorted 🙌 Hope you guys are good & well done on ya ‘YT live’ win 🏆

[@davidbloomfield4135]

@@OurVanTales Lol thanks mate iv'e never won anything so i was leaping around like a child lol...were both good this end but work is holding back the travels for us. Stay safe you 2 and give Bleu a hug from us

[@OldJackyBoy]

Hi, where did you get your thermal internal screens from please?

[@OurVanTales]

Hey mate, they came from Trekk Vans with our conversion…They were made bespoke to fit.

[@OldJackyBoy]

Thanks that’s great, yeah I’ve struggled to Google them all that come up is generic fits and my windows are boxed in like what seems your are so I’ll give them a look thanks a lot!

[@ksc888]

“Wyrd bið ful āræd" (Fate is inexorable) Bamburg Castle is also featured in Bernard Cornwell's famous "Last kingdom" novels. I don't know if it is true (don't quote me), but the author's ancestors may have been the rulers of the castle...

[@ksc888]

Do you have a video about the technicals, how are your electricals powered, how often and where do you charge all that stuff?. Do you use solar and or one of those all in one Bluetti type things or is it all built into your van etc? Sorry bout the millions of question :D....

[@ksc888]

Ahhhh Ecoflow....

[@OurVanTales]

Hi, our main power source is our van’s Victron leisure battery setup which is a 200ah Lithium battery fed by 400w solar panels or B2B charger as we drive…The EcoFlow is a brilliant back up as well as a portable addition 🙌

[@hymervanlife1984]

😂 Google is definitely like Satan. And history is a great story book.

[@OurVanTales]

Hidden & re-written 🙌

[@scottuh1]

You say Bamburgh like Edinburgh is pronounced. Bamburra - Edinburra if that makes sense?

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers mate, gotcha 😉

[@palmer3977]

Genesis 1 verse 29.

[@TheRustyPrince]

Great video Hope you guys don’t mind me asking but Andy what did or do you do for a living? Keep up the great work 🤙

[@OurVanTales]

Cheers, I’m a wedding photographer by trade but enjoying a gap year (or few 🤭)