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Town walls
Berwick town walls
Defences around the old town; you can walk much of the circuit on top of the ramparts, looked after by English Heritage.
A mini guide to
Berwick-upon-Tweed
England's northernmost town: the station, buses and walls for a Holy Island trip
Photos
1 / 2Welcome to the area
England's northernmost town: the station, buses and walls for a Holy Island trip
Berwick-upon-Tweed is the northernmost town in England, about 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border at the mouth of the River Tweed. Its railway station is on the East Coast Main Line, and it is the nearest town to Holy Island: Berwick Tourist Information Centre has the tide tables and the bus times for the island.
The old town is ringed by Elizabethan walls and ramparts, and three bridges cross the Tweed: the 17th-century Berwick Bridge, the Royal Tweed Bridge and Robert Stephenson's Royal Border Bridge for the railway. English Heritage looks after the barracks, the ramparts and the remains of the castle beside the station.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Former barracks and museum
Berwick Barracks
Former army barracks, also called Ravensdowne Barracks, with the King's Own Scottish Borderers regimental museum.
Railway viaduct
Royal Border Bridge
Robert Stephenson's railway viaduct of 1847-50, opened by Queen Victoria and still carrying East Coast Main Line trains.
Historic bridge
Berwick Bridge
Grade I listed stone bridge over the Tweed built between 1611 and 1624, also called the Old Bridge.
Parish church
Holy Trinity Church
Parish church in the town centre, a rare example of a church built in the Commonwealth period of the 1650s.
Town hall
Berwick Town Hall
Grade I listed town hall on Marygate with a tall steeple, once the headquarters of the borough council.
Find your way
On the map
The map shows Berwick-upon-Tweed and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Walk the walls
The ramparts circle the old town, so a walk along them is the easiest way to see the bridges, the river mouth and the barracks.
2
Plan Holy Island from here
Visit Northumberland says Berwick Tourist Information Centre has full details of the tides and the bus service to Holy Island.
3
Car-free discount
English Heritage gives 20% off a walk-up ticket at Lindisfarne Priory if you show a Travelsure, Arriva or Glen Valley bus ticket.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Lindisfarne (Holy Island)
More areas to explore
Photo credits
- Berwick-upon-Tweed (area photo): Whatlep, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Berwick town walls: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Berwick Barracks: Andrew Bowden from London, United Kingdon, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Royal Border Bridge: Whatlep, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Berwick Bridge: Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holy Trinity Church: James@hopgrove, Public domain, source
- Berwick Town Hall: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Berwick Castle: Euan Nelson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- The Maltings: Maltingsberwick, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holy Island & the causeway coast: matthew Hunt, CC BY 2.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Keep exploring Lindisfarne (Holy Island)