Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census.
It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is 15 miles (24 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the south by the River Wansbeck. Many inhabitants have a distinctive accent and dialect known as Pitmatic. This varies from the regional dialect known as Geordie.
Getting to Ashington
Newcastle (NCL IATA) is the closest airport. Take the metro to Newcastle upon Tyne city centre for buses north. By road from the south either follow A1 bypassing Newcastle to the west then A19 from Seaton Burn, or A19 Tyne Tunnel (toll) bypassing to the east, and avoiding the interminable road works on A1. These routes meet at Dudley where you take A189 north.
Worth seeing
- 01Woodhorn Museum
It's now a museum of local mining and the miners' lives.
- 02Newbiggin Maritime Centre
Displaying the fishing life of Newbiggin, with a restored coble and lifeboat.
Things to do
Ashington Leisure Centre is just north of the bus station. Beach: Newbiggin bay is sandy, but the water is chilly. Golf: Newbiggin GC is north side of that village. White tees 6529 yards, par 72. Others nearby are Longhirst Hall, Morpeth, Bedlington and Blyth. Hike: the Coastal Trail heads north from here via Amble to the Scottish border.
Where to eat
Shaj Tandoori at
Getting around Ashington the local way
- Get inGateshead Bus 19 runs hourly from North Shields pier (for South Shields ferry), taking an hour via Percy and Seaton Delaval.
From Wikivoyage: Cramlington, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Mfbuckland (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.