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Some stretches of Britain's coastline ask a lot of you. This one doesn't. The section of the Northumberland Coast Path between Craster and Low Newton is gentle underfoot, generous with views, and short enough to finish with a pint in your hand before the afternoon slips away. It is the ideal introduction to coastal walking for anyone who has never used a map, never worn walking boots, or never quite trusted that a day out beside the sea could be this good.

Why this stretch suits beginners

The route runs for just under five miles along a well-trodden, clearly waymarked path, climbing only a handful of short rises between the cliff tops and the dunes. There are no scrambles, no boggy crossings and no navigation puzzles — the sea is on your right the whole way, which makes getting lost almost an art form in itself.

• Distance: roughly 4½ to 5 miles (7–8 km) one way
• Time: two and a half hours at a stroll, four hours with a picnic and a castle
• Terrain: grassy cliff paths, stone tracks and firm sand
• Best months: May and June for seabirds, September for warm light and empty bays

Families with reasonably confident walkers from about eight upwards manage it happily. If you have very small children, a carrier beats a pushchair, as parts of the path run over sand and rough turf.

The walk, step by step

Start at Craster, where the harbour walls shelter a cluster of boats and the air smells faintly of smoked fish. Head north out of the village and the path lifts onto the cliff top almost immediately, giving you your first proper view of Dunstanburgh Castle silhouetted against the sky ahead. It looks enormous from here, and it only gets better.

After about a mile and a half you reach the castle itself, perched on its headland with the sea worrying at the rocks below. There is an admission charge if you want to go inside the walls, and it is money well spent — the gatehouse is one of the most dramatic ruins in northern England. Otherwise, find a flat rock, unwrap your sandwiches and let the castle do the work.

From there the path drops down behind the dunes and follows the edge of Embleton Bay, a long sweep of pale sand backed by grassy links. This is the easiest walking of the day, and the sort of place where you suddenly realise you have been silent for ten minutes. Carry on north and the route rounds Newton Point into Newton Haven, a small and almost impossibly pretty bay. The path tips you out at Low Newton, a huddle of whitewashed cottages gathered around a green. That is your finish line.

Pub stops and picnic spots

There is a deservedly popular pub on the green at Low Newton, small enough that you may find yourself sharing a table. It serves proper beer brewed almost next door, and the food is honest rather than fancy. In summer, arrive before one o'clock or expect to wait.

Back at Craster there are cafés and a smokehouse by the harbour, plus public toilets — the last guaranteed ones until Low Newton, and even those are seasonal. Good picnic spots include the grass below Dunstanburgh Castle, the dunes above Embleton Bay, and any bench you can claim overlooking Newton Haven.

Wildlife to watch for

The Northumberland coast is one of the best places in England for seabirds, and you do not need binoculars to enjoy most of it.

• Eider ducks bob about in Craster harbour, making their strange cooing call
• Oystercatchers, curlews and ringed plovers work the tide line on Embleton Bay
• Terns dive offshore in summer, elegant and screeching
• Grey seals haul out on the rocks off Newton Point — watch from the cliff, never approach
• Newton Pool, just behind Low Newton, has a hide and is excellent for waders and ducks

Keep dogs on a short lead around the pool and the dunes between April and July, when ground-nesting birds are at their most vulnerable.

Practicalities: tides, buses and timing

The path itself stays above the tide line, so you can walk it at any state of the tide. The beaches are another matter. If you fancy dropping onto the sand, leave yourself a good two hours either side of low water and keep an eye on the incoming sea — Embleton Bay fills quickly.

Check bus times before you set out if you plan to walk one way and ride back; the seasonal coastal service links the villages, but it is not frequent, and the last one goes early. Otherwise leave a car at each end, or at the car park above Low Newton, where charges apply for non-members.

Wear shoes with a bit of grip, take a windproof layer whatever the forecast says, and carry water. There is very little shelter once you are on the cliff tops, and the breeze off the North Sea has a bite to it even in July.

Making it longer or shorter

Short on time? Walk from Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle and back — about three miles round trip, and a perfectly satisfying half-day out. Feeling ambitious? Continue north from Low Newton towards Beadnell and Seahouses, where the path opens up into wide sandy bays and the walking stays kind. Beyond that, Bamburgh Castle rises on the horizon and dares you to keep going. Most people, sensibly, stop for lunch instead.