Corbridge is a beautiful village just outside Hexham in Northumberland, that has been settled since the Roman period, and has impressive Roman ruins that can be explored (read Part Two for more information about the Roman History of the town). It’s also full of independent shops, and interesting historic buildings and architecture that I love to have a mooch around when I’m in the village.

My favourite way to a start a day in Corbridge is to have breakfast at Grant’s Bakery and Patisserie where you can get the most amazing cakes and pastries to either eat in or take away. Last time I was there, I had a croissant stuffed with ham and cheese with a béchamel sauce with a little bit of added Dijon mustard. It was seriously tasty. The parentals indulged in a Croque Monsieur each, and these weren’t the paltry portions you might get in a chain café somewhere – these were absolutely enormous and would definitely set you up for the the day to come! There is also a huge display cabinet of cakes and pastries, including the famous Northumberland Pasty! We bought three cakes to treat ourselves for later in the day, and these were beautifully wrapped up and boxed for us.

The only downside of the bakery and café is that there is no in-house toilet, but given there’s only about eight seats inside, perhaps they’re not required to provide them. Corbridge does have free public bathrooms just up the road from the bakery, but if you’re disabled it might be a bit of a trek to reach them.

Following breakfast, there’s some lovely independent shops to have a look around, include several fashion shops, a florist, and my personal two favourites – a Vintage at the Tower, and Forum Books which conveniently are right next to each other. As someone who can’t have pierced ears, I love the vintage store, as they’re one of the only places I’ve found with a wide selection of clip-on earrings. I have bought many from their really cool vintage selection, from large costume jewellery designs, to more subtle goldwork. They also have preloved clothing along with vintage homewares, and other interesting assorted curiosities.

Just next door is my favourite shop in Corbridge – Forum Books. Inside a converted chapel building, it’s an independent bookstore that I just love to go and have a good browse whenever I’m in the town. The only thing that does sometimes get me is that they don’t separate by most genres through the fiction/non-fiction (there are some collections that are separate), but most are mixed together, organised by author. In a way, this is a clever way of doing things, because rather than being able to go straight for the history section, or just look at fantasy, you have to look through the whole shelf, potentially finding other authors and books that catch your eye along the way. It is a beautiful bookstore, and I love having a good mooch. If you need something specific, the friendly staff are incredibly helpful and will find out whether they have what you need, or order it in if they don’t. I have spent many a happy hour in there, browsing along the shelves. I got a book voucher for Christmas ’24 and literally started at one end of the shelves and made my way along them, looking for anything caught my eye. Since starting in Corbridge, Forum Books has expanded into two more locations – The Accidental Bookshop in Alnwick, and the bound in Whitley Bay, so there’s other places to explore as well.

Stay tuned for Part Two of A Day Out in Corbridge where I look at all the amazing historical things there are to do in the town…

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