Local Area Information - What's it like?

RAF Boulmer is situated on the Northumberland coastline, approximately 30 miles north of Newcastle. It is surrounded by picturesque villages, historic market towns, ancient castles and breathtaking scenery, including many miles of sandy beaches. The nearest town is the historic market town of Alnwick, famous for its Castle and Garden and voted “the best place to live in Britain” 2002. It was also the venue for the filming of the first two Harry Potter films. Although set in a quiet rural location, RAF Boulmer is just off the A1 with Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh to the north and Newcastle, Gateshead and the Metrocentre to the south, you are never short of places to visit or things to do.

Unit Facilities

RAF Boulmer has fantastic gymnasium facilities including a fitness suite and squash courts. The families quarters are located in the village of Longhoughton which is approximately one mile from the Main Site and about two miles from the Operations Site. Within the village there is a SPAR/NAAFI shop, hairdressers, public house and post office which are all situated on or just off the main road through the village. In Portal Place within the main SFA estate, there is also the Community Centre (containing the HIVE, Library and Learning Centre), Coffee Shop and Bumble Bees Day Care which offers all day childcare for 0-3 year olds. RAF Boulmer Nursery and Longhoughton First School are also within the village.

Service Families Accommodation

There are approximately 200 families quarters in the village of Longhoughton, with a mixture of older and newer style houses. There is currently a DE/HD Office on site in Portal Place, however all enquiries should be made through the regional office at York. Tel. 0800 169 6322.

Shopping

There is a SPAR shop and post office in Longhoughton which hold all of your essentials. Alnwick is just five miles away and has a variety of shops. There are also various travel agents, estate agents and a vast mixture of smaller shops. A market is held every Saturday throughout the year and there are additional markets on a Thursday in the summer. However, if you would like a larger variety of shops to choose from, there are many retail parks and shopping centres in the area if you are happy to drive that bit further - including Kingston Park, Silverlink, the Metrocentre, Newcastle city centre and Team Valley.