*This article was originally published in August 2021 when Scotland was updated in April 2023.
St Abbs is somewhere I have wanted to visit for ages and it seemed like the ideal spot to stop off and stretch our legs en-route to the Central Lowlands this summer.
80 miles North of Newcastle (it should take around 1 hour 45 minutes in the car), St Abbs is a short detour from the A1 and ideal as a stop off when driving North or as a place to spend a few hours if you are staying in Berwick.
St Abbs is a small fishing village with crystal clear waters and is a popular spot for Scuba Diving. More recently, the village is famous for being a film location in Avengers | Endgame.
It is the location of 'New Asgard', a town settled by surviving Asgardians and led by Thor. You can walk past Thor's house but I will come to that soon. The link with Avengers meant that our trip was well received by our tweens and teens.
St Abbs has also featured in a Harry Styles video. Who knew?
The drive is around 1.5 hours North from Newcastle.
The drive is around 1.5 hours North from Newcastle.
Alternatively, there is free customer parking at Ebba Centre and Old School Cafe at the top of the hill where we stopped for lunch (see here for details).
One thing that really stands out about St Abbs is just how clear the water is here. It is a brilliant spot to explore the rock pools and we spotted hundreds of jellyfish in the sea as we walked around the harbour. You can book onto a diving / snorkelling / swimming / sightseeing boat trip with St Abbs Charters here.
The harbour is just beside St Abbs Nature Reserve where you can spot various seabirds, seal pups, dolphins and even minke whales if you are lucky (see here for details).
We found Thor's house! It is easy to spot right by the harbour and the perfect spot for a quick selfie. Just look out for the building below, you can't miss it.
4 Reasons to Visit Thor's House in New Asgard
- A nice little trip for any Marvel fan
- It's FREE to visit and perfect for photo opportunities
- It is around a 1.5 hour drive from Newcastle and ideal for a day trip or stop off when driving North
- You can combine with a walk, boat trip, cafe visit and more
For lunch, there aren't too many options. Ebbcarrs by the harbour looked lovely but was closed on the day of our visit. We also passed The Old Smiddy during our drive into St Abbs which looked nice.
We ended up at the Old School Cafe which overlooks the harbour and was really nice. Expect reasonably priced kids meals, sandwiches, homemade pies and cakes.
There is indoor and outdoor seating, WCs (including disabled and baby change) alongside a mini art gallery and second hand bookstore. The Old School Cafe is a charity and all profits go back into the community.
We were starving and I didn't take any food pics other than this coconut and lemon tray bake but I remember Steve's breakfast quiche being epic!
It was actually better than I expected with lots of local information about the history of the area and a guide to what you can see now alongside interactive activities and a nice gift shop.
They also have a fish tank which recreates the rockpools and sea life found in the harbour.
Back down by the harbour and there are public toilets (30p charge) and I spotted this little blue hut with a sign to say that they sold fresh crabs and lobsters fresh from the boat so if you time it right, you might get lucky.
You can also book onto a Riptide Boat Trip from the harbour which look like lots of fun.
Our little stop off at St Abbs was fantastic and it is a lovely place to spend an hour or so and stop for lunch to break up a journey.
I actually think it is worth a day trip in itself too - you can take a boat trip, visit the visitors centre, walk to Coldingham Bay (and beyond) and more.
There is also a 'twinned with Asgard' sign overlooking the harbour outside of the visitor centre but this had been removed on the day of our visit. It has returned now so get those cameras ready.
Looking for other Superhero film locations? Read our guide to visiting Wayne Manor here.
If you are looking for other places to stop off when travelling North, check out the following posts:
- A Guide to Harestanes Playground & Cafe (Jedburgh)
- 20 Things to do in Berwick
- How to Spend Half a Day on Holy Island
- 50+ Things to do in Falkirk
- Visiting Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh with Kids
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Super helpful as we are planning stopping off here on our way home!
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