ChargingAbout.org.uk

10-01-2026 - Berwick-upon-Tweed - Parade Carpark

55.771, -2.0

Berwick-upon-Tweed is a bit of an old friend. I've stopped over in this town to charge our car many times. It's a town steeped in history, having changed hands many times between the Scottish and the English, but also the Royalists and the Parlimentarians during the English Civil War. It's one of the largest towns in Northumbria, but only just as it sits very close to the border with Scotland. Because of its position, it is very convenient for me when I'm travelling to and from my home in Fife. I'm often heading down the east coast and Berwick is a great place to stop.

I usually stop at the Chapel Street carpark. For the longest time, this was the only charging stop I knew about, and it used to be a reliable option. However, demand for chargers is high today so I'm trying the Parade Carpark for the first time! The carpark was very busy indeed! as soon as we'd plugged in, another car came slowly past, no doubt a little miffed we'd taken the last spot. I blame the cold weather; everyone's range has been reduced.

It's a 50KW affair with CCS, Type 2 AC and CHAdeMO, run by Fuuse. There's only the one station and two bays unfortunately. It gets a middleing review of 3.5 on ZapMap at the time of writing. It will take contactless debit cards, but also the Octopus electroverse card, which is very handy. I've occasionally had trouble at the Chapel Street charger (which is the same manufacturer); when the CCS is in use the Type 2 will not work. This isn't the case here fortunately.

However, once you've plugged into the charger and started charging there is one more step you have to take: you need to display your parking disc!

Now I've had this bad boy in our glove compartment for a while, but I can still remember the feelings of amazement and nostalgia when I realised I'd have to use this odd card-envelope-and-wheel affair. Took me right back to the eighties it did! I'm not sure why these things are needed, or what use they serve, but I remember not using it at another charger in Northumberland and getting told off by an overzealous car-park attendant. So onto the dashboard it goes.

Berwick has a number of rather nice sights, not far from car park. The main street has an old market space underneath the town hall. Down the left hand side of the stair case you can see the town stocks, opposite what used to be a boardgame shop but is now vacant. There are a few of these vacant buildings on the highstreet; a common theme these days. However, some of the charity shops are quite special.

There are a number of nice cafes on the main street and several other streets down towards the river, so there's plenty of options for food. I did find some public toilets but I wouldn't recommend them. The chip shop, Coulls I think it is, is fine but not great. I found the fish in the fish and chips to be fairly poor. The Brewers Arms has an excellent front window though! Lovely to look at. I've never been in though, as drinking and driving is not a good idea kids!

Perhaps the best tourist thing I've done in Berwick is to walk the city walls. Not far from the Brewers Arms is a set of stone steps that will take you to the top of the gate over the main road. If you keep ascending you'll get to Meg's Mount, which provides a spectacular view of the River Tweed and the many bridges that cross it. I never tire of this view. You can look out to the sea towards the east, or west towards the impressive railway bridge. I've been up here during the day and late at night. It's a lovely spot and a great place to begin the walk of the walls.

Berwick was once completely walled off on all sides, except for these by the river. Most of the walls and ramparts are covered in grass and turf, but you can still make out the defences. I remember the paths being in pretty good condition. Sadly, we don't have time on this trip to walk them all, but having done it once I can highly recommend it. Depending on your level of fitness, your choice of electric vehicle and its state of charge, there's a good chance your car will have been charged by the time you get back from beating the bounds.

Every time I visit I say the same thing: "I want to know this town more, but it has an odd energy". I'm never too sure what I mean by that. Is it the bloody history? Is it the feeling of isolation - it being the only large town for miles around? Or could it be that it reminds me of the kinds of towns I'd spent time in as a child? It is most definitely Northern in both fact and feel, but I can't escape the feeling of something hidden. The town seems to have that mix of boutique, fancy cafes that appear to be doing well, and the vacant, boarded-up shops. I can't help but wonder what folks do here for work, aside from the usual tourist industry, local government and healthcare professions. Perhaps that's enough, but there's something else; such a collection of professions would make it just like a many other towns around the UK. At one stage, Berwick was of incredible importance: "so populous and of such commercial importance that it might rightly be called another Alexandria, whose riches were the sea and the water its walls"¹. Perhaps it's this that I'm picking up on? Berwick isn't what is was, nor can it hide what it was. I wonder exactly where it is going?

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