Cambois – how to pronounce ‘beautiful’ bank holiday spot

Cambois is a small former fishing village between Blyth and Ashington in Northumberland, with a long stretch of sand that gets glowing reviews on sites like TripAdvisor.

Reviewers have hailed it as a “completely unspoiled area” and a “lovely place to visit with your dog”, making it an appealing option if you want space to breathe away from the crowds.

With Saltburn, Tynemouth and Whitley Bay expected to be packed over the bank holiday, Cambois offers a quieter coastal walk, sea views and dog-friendly sands a short drive from the A189.

But how do you actually say “Cambois”?

One of the most common questions people ask online about Cambois is how to pronounce its name.

Visitors often guess at “cam-bwah”, influenced by the French-looking spelling, or “cam-ber”, as if it were the better-known East Sussex resort. Locals, however, flatten the word right down.

The pronunciation most widely given by residents and local guides is “CAM-iss”. Think “camera” without the “era”, followed by “iss”.

The emphasis is on the first syllable – “CAM” – and the final “bois” is said like “iss”, not “bwah” or “boys”.

Other North East coastal names people get wrong

If you’re heading for the coast this bank holiday, Cambois isn’t the only name that might catch you out.

Here are a few more commonly mispronounced coastal or coastal-linked places in and around Northumberland:

• Alnmouth – Often read as “Aln-mouth” with a hard “l” and a full “mouth”. Many locals say something closer to “AAN-muth”, with the “l” and “mouth” softened and run together.
• Alnwick (a key stop on the way to the coast via Alnmouth) – Frequently said as “Aln-wick”. In reality, it’s closer to “AN-ick”, with the “l” and “w” effectively disappearing.
• Bamburgh – Many visitors go for “Bam-burg” or “Bam-borough”. Locally, you’ll often hear “BAM-berr-uh” or “BAM-bruh”, with the “gh” silent and the ending softened.
• Warkworth – Sometimes pronounced exactly as spelled, “Wark-worth”. You’ll often hear something nearer “WORK-worth” or “WORR-kuth” in local speech, with the “a” shortened and the ending blurred.
• Newbiggin-by-the-Sea – Occasionally mangled as “New-BIDGE-in”. Locals typically say “NEW-biggin”, with a soft “g” as in “begin”.

Those are just a handful, and different families and villages will have their own twists, so we want to hear yours.

If you’ve got a North East coastal name everyone seems to say differently – from Lynemouth and Cresswell to Seaton Sluice or somewhere more obscure – let us know in the comments how you pronounce it and where you’re from.