Key Takeaways
- Our Cramlington site is around six miles from Blyth, a straightforward run down the A189 Spine Road.
- Drive-up container access means you unload straight from the vehicle, with no trolleys, lifts or corridors.
- Coastal gear such as tents, kayaks and wetsuits must go in fully dry, with any salt rinsed off first.
- A 10ft container suits a garage clear-out or a room or two. A 20ft suits a full house.
- Setup is usually within a day, which helps when a completion date moves.
Where do people in Blyth find storage units?
Blyth is a town of terraced streets, post-war semis and newer estates, and a lot of those houses share one thing: no garage, or a garage that has not fitted a car since the nineties. When the loft is full and the spare room has become a store room, the choice is a skip or somewhere else to put things. Most people looking for storage units in Blyth end up looking just outside the town, because storage sites tend to sit near the main road network rather than in the middle of residential streets. That is less of an inconvenience than it sounds. From Newsham, Cowpen, Bebside or South Beach you are only a few minutes from the A189, and the A189 connects Blyth to everywhere else. Our site in Cramlington is a short run down that road, and at the other end you drive up to a container you can park alongside, not a building with a lift and a trolley.
How far is EXO Storage from Blyth?
We are at 1 Dene Court, Bassington Lane, Cramlington, around six miles by road from Blyth town centre. The A189 Spine Road does most of the work, and because it is dual carriageway for much of the way, it is a quick, simple drive with no town-centre traffic to sit in. From Bebside or Kitty Brewster you are closer still. Distance matters less with container storage than people expect, because of what happens when you arrive. On an indoor site you park, unload onto a trolley, wheel it inside, take a lift and walk a corridor, every single trip. Here you reverse up to your own container doors and unload straight in. The few minutes you might save driving somewhere nearer get used up several times over at the other end, which is worth knowing before you choose on map distance alone.
What do people around Blyth actually store?
Much the same as everywhere else, with a coastal twist. Household overflow is the biggest group: furniture from a room being redecorated, a three-piece suite that is going to a relative eventually, boxes from clearing a parent's house, and a loft that a growing family has outgrown. Moving and chain problems come next, when completion dates do not line up and everything has to sit somewhere for a few weeks. Then there is seasonal and outdoor gear. Bikes, kayaks, paddleboards, camping kit, windbreaks and beach equipment take up a surprising amount of room for things used a dozen times a year, and they suit a container well. Finally there is business storage, for sole traders and small firms with stock, tools or equipment that will not fit in a van or a spare room. Our personal storage and business storage pages cover both sides in more detail.
Is a steel container all right this close to the coast?
It is, and the coast changes very little about how you should pack. A container is weatherproof, gated and locked, and salt air affects what sits outside it rather than what is stored inside. What matters, on the coast or six miles inland, is condensation. A steel box follows the outside temperature, and warm damp air meeting a cold roof produces moisture. The fix is the same everywhere. Load everything dry, which for coastal customers means being strict about tents, awnings, wetsuits, kayaks and beach gear that were put away damp. Get things off the floor on pallets or battens, leave a gap between your stack and the walls so air can move, and use dust sheets or breathable covers rather than sealing things in plastic. Rinse and dry anything with metal fittings that has been near saltwater, because salt left on a surface keeps working long after the item is dry. Our post on whether storage containers are damp and secure has the full detail.
Which size do I need?
There are two sizes to choose from, which keeps it simple. A 10ft container holds roughly the contents of one large room or a well-packed single garage, which covers most of what people from Blyth bring us: a bedroom or two, a garage clear-out, seasonal gear plus some furniture, or a small business's stock and tools. A 20ft container holds roughly the contents of a three or four bedroom house, and it is the one for a full house move, a whole property clearance or a bigger renovation. If you are between the two, walk round with a tape measure and write down the big items. Boxes fill in around furniture, but a wardrobe either fits or it does not. Tell us the list and we will tell you which one it goes in. Our guide to storage container sizes works through both with real examples.
Getting set up when dates move
Most of the reasons people need storage do not come with a reliable end date. House chains slip, renovations overrun, probate takes as long as it takes, and a business does not always know how long it needs to hold stock. That is why we keep things flexible, so you are not forced to guess an end date months in advance. Speed matters too. We can usually get people set up within a day, which is the difference between storage being a solution and storage being one more thing to organise when a completion date has just moved. Access works on a fob, and you have your own lock on your own container, so getting to your things does not mean ringing ahead or fitting around someone else's opening hours.
What about security?
The site is gated, covered by CCTV and accessed by fob, so the people on it are people who are meant to be there. Each container is individually locked and yours alone, and nobody else goes in and out of your space. That combination is a big part of why people move things out of a garage or a garden shed in the first place. An unalarmed brick garage on a residential street is an easy target, and a shed full of tools is easier still. One thing to be clear about is insurance, because people often ask it last when they should ask it first. We do not provide cover for the contents of your container. Check whether your home contents policy, or your business policy, extends to goods held in storage. Many do and some do not, and it is far easier to sort out before you load than after something has happened.
Self storage in Northumberland, close to Blyth
If you have been searching for self storage in Northumberland and you live in or around Blyth, give us a ring with a rough idea of what you are storing, and we will tell you which size it fits and what we have available. There is nothing in it for us in putting you in a container bigger than you need, and a straight answer at the start saves everybody time. Call 01670 332868, use our contact form, or read the storage FAQ for the practical details first. We are at 1 Dene Court, Bassington Lane, Cramlington, just off the A1 and A19, and as well as Blyth we serve Newcastle upon Tyne, Whitley Bay, North Shields, Ashington, Morpeth and across Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.
Why Choose EXO Storage?
- A short drive from most Blyth addresses, straight down the A189.
- Your own container and your own lock, on a gated site with CCTV and fob access.
- Two straightforward sizes, and honest advice on which one fits.
- Setup usually within a day when plans change at short notice.
- A local team who will tell you which size you need before you book.
