Castles & historic sites in the book
Alnwick Castle
Immense grandeur of the castle gives you a glimpse into the county’s history. Northumberland has more castles than any other county in England. (Really – we’ve all got one.) This is the ancient seat of the Dukes of Northumberland and featured in the first two Harry Potter films as the setting for Hogwarts. The Knight’s Quest attraction for kids has dragons and dress-up armour. And watched out for the stuffed dogs ( Why would you stuff a dog, I wonder.)
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Bamburgh Castle
Breathtaking. If you see one castle in your entire life - make it Bamburgh Castle. Dominating the coastline with its bulk and history as the former home of Northumbrian kings. Massive, glorious, immense, iconic – just go there.
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Chillingham Castle
Four square, turretted and ghost-filled. The castle claims to be the most haunted in Britain. Stories abound of tea-cups moving across the table in the café and orbs floating around just waiting to be photographed. (An orb by the way is thought by some to be the spirit of the dead, others think it dust and a trick of the light.) If you don’t fancy playing paparazzi to the dead, I recommend the gardens.
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Dunstanburgh Castle
To me, these ruins always look as if a giant ant had taken a bite out of them. Start off at Craster (buy kippers first) and walk along the grassy path by the sea to the castle, have a picnic and then walk on to Embleton Beach. Remember to pack chocolate to bribe children ever onwards.
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Hadrian's Wall
The Romans played quite big in Northumberland and are still remembered by the wall they strung along the frontier to their empire, along with the various ruined fortifications. It was designated a world heritage site in 1987 and is the largest in Britain.
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Heatherslaw Mill & Steam Railway
A bite-sized steam engine ride alongside the River Till across the fields to Etal castle. A bit like being on safari with sheep instead of zebra. A good café at the mill with the fabulous cake.
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Holy Island of Lindisfarne
Make sure you time it right otherwise you can get wet shoes when the sea sweeps in over the causeway and washes your car away. Northumberland’s history is enmeshed with the history of Christianity and it is here that St Aidan established a monastery in the seventh century and set out to convert much of the North. The castle with its striking interior is another Northumberland icon.
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To see details of all the castles within Northumberland, including Warkworth, Lindisfarne and Kielder go to www.visitnorthumberland.com
Wife in the North castles & historic sites