|
|
Self-catering holiday homes with
style
and space, and just yards from one Northumberland’s finest beaches.
Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh goes well back
into Saxon times as a place of significance. Home to Northumbrian Kings
since the 5th Century, its mighty location has been fortified
by successive royals and dukes, most latterly, the armaments “king”, Sir
William Armstrong – the Victorian arms manufacturer who built Cragside
[another day out!]. Most photographed and filmed of all Northumberland’s
locations, and still in private hands – you will still be welcomed to
inspect its many layers of history, after you have taken in its iconic
outward aspect, towering above the beach.
Holy
Island
Cradle to Christianity [St
Cuthbert prayed and wandered in the Borders], and now a place of
pilgrimage for visitors from many lands, whether seeking spiritual
regeneration or a chance to glimpse the special habitats of plants and
wildlife. Cut off by the tide, twice daily, this does not deter the
careful [and sometimes not so careful] motorist!
Berwick
upon Tweed
Glimpsed from the train the Royal Border Bridge,
visitors are stunned by Berwick’s medieval layout, rooftop
landscape, and key position at the mouth of the mighty River Tweed.
The town has controlled the crossing since Roman Times, but a modern
visitor will find that its Elizabethan fortifications, still
completely intact, inspiring but spireless Cromwellian Church, 18th
century Barracks by Nicholas Hawksmoor,
and its amazing vista of bridges gives it as much
eye-catching appeal as anywhere in the North.
|
|
Alnwick
Alnwick Castle, just a 15
minute drive, is the seat of the Percy Family, Dukes of Northumberland, and now
best known as Britain’s most exciting gardeners! Their castle home boasts
classic paintings by Canaletto and Gainsborough, and is a much filmed Gothic
castle whose latest starring role was as the magical role Hogwarts in Harry
Potter. Now boasting the modernity of the electric light [installed as recently
as 1889!], you will be transported into a ducal way of life that arrived in the
north with William the Conqueror. The Alnwick Garden is completely 21st
century, with its exciting fountains, poison garden and water sculptures. It’s
environmentally friendly visitor centre and amazing tree house will delight even
the most hardened stay-inside gardener. Alnwick’s town is one of the
best places to live in the UK, and certainly one of the finest to visit. Amongst
other things, it has Europe’s largest 2nd hand book shop – Barter
Books - housed in the town’s former Railway Station.
Warkworth
Castle
Warkworth’s village is a delight –
but even its 8th century origin is overshadowed by its mighty Castle.
Started in the 11th century, it too was home to the Percy’s [most
notably the famous Harry Hotspur who rose and fell in Shakespeare’s Henry IVth,
along with other Northumbrian names and landmarks]. Now well preserved by
English Heritage, and uninhabited, it provides plenty of scope for imagination
and space for visitors.
The
Northumbrian Countryside
Words almost cannot describe the
sinuous lanes that try to penetrate the wild Cheviot Hills, or the huge rolling
landscapes, rich in agriculture that bring different colours and varieties
throughout the year, or the rivers teeming with trout and salmon, or the endless
dunes and beaches who are home to orchids
A little further
Both the A1 and the East
Coast Main Line [10 minutes away] will take you to days out that are almost as
vibrant and exciting – an hour to Edinburgh and 45 minutes to the North’s
capital of culture, leisure and pleasure – Newcastle-Gateshead.
|
|
|
|
