My wife and I visited Alnwick Castle on a cold blustery day in September 2024. It was one stop of…read moremany in a tour around Roman, Saxon, Viking and Norman historical sites across the country. I'm a sucker for castles me. What boy isn't. Alnwick is so well preserved its a real treat. In fact its a living working home to the Earl of Northumberland.  The history encapsulated in this venue is vast. Built by the Normans, owned by the Percy family and the site of battles and sieges during the Wars Of The Roses, captured by Yorkists, recaptured by Lancaster. The walls have many tales to tell. There are lots of activities outside of historical studies. DragonQuesting, Harry Potter themed events (having been filmed here), knights quest, archery. It's great for kids. But thats not why we were there. We were here for the history. And there are lots of small museum displays around the site. There was a great tour around the State House that went into some good detail of the lives of the Percy family through the years. Its a magnificent building. Stately and opulent. Whereas the outside has the battlements and the armouries. And the grounds are beautiful, alongside the River Aln. We parked on The Peth, luckily found a spot right next to the castle, avoiding the walk from paid parking lots. Spent an hour or two at the end of a long day here, but wish we had more time to leisurely enjoy all Alnwick Castle has to offer.

I especially wanted to visit Alnwick castle as some of the scenes from Harry Potter had been filmed…read morethere. Me and my friend travelled from Edinburgh for the day and it took us 90 minutes each way, but it was so worth it. When we arrived it cost £3 for parking. The car parks are a good 15 minute walk from the castle, so if anyone has walking issues then be prepared. The first bit you reach is the gardens which are beautiful. You pay for the gardens separately to the castle. You could spend a day in both as there is so much to do. You can get your castle tickets validated for a year, meaning you can visit as often as you want for the next year. This is brilliant as your ticket is only £14 per adult. We had been warned that broomstick training tickets sell out quickly so we headed straight there. The tickets are free but are very popular. We arrived at 12pm and the next tickets we could get were for 3pm. To be honest we went to do it, but it was more for kids. So we gave our tickets away and headed for the movie tour, I'll come back to this. We headed to the gardens to have lunch. We got some fish and chips which were reasonably priced and went and sat on the lawn to eat them. We were lucky as we had a lovely sunny day. We then investigated the gardens which included a fairy trail, where you had to find the clues to save the princess, a maze, a beautiful water feature, a maze made from bamboo and a Poisen garden. We never managed the Poisen garden but heard good things. Back to the castle, it is a beautiful castle with stunning views. we wandered about, there was lots of entertainment for all ages. As I said earlier we left the broomstick training to join the movie tour. This was fascinating and we were shown the different places that things had been filmed. I knew about Harry Potter but not about Robin Hood prince of thieves, Black Adder and more recently Downton Abbey. As they say, time passes when you're having fun and the day flew past. We'd didn't even manage to go into the castle or visit the tree house. I will defo be taking advantage of my years free entry. Definitely worth a visit whatever age you are. Oh and all the staff members where lovely and friendly. All me and my friend kept saying was this has just been a perfect day, and it really was..

This is a 15th century castle which was built from stones from the priory. It was converted into a…read morecastle that could be lived in at the start of the 20th century so the rooms are full of edwardian furniture It is quite a walk up to the castle so I would try and get the bus that goes there and back. My fav part is the room to the left when you go in kind of a scullery really dark A really interesting castle with quite a few rooms to look at a walled garden and great views from the roof Check the tide times before you go though as you dont want to get stuck on the island

Beautiful setting and views I love castles. This one was so…read moresweetly remade as a home and is now being cared for so well by the National Trust it was a very pleasant tour. Take the time when you go to savor the layers of history and to see the other areas like the lime kilns , labyrinth and gardens. Do not let yourself be rushed by not leaving enough time. There is also little need to recommend it; if you are on Lindisfarne there is a limited number of sites!

My wife and I visited in September 2024. We made a Last Kingdom pilgrimage from London to York…read more(Eoforwich) to Durham (Dunholm) to Bamburgh (Bebbanburg) taking in many historic Roman, Saxon and Viking sites along the way. We had so much fun and Bamburgh was the pinnacle of our trail. The castle itself is in incredibly well kept condition. Most of the building is Norman (like most of the medieval structures around Britain) though there is a small stone footing of Saxon origin, and some of the old Roman lookout. Its a muscular structure with an imposing silhouette on the hilltop overlooking the sea, that can be seen for miles around. We took a guided tour with one of the custodians and she was great. Shared so much knowledge and stories of the castle. We then took a self guided audio tour of the interior and State rooms. All of which were beautiful and majestic. The grounds are well groomed and easy for anyone to navigate, with smooth paved paths everywhere. Its a hill-fort, so yeah, its going to have some steepness but nothing too extreme once you are up in the parking lot. The views from up there are just beautiful. We had really great weather that day, clear and sunny, you could see for miles. The highlight for us surely was the Last Kingdom exhibit in the great hall that had props and costumes from several seasons of the show. TLK was one of our very favourite TV shows so it was a real bucket list item to visit Bamburgh. It really didnt disappoint. I wish we had more time, than the three hours we spent at the castle, to go walk on the beach.

We stayed in the castle at the Neville Tower for a week and it was absolutely amazing…read more First things first: the staff there was completely, absolutely, 100% over the top nice and helpful. From the first person we talked to when we arrived to the last person we said goodbye to on our last day the staff was incredibly nice and just so wonderful. They made an incredible spot that much more enjoyable. The castle itself is beyond words. So much history, such incredible views, so beautiful to look at from all the different perspectives, it was something you could never get tired of. There are actually a few apartments at the castle, and I spoke with a gentleman who had lived there for 20 years! It's hard to imagine. Staying at the castle wasn't cheap, but if you want to do a "once in a lifetime" kind of trip like we did you won't be disappointed. Spending a day there would be great too, but staying there was awesome because we had the run of the place after it closed to the public at 5:00 every night. I loved walking the grounds in the evening or early morning before the public was let in (10:00 AM). Having the whole place to yourself is a unique experience.

This is a not very wel known castle ruin on top of a hill near norham castle its on a side road off…read morethe a698 and you stop at the bridge where there is room for two or three cars Its a walk up the hill and be careful with little ones and a climb over a still but well worth it when you get up there and if you are adventorous you can explore the ruin It was a 15th century tower house with had a mansion built onto it in the 18th century which was never finished and which went to ruin so it ended up as kind of a folly but an unfinished one Dont think many people go here as its not that well known but worth a look

Twizel has become very close to my heart, as my other half's brother had his ashes scattered here…read more Twizel castle is, as sharnad pointed out, one of Northumberland's sadly lesser known ruined castles. I say sadly, because it is really a beautiful spot, with a great position next to the Till. As well as an explore of the ruins themselves, there is also a large circular walk (running through the Tillmouth Estate?) but be careful, it becomes VERY muddy when wet!

Be prepared for a hidden gem is the back of beyond. A totally tranquil experience to explore the…read moreempty Manor House & Priory. It's a short walk from the free car park down hill to the banks of the coquet river. Plenty of places with seating to have a picnic & rest before heading up hill. A gentle atmosphere pervades all. The English Heritage Staff, extremely helpful, as always. Well worth a visit on any day of the week.

A lovely little place you park at the top of the hill and its a walk down - not too hard a walk…read moreback up afterwards It is a 12 century priory with a manor house attached There is room on the grounds for a picnic where there is a pretty view of the river It was valued at £69 in 1635 abnd dissolved in 1636 the roof was put back on in 19th century It is not a ruin it has its lovely stained glasses windows alters and an organ You can have a look around the manor house as well It is closed now for winter but opens up in march It is english heritage and has a little shop there with a good guide book

This trip to the UK has been an awakening. A beautiful one…read more First a whole day at the magnificent Kew Gardens( separate Yelp review) and now this glorious 5 hour drive from London up to St Abbs Head in eastern Scotland to catch this breathtaking sunrise( Yelp photo)- probably the best sunrise and dawn I have witnessed in Europe and specifically here at the North Sea which is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. We got there just before daylight and the goose bumps started with the really scenic and easy 3.7 mile trek to the water. En route to the lighthouse is the gorgeous National Natural Reserve. Fishing boats were setting out with happy faces and coffee and tea flasks. This is the spot where "Avengers End Game" and also the "Avengers Infinity Wars "movies were filmed. This is an absolute must do. Away from the city - just 5 hours from London with green around, that intoxicating air, one of the biggest seabird colonies consisting of puffins, razorbills, kittiwakes, ravens flycatchers and herring gulls. The big bonus -we get to try and understand and speak with that lovely Scottish accent with the locals who are just amazing and dynamite. I also was itching to do that 52 feet cliff dive which I did. The water temp was about 45 degrees F and it felt sooooo good. The lighthouse is closed to the public but every other adjacent area is open year round. Beautiful St Abbs Head!!

Oh gosh... what can I say about St. Abb's Head? We set out to find a lighthouse but really what we…read morefound was a lot more. There is a path of sorts that takes you either from near Saint Abb's (the town), just further down the main road from the Nature Reserve car park, or you can head out from the car park itself. The longer path that we took, takes you past fields of cows, up a steepish incline over to the coast, with volcanic rocks covered in seabirds. Turns out this area is a National Nature Reserve, with the majority of east coast seabirds nesting here before scattering out across the sea. The sea looks beautiful and clear here. It isn't quiet, as you constantly have birds milling around and when we went, warm but with a cool wind that we took shelter from in order to picnic on the cliff edge. The lighthouse itself was built in the 19th century, but hasn't been manned since the early nineties. The buildings themselves are offlimits to walkers, but you can continue along the walker-beaten paths (if heading towards Saint Abbs) or along the road if you are heading back to the car park. You can drive up to the top for the cost of a couple of quid (honesty box) but please drive slowly as there are walkers every where - some were definitely defying the concept of 'slow'. There are some easier paths than others, but this is on a rocky coastal outlook so get ready for some uphill climbs. Again, for bird spotters, or for those who love the outdoors, it's a treasure. Note to self in future, if a 7th centure monk like St Abb made this place her home, you know you are going to be in for something special.

This would once have been a beautiful building. Unfortunately, after Henry VIII disbanded monastic…read morecommunities in England, Wales and Scotland in the 1500s, all that remains is the gatehouse. This functioned as a vicarage to the local church and is now in the care of English Heritage and probably dates back to the 1100s. Definetly worth the walk, or the drive.

The old town hall is another place which has really lost its sparkle over the last couple of years…read more It used to be a place where I'd go with my parents as a kiddie, savaloy in hand, I'd chase the pigeons then buy some mishapen sweets from the market. Now the market is virtually non-existent and S Shields is fast becoming a ghost town, I find the whole place quite sad and tend to avoid the place unless needs must. I doubt it will ever be restored to its former glory. Still the place has some good memories for me and it is one of last remaining bit of Auld South Shields.