Northumbrian Road Trip

Holiday Ratings
Recommended days	7
Budget	£
Difficulty	Easy

Why a Northumbrian road trip?

Northumbria is one of my favourite regions of the UK. It has fantastic scenery, lots of castles and few people so a Northumbrian road trip is a great way to see the sights in this large county.

This was also a first for me in that we actually used B&B’s as well as a holiday cottage and hotel. That was an interesting experience, certainly a lot more social than my usual choices but Deb liked chatting to people so each to their own. We did a very similar route on a later tour too.

This was in the days before I bothered to write anything down so I have no idea of the details of this break, just the photos. The photos are also pretty old, 2007, so very basic technology!

Durham

We drove from Bristol to our first stop, Durham. This is an old British city although much of the pre-Norman heritage is now gone. We visited the cathedral which is pretty impressive and took the rooftop tour, a fantastic experience.

We didn’t get to visit the castle as it is now part of Durham University and only viewable by guided tour. It did look fantastic from the cathedral tower though and the two buildings must have dominated the town after the Norman conquest.

Warkworth Castle

Warkworth is a fabulous castle. It was the home of the Percy family and saw action from the 12th to the 17th centuries before finally falling into ruin. It is a superb example of a regal castle, designed both for military and political purposes and not poncified with later additions. It is run by English Heritage so entry was free for us.

Alnwick Castle Gardens

Rather than visit the castle at Alnwick, we decided to go to the gardens so Deb wasn’t dragged around yet another medieval ruin! We were staying in a cottage nearby and we really should have spent a day here visiting both the attractions but it is something for another day.

The garden was very popular and even had plenty to interest me, a totally non – botanic person. The poison garden was well worth a visit, some quite fascinating exhibits.

Dunstanburgh Castle

One of the most spectacular settings of any castle is Dunstanburgh. Set on the coast and used in many films it is approached by a dramatic walk across the shoreline. The castle footprint is large although most of it is either gone completely or just a few feet above ground level but the remaining gatehouse and towers are still impressive.

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh is another fantastically dominating castle and also, completely intact. Originally a Saxon fortress, then a Norman castle, Bamburgh was the first castle in England to fall to gunfire in the Wars of the Roses. It then fell into ruin before being bought by Lord Armstrong, the Victorian weapons manufacturer, whose family still live there today.

Lindisfarne

Another iconic setting, Lindisfarne was home to a monastery that was sacked many times by the Vikings but immortalised for creating the Lindisfarne Gospels, a fantastic work of Irish Christianity. After the Norman Conquest a priory was built on the island and later a castle.

To get to the island you have to cross a causeway which is only open at certain times of the day. The castle has a pretty garden, designed by Gertrude Jekyll and is a National Trust property too. We met up with Dad and Janet here too which was a nice change although they had bought their Lake District weather with them so it rained the whole time.

Berwick upon Tweed

This little town was much fought over by England and Scotland and now lies just inside the English border. Berwick has a complete set of town walls and also an Elizabethan star fort, although the fort may be part of the wall defences, my memory is a little hazy! This was also where I stayed at my first ever B&B, an interesting experience.

Spittal beach

I’m not usually a beach person but next to Berwick is Spittal beach. We had a lovely walk here before heading off for more castles. The beach was totally deserted apart from us!

Norham Castle

Another border fortress, Norham is an English Heritage property in an excellent state of repair. After James I damaged the walls and keep in a successful siege in 1513 the castle was restored to be more resistant to artillery. We had a lovely time walking around the castle and were the only ones there!

It was a glorious day and the photos in the sunshine are some of my favourites. It was a shame there is no cafe at this site really but I guess visitor numbers don’t warrant it.

Etal Castle

Etal is only a few miles away from Norham and another example of a small border castle. There is a very good exhibition on the Anglo Scottish Wars inside and the battlefield of Flodden with its memorial is also nearby. It is a smaller castle than Norham but certainly worth a visit.

Jedburgh Abbey

This Northumbrian road trip concluded with a visit to another of our favourite places, Jedburgh Abbey. There are extensive remains and you can climb part of the walls to get an idea of the scale of the building. Some of the carvings are still wonderful and there is a small exhibition on site.

The town of Jedburgh is a lovely place to stay with other attractions worth a visit including Mary Queen of Scots house and the old jail. It’s also a great base to explore the Scottish Borders.

Conclusion

A Northumbrian road trip is a fantastic way to experience this area and the many attractions it has to offer. There are no large towns so accommodation is either independent hotels, B&B’s, holiday cottages or rent a room in one of the castles that offer it.

Whether your thing is long walks in the country, beaches, castles or solitude, Northumbria is well worth a visit. Just don’t rely on good weather!

2 thoughts on “Northumbrian Road Trip”

Mum 4 April 2020 at 17:34


What some lovely photos! Jedburgh Abbey seems similar to Tinturn near Chepstow? That looks a wonderful trip. I have never been to that part of England! One of my favourite pictures of Deb is her sat on Spittal beach, a horizontal photo, she looks lovely 🙂
1. Marcus Hurley 11 April 2020 at 05:28
  
  
  Northumbria/Scottish Borders is a fantastic area and probably where I’d choose to retire if I was going to stay in the UK. Yes, we did some lovely photos on the trip, she was very photogenic! Do the tour as a road trip in your spare time when you are back?