Things to do and see in and around Northumberland
KIELDER OBSERVATORY
All year round – a star gazing and astronomy heaven! Kielder Observatory is located in the heart of Northumberland International Dark Sky Park.
We have the largest expanse of dark night sky in the whole of Europe, thanks to minimal light pollution. Winter nights are darkest and best for viewing deep sky objects such as galaxies, while in summer you can view the beautiful Milky Way, passing comets, shooting stars and see the Sun’s surface using our incredible telescope.
HADRIAN'S WALL
Permanent conquest of Britain began in AD 43. By about AD 100 the northernmost army units in Britain lay along the Tyne–Solway isthmus. The forts here were linked by a road, now known as the Stanegate, between Corbridge and Carlisle.
Hadrian came to Britain in AD 122 and, according to a biography written 200 years later, ‘put many things to right and was the first to build a wall 80 miles long from sea to sea to separate the barbarians from the Romans.
Alnwick Castle
Alnwick has terraces of limestone flat-fronted townhouses with second-hand bookshops, coffee shops and pubs.
The big sight is the town’s castle, which is the second-largest inhabited castle in the UK, after Windsor.
You’re free to poke around in the summer, and there’s extra incentive for Harry Potter fans as the property was Hogwarts in the movies.
You’ll also be spellbound by The Alnwick Garden, landscaped hedges and flowerbeds around a water cascade.
To arouse morbid curiosity there’s a Poison Garden growing hemlock, foxglove and the plants to make ricin and strychnine.
Also, make excursions to the castles at Chillingham, Edlingham and Dunstanburgh and to experience the awesome beachscapes at Low Newton and Embleton Bay.
Holy Island
Lindisfarne or Holy Island as it is known locally can be accessed via a causeway. It is important to check tide times prior to visiting the island or you may find yourself unable to drive to the island or back onto the mainland!
Famous for the Lindisfarne Gospels the island was repeatedly plundered by the Vikings. Lindisfarne Priory is acknowledged as one of the most important centres of early Christianity. The initial resting place of St Cuthbert and home to the most celebrated illuminated books in the world Lindisfarne should be a definite on any itinerary to Northumberland.
Purchase some locally brewed mead on the island and stroll to Lindisfarne Castle which was built with stones from the Priory (demolished during the dissolution of the Monasteries)
