Towns & Villages 

Alnwick

The Border town of Alnwick was once a vital defence against the marauding Scots. Its great 11th Century castle, on the north side of the town centre, has been the home of the Percy family (Dukes of Northumberland since 1766) since 1309, when they succeeded the de Vescys as hereditary Wardens of the Scottish Marches. After Windsor, Alnwick is the second largest inhabited castle in England. The interior was restored at one stage by Robert Adam, in the Gothic style, but its present Renaissance style dates from the 1850s when it was restored by the 4th Duke. There is some fine furniture in the castle, and pictures (which include Canaletto's magnificent painting of Alnwick). In the Abbot's Tower is the Museum of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. Outside, on the castle walls, stand some odd stone figures, put up to trick the Scots into believing that they were real soldiers. The grounds at Alnwick were designed by "Capability" Brown.  Open Easter to mid October daily, except Friday, 11:00-17:00. Tel: 01665 510777.

Alnwick abbey, beautifully situated on the banks of the River Aln, was the Premonstatensian's first English house. It was founded in 1147 by Eustace Fitzjohn and dedicated to Our Lady. At the time of the Dissolution there were about 13 canons at the abbey. In later years the property passed to the Percys. Only the gatehouse remains though the ground plan was revealed during excavations in 1884. Some fragments also remain of St Leonard's Hospital Chapel, founded between 1193 and 1216 as a Chantry for the benefit of the soul of Malcolm, King of Scotland. On the south side of Alnwick stand the 83ft-high Percy monument, erected by grateful tenants when, in 1816, the Duke of Northumberland reduced their rents.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 north; take the unclassified Bywell/Felton road 3 miles east; turn left onto the Al 5 miles north towards Edinburgh; at Newton stay on the Al 6 miles north to Alnwick. Estimated driving time, 22 minutes.

Amble-by-the-Sea

Once a coal harbour but now a pleasant fishing village with old cottages and pretty little shops. Its sandy dunes and beaches are part of an officially designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 north; turn right onto the unclassified Bywell/Felton road 3 miles east; turn left onto the Al 1 mile north towards Edinburgh; turn right onto the unclassified road 1/2 mile east; bear right onto the B6345 7 miles east to Amble-by-the-Sea. Estimated driving time, 26 minutes.

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh is a 12th century castle, one of the oldest in Britain. Noted for its mammoth curtain wall it stands perched high on a coastal cliff overlooking the village of Bamburgh. In the 7th century it was conquered by Edwin of Northumbria and so became the seat of the kings of Northumbria. Under the holy king, St Oswald, the nearby monastery of Lindisfarne (Holy Island) was founded, before the castle was sacked by the Danes. The first bishop and abbot of Lindisfarne was St Aidan, who was of Irish origin. He came to England in 635 and was appointed by St Oswald.

St Bede wrote warmly of St Aidan: the parish church at Bamburgh is the only English church dedicated to him. In the 15th-century further damage was inflicted on Bamburgh Castle. Since that time Bamburgh has, on a number of occasions, been used as a state prison. (In 1757 the Trustees of Bishop Crewe's Charity converted the upper parts into a granary, "whence, in times of scarcity, corn might be sold to the poor at a cheap rate". Later, a large room was fitted up "for educating boys on the Madras system". A storm-warning system was installed for local shipping and "there are likewise provided instruments and tackle for raising sunken vessels... Thirty beds are kept for shipwrecked sailors)".

Today, surprisingly, Bamburgh is a comfortable house - restored by Lord Armstrong in 1894 at an estimated cost of £1.5 million. It is open daily from Easter to the end of October, from 11:00am. Closing times vary. Tel: 01668 214215. There is a museum in the village at Bamburgh which tells the story of brave Grace Darling, the lighthouse keeper's daughter who, in an 1838 storm, rowed out with her father to rescue shipwreck survivors.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 north; turn right onto the unclassified Bywell/Felton road 3 miles east; turn left onto the Al 5 miles north towards Edinburgh; at Newton stay on the Al 13 miles north towards Edinburgh; at north towards Charlton stay on the Al 6 miles north towards Edinburgh; turn right onto the B1341 5 miles to Bamburgh. Estimated driving time, 49 minutes.

Beadnell

There is a good two-mile stretch of shoreline at Beadnell where some old 18th-century limekilns, now owned by the National Trust, overlook the tiny harbour. The harbour was built in the 1790s when Beadnell shipped out much coal and lime. There is an old 1460 peel-tower, now converted into a pub.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 north; turn right onto unclassified Bywell/Felton road 3 miles east; turn left onto the Al 5 miles north towards Edinburgh; at Newton stay on the Al 7 miles north towards Edinburgh; bear right onto the B1340, 12 miles north to Beadnell. Estimated driving time, 47 minutes.

Berwick-upon-Tweed

Berwick hovers between England and Scotland on the left bank of the Tweed, and was probably founded by the Saxon kings of Northumbria. It has had a tumultous history. Henry Ii took it from the Scots in 1174, restored to them by King John, taken back by Edward I, changed hands again twice. In 1310 it was the winter residence of King Edward Ii and his Queen. Three years later the English army mustered at Berwick before Bannockburn. Edward won his victory over the Scots in 1333 at nearby Halidon Hill.

Berwick Castle (where the Countess of Buchan was shut up in a wicker-cage for four years by Edward I for putting the crown on Robert Bruce at his coronation) fell into disrepair during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Now it is in the care of English Heritage and open at any reasonable time.

Berwick-upon-Tweed Barracks are also in the care of English Heritage. They are amongst the earliest purpose-built barracks in the country and have changed little since 1717. Contains the Berwick Museum and Museum of the King's Own Scottish Borderers. Open April - September daily 10:00-18:00, October daily 10:00-16:00, November - March Wednesday - Sunday, 10:00 - 16:00. Tel: 01289 304493.

Nearby is the Old Military Hospital, an 18th-century building (Grade II listed) with 19th-century additions to the rear. Berwick Tourist Information Centre Castle gate Carpark 01289 330733.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 north; turn right onto the unclassified Bywell/Felton road 3 miles east; turn left onto the Al 5 miles north towards Edinburgh; at Newton stay on the Al 13 miles north towards Edinburgh; at north towards Charlton stay on the Al 20 miles north towards Edinburgh; bear right onto the Al167 4 miles northwest to Berwick-upon- Tweed. Estimated driving time, 66 minutes.

Craster

Craster, noted for its oak-smoked kippers (although the herrings are no longer caught locally), is an unspoilt fishing-village built largely of local whinstone. There is a good walk from Craster along the shoreline to Dunstanburgh Castle.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 north; turn right onto the unclassified Bywell/Felton road 3 miles east; turn left onto the Al 5 miles north towards Edinburgh; at Newton stay on the Al 7 miles north towards Edinburgh; bear right onto the B1340 2 miles north towards Rennington; at Littlehoughton turn right onto the unclassified road 4 miles northeast to Craster. Estimated driving time, 36 minutes.

Elsdon

Elsdon is a village set around a large 7 acre green, once a gathering places for the Redesdale clans, on which there are the earthworks of a Norman castle and an old peel- tower. St Cuthbert's body is said to have rested in the parish church at Elsdon when on its way to Durham.

The present church, built about 1400, replaced an earlier building. Three horse skulls found in the belfry of the church are said to have been put there to protect it from lightning. In 1810 a mass grave was found under the north wall of the church, the grave (probably) of soldiers killed at the Battle of Otterburn (see entry below). A gibbet once stood two miles to the southeast of the village.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 north towards Coldstream; turn left onto the B6344 6 miles west towards Rothbury; at Rothbury bear left onto the B6341 2 miles west towards Thropton; at Thropton stay on the B6341 4 miles north-west towards Hepple; at Hepple stay on the B6341 6 miles south-west to Elsdon. Estimated driving time 41 minutes.

Hexham

Hexham is an attractive market town serving an extensive rural area in southwest Northumberland. Its most important building is its abbey church, founded by St Wilfrid some 1,300 years ago. You can still see the Anglo-Saxon crypt of the original church, built out of stones taken from the Roman camp at Corbridge. It was said to have been one of the most magnificent churches north of the Alps. The present church is still one of the loveliest in Europe; it was begun in the 12th century and added to and improved right up to the present day. Near the High Altar stands the Frith Stood once used as the coronation seat for the Kings of Northumbria.

In medieval days Hexham was triumuirate, that is to say there were the ecclesiastics, the military and government, and the people - all centred round the market place. These divisions are apparent to this day. To the west, the monastic building; to the east, the government typified by the old 15th-century Moot Hall or Council Chamber in the market place. The rising known as the Pilgrimage of Grace deeply affected Hexham and led to the execution of its last prior at the gate of the priory. Some of the streets in Hexham have fascinating names like St Mary's Chare and Priest's Popple.

Places to visit in Hexham include the Middle March Centre for Border History (Tel: 01434604011), Moothall Gallery (Tel: 01434 604011) The local Tourist Information Centre (01434 605225) has leaflets describing a walking tour of the town. 

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 south; at Longhorsley take the A697 5 miles southeast; turn right onto the Al 17 miles south towards Stannington; turn off onto the A69 8 miles west towards Corbridge; at Horsley stay on the A69 11 miles west towards Corbridge; turn off onto the A695 1 mile south into Hexham. Estimated driving time, 52 minutes.

Longhorsley

Longhorsley is situated on a branch of the River Coquet,  astride the Coldstream-Newcastle road. The village has a long history. In 1196 we find it referred to as Horsieg, a "woodland clearing where horses are kept" - although it was a pretty tough place for a horse: one traveller, Eneas Mackenzie (1778-1832), described it in his view of the County of Northumberland, as "the prolific source of contagious disorders incident to cattle, and of little real use in its present state".  Longhorsley Moor is high and bleak (in the winter of 1890 the mail-gig was blown over in a gale and the driver found with his neck broken).  In the course of time the manor of Longhorsley was owned by the Gospatricks who gave it to the Merlays, and then it passed into the hands of the Horsleys and, later, to the great Catholic family, the Riddells.

Linden Hall, just to the north of Longhorsley, is a fine Georgian manor, built in 1812 and set in 450 acres of park and woodland. On the western edge of Longhorsley is an ancient battlemented peel tower, dating from the early 16th-century and formerly belonging to the Horsley family; Sir Thomas Horsley entertained General Monck here on his way south to effect the Restoration of King Charles Ii. For a time the tower was used as a Roman Catholic chapel.  The Old vicarage at Longhorsley incorporates parts of an the old medieval parish church.

Morpeth

Morpeth is a busy market town, a gateway to the hills, moors and coast. Its Town Hall was designed by Sir John Vanburgh in 1714. A Cistercian abbey, Newminster, was founded in 1138, about half a mile to the west of the town, by Sir Ranulph de Merlai. fts first abbot was St Robert. Edward I, II and III stayed at Newminster. Only a ruined arch remains, today. The Chantry Bagpipe Museum is housed in a 13th-century building in the centre of Morpeth. It has a collection of bagpipes gathered from all over the world. Tel: 01670 519466. Estimated driving time, 11 minutes.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 south; at Longhorsley take the A697 5 miles southeast; turn right onto the Al 1/2 mile south towards Stannington; turn off onto the A192 2 miles southeast to Morpeth.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

The old port and ship building centre of Newcastle-upon-Tyne is the main commercial and industrial capital of the North East. The Joicey Museum tells the story of the social life of the area (0191 232 4562).

Much of what you see today in this fine city was planned and built between 1825-1840 by architect John Dobson and builder Richard Grainger.

It was for a time called 'Monkchester' - and with good reason: a Benedictine nunnery dedicated to St Bartholomew was founded here quite soon after the Conquest; a Dominican friary was founded about 1250 near Charlotte square; a Carmelite friary was founded in the time of Henry Iii on Wall Knoll and removed, in the time of Edward I) to the foot of Westgate Street. There are no remains.

A Franciscan friary was founded in 1267 or in the time of Henry III by the Carliols, wealthy city merchants: one of its members was Duns Scotus; an Augustinian friary stood on what later became known as the Manors. A friary of the order of Sec or the Penance of Jesus stood on the site of Hanovers quare. A Hospital of St Mary Magdalen stood at Barras Bridge, said to have been founded by Henry L It was first used as a lepers' hospital and later as a home for the infirm poor. A Maturin or Trinitarian priory was on the site vacated by the Carmelites. A hospital of St Mary the virgin was founded in the time of Henry I and stood near Westgate Street.

Another Hospital of St Mary stood on the north bank of the river at Jesmond. Three monastic chapels connected with monastic institutions stood at Barras bridge. Locals call the city 'canny Newcassle'; meaning 'an orderly and pleasant place'. Museums in Newcastle include the Laing Art Gallery (0191 232 7734), the Museum ofantiquities at the University (0191 222 7844), and the Museum of Science and Engineering (0191 232 6789). There are Tourist Information Centres at the Central Library (0191 261 0610) and at the City Airport (0191 214 4422).

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 south; at Longhorsley take the A697 5 miles southeast; turn right onto the Al 16 miles south to Newcastle. Estimated driving time, 29 minutes.

Ponteland

At Ponteland you can enjoy drinks in the 600-year-old  vaulted basement of the Blackbird Inn, once a fortified manor house. The parish church of St Mary's dates back to Norman days. Estimated driving time, 34 minutes.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 south; at Longhorsley take the A697 5 miles southeast; turn right onto the Al 15 miles south towards Stannington;  turn off onto the A696 5 miles west to Ponteland.

Rothbury

Rothbury is a busy market town, set on a steep bank of the River Coquet. Fragments of a Saxon cross which serves as a pedestal to the font in the church of All Saints, indicates that this has been a Christian site for nearly 1,200 years. A carving of the Ascension on its north side is said to be the oldest in England and dates from around 800 Ad. 

Directions: Leave Linden Hall, take the A697 2 miles north; turn left onto the B6344 6 miles west to Rothbury. Estimated driving time, 16 minutes.

Seahouses

A busy fishing port from around 1786, now mainly a resort, from which you can catch a small boat that will take you out on a trip out to the Farne Islands, two dozen treeless islands, half of them submerged at high tide, where seals breed and birds nest. In the 7th century St Cuthbert built a cell here. A 16th century tower marks the spot. Nature walks start from a nearby chapel.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 north; turn right onto the unclassified Bywell/Felton road 3 miles east; turn left onto the Al 5 miles north towards Edinburgh; at Newton stay on the Al 7 miles north towards Edinburgh; bear right onto the B1340 3 miles north towards Rennington; at Rennington stay on the B1340 9 miles north towards Embleton; at Beadnell stay on the B1340 2 miles northwest to Seahouses. Estimated driving time, 51 minutes.

Tynemouth

A cliff-top monastery, founded here in 625 by King Edwin, was often destroyed by the Danes, repeatedly restored and rebuilt prior to the 11th century. It was given, for a time, to Jarrow abbey. In 1090 it was refounded by Robert de Mowbray as a black friary subject to St Alban's abbey. At the Dissolution it went to the Dudleys. Its remains are enclosed by a gatehouse and castle walls. It was the site of a World War I gun battery. In the care of English Heritage, and open all year. Tel: 0191 257 1090.

Nearby St Leonard's hospital was founded before 1320. Over 70 species of sea-creature, ranging from shrimps to stingrays, may be seen at the Tynemouth Sea-Life Centre, Grand Parade. Tel: 0191 258 1031.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 south; at Longhorsley take the A697 5 miles southeast; turn right onto the Al 10 miles south towards Stannington; turn off onto the A19 2 miles east; turn off onto the Al 1/2 mile east; go onto the A19 6 miles east towards Willington; turn off onto the Al 058 3 miles east to Tynemouth. Estimated driving time, 35 minutes.

Woodhorn

The Woodhorn Colliery Museum is situated in a country park with a 40-acre lake. With sound effects, models, paintings, working machinery etc, the museum gives an insight into life in a local coal mining community, Tel: 01670 856666. The village is sometimes identified with Wucestre, given to St Cuthbert by King Ceowulf when he gave up his throne in 737 to become a monk at Lindisfarne. A medieval bell at Woodhorn, inscribed Ave Maria; is said to be one of the oldest in existence. 

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 south; at Longhorsley take the A697 5 miles southeast; turn right onto the Al 1/2 mile south towards Stannington; turn off onto the A192 2 miles southeast towards Morpeth; at Morpeth stay on the A192 1 mile south towards Bedlington; turn left onto the A196 5 miles east towards Ashington; go onto the B1334 3 miles east towards Newbiggin by the Sea; take the A197 1 mile northwest to Woodhorn. Estimated driving time, 27 minutes.

Wylam

In Wylam there is a small stone tenement, dating from c.1760, to accommodate four pitmen's families. It was here that George Stephenson was born in 1781. The house now belongs to the National Trust. Opening times of National Trust properties vary quite widely from year to year, so it is advisable to ring up before setting out on a visit. The telephone number of Stephenson's Birthplace is 01661 853457. The telephone number at George Stephenson's Birthplace is 01661 853457.

National Trust properties are usually open from April 1 to October 31, on three to five afternoons each week (usually Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at least), and between 13:00 and 17:00. Last admissions are usually 30 minutes before the stated closing time. It is now becoming the policy of the National Trust to discourage visitors from using their cars, and say they 'd prefer it if you arrived by public transport - or by bicycle! Parking space may, therefore, be limited.

At the Wylam Railway Museum, Falcon Terrace, displays show the importance of Wylam in the history of railway development. Open Tuesday, Thursday 14:00-19:30, Sat 09:00-12:00. Tel. 01661 852174 Estimated driving time, 43 minutes.

Directions: Leave Linden Hall and take the A697 south; at Longhorsley take the A697 5 miles southeast; turn right onto the Al 17 miles south towards Stannington; turn off onto the A69 8 miles west towards Corbridge; at Horsley turn off onto the B6528 1/2 mile east; turn right onto unclassified road 2 miles south to Wylam.

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