Well, where to start?
As you may have guessed from the title of this post we’ve been to the North East. It started in Yorkshire for a family wedding, one that was on its third date - thanks Covid. But this time it happened and it was great. The journey there took us a little longer than we expected, and it did for quite a few guests, but that was pretty much forgotten once we saw the view looking over Robin Hood’s Bay from our hotel room.
The hat bought in 2020, only slightly just before the pandemic, finally got its outing - though it was pretty windy outside so I mostly held it, or held it on my head, just in case. My dress had cape sleeves, and luckily they were attached, but during my reading I’m sure they were making a bid for freedom.
I told you it was a stunning view.
OVERLOOKING ROBIN HOOD’S BAY
Northumberlandia: The Lady of North
Once we’d caught up with family, friends and the newly weds over breakfast and said our goodbyes, we had an overnight stop close to Morpeth. We didn’t have much planned and it wasn’t until the next morning we realised we were staying right next to this large land sculpture. It’s the largest in the world - and in our defence it wasn’t visible from where we were staying!
It’s really quite enticing and shows a reclining female, with viewing points and paths around and up and down the sculpture. I’ll share more on this in another post, but it really was quite a lovely thing to find and to explore, and if you’re close by it’s worth a stop.
Cragside
Our plans for the day, before checking into our accommodation for the week, was to head up to the National Trust’s Cragside - billed as Britain’s original smart home, being illuminated with hydro-electricity and powered by hydraulics. It was fascinating, and beautiful too - and lots to see, and share!
After learning more about how the hydro-electricity system powered the house we headed through the woodlands and approached the house over the iron bridge and up through the rock garden, which made for quite the entrance - a more usual route is also available! Inside the house there was so much to see, so much that I’ve struggled to choose the photos to share with you in this post.
The kitchens are, for the time, high-tech but there’s also the traditional butler’s tray and so many copper moulds, and some so, so tiny!
In the dining room they had what looked to be a very patriotic table, but one which extends to sit many more than you’d think. Out in the hallway, and an entrance hall that was added later on are arts and crafts style tiles, which wouldn’t look out of place in a modern day home.
And still there was more to explore, and so we headed off towards the formal garden with its Edwardian glasshouses which are currently being repaired. There were some surprises in this part of the property too, but I’ll save that for a fuller post.
The Treehouse, Beacon Hill Farm
Cragside was slightly north of where we were staying for the rest of the week, so after a stop for tea and cake we were able to jump back in the car just as the rain started. By the time we arrived at Beacon Hill Farm after a quick shop for supplies the rain had stopped, which made unloading the car into the golf buggy a lot easier task. It was great to get a lift down to the Treehouse, but it actually wasn’t that far we discovered quite quickly!
The treehouse was stunning, and just as we expected it to look. It was much warmer inside, which was a pleasant discovery and useful throughout the week where the weather had everything: wind, rain, hailstorm and even some sun. While we got out and about, we did spend quite a bit of time mesmerised by the views and on cow-watch.
Alnwick Castle
I was keen to get to at least one castle on our trip, and we did. And if you’re going to chose a castle then why not Hogwarts? And so that’s where we went. It turned out to be the only castle on our trip, but I’m sure we’ll be back to this part of the world to visit some of the others - there are many!
Alnwick Garden had been on my list to visit too, and even though they’re next door to each other, each was charging its own entry fee - and both were pretty steep, but I couldn’t help but try and sneak a look at the gardens as we walked past. In fact of all the places we visited on this trip Alnwick, while great, is the place I have the most criticism for. The double entry fee which I’ve already mentioned, without even a discount for visiting both felt a little too one-sided and grabby. I know these places must cost a small fortune to upkeep, and the past few years have been tough, but even so.
In the Castle pictures weren’t allowed in the State Rooms, but you could buy a guide book for £5 and throughout the rooms there were banners promoting their new book. I’m pretty sure that the pictures I’d want to take wouldn’t be in the guide book, so it’s a shame not to be able to have taken any.
The gates though, on part of the garden boundary, were pretty spectacular.
Barter Books, Alnwick
Now this wasn’t on my list before we arrived in the North East, but it is one of the Alnwick attractions and I’m glad we went. The bookshop is in the former train station and has pretty much every genre of book you could ever want. And there’s model trains running overhead, and much more. Definitely visit here if you’re in Alnwick.
Wallington
My photos might show bright sunshine, but we arrived in a torrential shower. One so heavy that I was surprised that the National Trust man came out of his hut to share information and zap our membership cards - we were happy to have waited, we waited before we got out of the car in any case, and were grateful that our walking boots remained in the car.
You wouldn’t believe how quickly the weather changed, and how quickly it started to dry out - by the time we reached the Walled Garden, having decided to head there first in case the rain came again, the sun was out and the warmth was so welcome.
The walled gardens were spectacular, with many more plants than you’d expect from the shot above. I’ll definitely be sharing some more from the gardens so look out for those. Back in the house the dining room was set for an afternoon tea party for the upcoming jubilee, which made me smile.
It was a lovely house, with the rooms set around a central hall and the decor was simply stunning. The ceiling in the Drawing Room took my breath away, MOH was rather taken with the library and I’ve a feeling he’s keen to have one in our new house!
The painted panels in the central hall were also stunning, and there were at least twelve panels each one different.
After seven nights away we spent Friday travelling back south, knowing that we’ll be back to explore the North East at some point again. There’s so much to see, and our four nights there meant we only scratched the surface. If you’ve been to Northumberland where would you recommend?
