Bongo Fury

anyone been to alnwick castle and gardens,looks a good place to have a visit for a weekend or a busy day meet,looked on there and there is a very big treehouse that looks fun to do as well,

yip lovely place to go,and if you like castle's bamburgh is just up the road.the view's from and to there are awesome in particular the view along the coast to lindisfarne.


cheers stevie

Hi Mike

We didn't go to Alnwick Castle when we went up there - but there is a place called Cragside (Nat Trust) which is the former home of Lord Armstrong which is a fantastic place to visit, either the, or one of the first houses to be lit by electricity from hydro - it also has a water powered lift. Set in fantastic grounds too

We went there last year as part of THIS tour, there's loads of interesting sites up there. With Alnwick you have the Harry Potter angle, plus there's Bamburgh, Warkworth and Lindisfarne all close. Well worth a visit.

We went last year when staying in Wooler - there is plenty to do and its a great area to visit.

Alnwick gardens are great fun - some of the water things are interactive so kids can have a splash around -also been to cragside - fascinating house (bad weather refuge -) beautiful gardens. Bambourgh castle also belonged to Armstrong at one time - he made retirement apartments there for his domestic staff - bet no-one has a boss like that any more
Beadnell beach - kite surfers paradise.(and i learnt to swim there)

mr armstrong could be one of your relations karen or kieth cant remember which surname is yours or keiths

karena wrote:Alnwick gardens are great fun - some of the water things are interactive so kids can have a splash around -also been to cragside - fascinating house (bad weather refuge -) beautiful gardens. Bambourgh castle also belonged to Armstrong at one time - he made retirement apartments there for his domestic staff - bet no-one has a boss like that any more
Beadnell beach - kite surfers paradise.(and i learnt to swim there)

The first time we went to Northumberland we stayed at Beadnell - there was no kitesurfing then though - must have been 17 years ago We had trouble with the RAC when we broke down in Beadnell - they wanted the name of the road we were on, it didn't have one. So I told them we were outside the post office and they said that was not good enough ------- "what did it say on the name plate on the telephone" they asked - "Beadnell Post Office" I said In the end a guy from a small garage in Bamburgh turned up and fixed the car in 5 mins flat

It was Marks name - so no blood relation -otherwise i could have been living it up in the castle
I had never seen kitesurfing before a return trip to beadnell a few years ago -Funny how you remember childhood things - i thought we stopped in a huge plush hotel - seemed like it at the time - reality is, it was really small.I know they had proper old fashioned maid uniforms though from the photos.When my daughter was little she asked me what it was like in victorian times (cheek of it) so i showed her the photo - took her years to figure it out

Funnily enough, we have just come back from a trip 'up north'.
Started off in York then Robin Hood Bay, did the coastal walk to Whitby, for a fish & chip lunch

Then drove up to Beadnell Bay, stopping off at Alnwick Castle & gardens - fantastic.
Stayed at Beadnell Bay campsite, right among the dunes and only a few steps onto those big beaches
Walked up to Seahouses for yet another fish & chip meal .
Toured up to Bamburgh then on to Lindsfarne & Berwick upon Tweed. Yes we also crossed the Border into Scotland well you have to don't you

Then spent a few days in Bingfield & Leyburn and along Hadrians Wall, along with a fleeting visit to Carlisle, before coming home last weekend via a stop off in Cambridge.

Absolutely stunning scenery even if it got a bit damp at times. But when the sun shone it was really hot

1170 miles all told in 16 days. A really relaxing time and certainly a part of the UK that we will travel up to again.
Used a variety of CL's, main CC sites & Commercial sites as well as a night at a truck stop on the way up to York - fanasticilly greasey breakfast at 6 am