When
Any time of year
Why?
Spectacular, remote landscapes that are ideal for exploration
Given the title of this article, fans of Thomas Hardy are almost certainly expecting a tale of Britain’s stupendous south-west. But if you really want to get away from the multitudes, you’ll need to do a 180° turn at Gloucester Services and head towards the astonishing north-east.
Northumberland is a sensationally rural county that stretches all the way from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the Scottish borders, and halfway across England from the North Sea coastline. Yes, it’s very big, but it’s spectacularly beautiful and utterly bewitching, too.
Anyone who’s visited this glorious region will know the feeling – you want to tell everyone how incredible it is, but you don’t want them all to go there and spoil its matchless tranquility. So let’s keep this between ourselves, shall we? Now read on to discover some of the places that make it such a delight.
‘Alnwick is a lovely market town and the castle stands sentinel over it. The original fortress was built in the 11th century’
Historic castles
If mighty castles are your thing, Northumberland is definitely the destination for you. There are more than 70 castle sites across the county, making
