Northumberland home of Castles, mystery and murder

Holy Island home of Vera, Lindisfarne Castle and the causeway

I would love to say that we narrowly missed being swept out to see by the causeway leading to Holy Island but that would be a furphy, we did however drive over the crest of a hill to see about a thousand cars in front of us which were in fact there for a music festival. Panic averted we drove over the causeway without incident.

Holy Island the home of Vera, BBC TV sleuth, is also home to three pubs, a hotel and a post office. Like most of our trip its been around for ages, 6th century AD; Saint Cuthbert had a hut he lived in for 10 years. Happy by himself, when he died his followers dug him up and paraded his bones around the country against his wishes. There are pieces of him in churches all over the country. Figures. The photos of the castle are 16th century Lindisfarne Castle and lime kilns.

A day of Castles

Bamburgh Castle is impressive and can be seen for miles. Again, it has been around for nearly a thousand years and changed hands numerous times, including during the English War of the Roses (which sounds rather pleasant, but wasn’t). It fell into disrepair for centuries until it was bought in the 19th Century by the richest man you’ve never heard of, William Armstrong, who restored it and made it available to the public. Brad was particularly impressed by the muskets, kept handy to ward off rats or Parliamentarians, or whatever.

Stunning interiors

Cragside House and Gardens

The same William Armstrong who restored Bamburgh Castle also built himself a family home at Cragside. Armstrong was a 19th Century version of Tony Stark who started from nothing and then became an engineer, inventor, arms manufacturer and philanthropist. The house was a feat of modern engineering for its time, with electric lights, central heating, and hydraulic lifts. The British Monarch and the Crown Prince of Japan both visited and gave it five stars :) Even more impressive than the house was the garden, where Armstrong’s wife oversaw the planting of millions of trees to transform the landscape from a moor to a natural forest that you can take a 6 mile drive through. Oh, to have that much money.

Holystone Village

The main attraction in Holystone is the Lady’s Well, which is, well, a well. It was a short walk and it is pretty, but was also the scene of a horrific murder in one of Christine’s mystery books, which is, well, why we went to the well.

Tranquil

Here I am.

Hadrian's Wall

We took a 6km (mmm with the wrong turns I am positive it was much much longer ct) hike along Hadrian’s Wall, which also took in Clough Lake. When first built by the Romans in the 2nd Century the wall ran from Newcastle to the opposite coast of England and was designed to keep out the barbarians in the north. The Scots in the north we spoke to now think it should be rebuilt to keep out the English. Have to say it wasn’t that high. Could the Scots not jump? The Great Wall of China was a little more imposing in that regard. Still, the scenery was truly magnificent. We (Brad) took a bit of a wrong turn though and climbed a hill we didn’t need too. This is Christine ecstatic about that… (mmm note the lake way way way down below, that's where we should have turned to get back to the car. Can you tell from my expression and the gale force driving rain and wind, how pleasant this hike ☹ was.

Seriously, another hill!!!

Langley Castle

Another castle! This was relatively new (only about 700 years old). Lovely and quiet. Our waiter at dinner discovered we were Australian and lectured us at length on the dangers of the salt-water crocodile, with which he was obsessed. This happens a lot. People are terrified of Australia, and we have done our best to perpetuate the myth of a land that will kill you as soon as you step out of the door.

High Force Waterfall

Grandly named and beautiful, though actually quite small. It was a very peaceful little spot.

Durham Castle and Cathedral

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for good reason. It is probably the best maintained castle we have seen, having been in continuous use for over a thousand years. Since 1837 it has been used by Durham University as one of their colleges. We had a lovely long chat with one of the alma mater who was acting as a tour guide. The grand hall was immediately familiar - it was used for many scenes in the Harry Potter films.

This cathedral is massive hard to capture.

376 vertical steps

The Angel of the North

On our last day as we drove to catch the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam we stopped by the Angel of the North. A 20m tall piece of modern sculpture by Antony Gormley built in 1998. What does it symbolise? Your guess is as good as anyone’s, but you mention it to anyone from the north of England and they know it. Someone said seeing it ‘feels like coming home’. I suppose seeing the Sydney Opera House when coming home was the same for us.

Our first leg of our trip is now over and we are boarding the ferry for Amsterdam. A whole month has flown by very quickly! No more driving for a while, for which Bradley is grateful. 😂 Having said that I loved the Skoda I drove in England, super fun car. From here it is all about trains - a far more civilised way to travel, Bradley feels … Ciao for now.