Northumberland Traveller

Since April 2019 I have been living in Northumberland, a scenic and historic county in the far northeast of England. During this time I have been doing lots of walks and exploring the county’s many attractions, some of which I have written about here.

You can take a look and get some ideas for places to visit.

What’s So Great About Northumberland?

It’s Spacious. It’s the least crowded county in England. Northumberland is big with an area around 5,014 sq. km (the 6th biggest) while its population is low, only 319,000 in 2018, meaning a population density of just 63 people per sq. km. Less people means less traffic on the roads, less stress, less pollution, etc.

It’s Scenic. Northumberland is geographically diverse with the Northumberland National Park taking up over a fifth of the county, a long and spectacular coastline, large forests, lakes, rolling farmland, majestic rivers and the windswept Cheviot Hills. And Northumberland has a great location surrounded by scenic places such as the Lake District in Cumbria, the North York Moors, County Durham, and the Borders of Scotland.

It’s Historic. There are a lot of historical remains here ranging from Hadrian’s Wall, castles and peles to mining and industrial sites. The City of Newcastle upon Tyne (once part of Northumberland but now administered as part of Tyne and Wear) is a wonderful city, packed full of historical places of interest and heritage sites.

It’s Friendly. The people of Northumberland are welcoming, hardy, salt-of-the-earth types, with the most attractive of all the northern English accents.

What Will I Be Blogging About?

Here are some of the walks and sights I have written about so far.

Long Distance Walks such as:

• Daft As A Brush River Tyne Trail (sources to sea)
• Northumberland Coast Path
• Hadrian’s Wall Trail

City Trails & Art Trails:

• Lowry Trail
• Bewick Trail
• John Martin Trail
• Norman Cornish Trail
• Newcastle City Trail
• Berwick Artists

Other Walks:

• Derwent Reservoir Walk
• Linhope Spout Walk
• Routin Lynn Waterfall
• Twizel Castle Walk
• Yeavering Bell Hillfort Trail
• Humbleton Hill Walk

Castles

• Alnwick Castle
• Bamburgh Castle
• Dunstanburgh Castle
• Harbottle Castle
• Prudhoe Castle
• Aydon Castle
• Lindisfarne Castle
• Ford & Etal Castles
• Edlingham Castle
• Norham Castle

Roman Sites

• Corbridge Roman Town
• Chesters Roman Fort
• Housesteads Roman Fort

Museums

• Laing Art Gallery
• The Clayton Museum
• Wylam Railway Museum
• Stephenson Railway Museum
• North East Land Sea & Air Museum
• Bowes Railway Museum
• Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House and Museum
• Woodhorn Museum
• Discovery Museum

Historical Homes and Gardens

• Wallington
• Cherryburn
• Belsay Hall
• Gibside
• Alnwick Garden
• Paxton House

Churches and Abbeys

• Tynemouth Priory
• Hexham Abbey
• The Hopper Mausoleum
• Newcastle Cathedral
• Lindisfarne Priory

Lighthouses

• Souter Lighthouse
• St Mary’s Lighthouse
• Tynemouth Pier Lighthouse

Monuments & Statues

• Angel of the North
• Chopwell Colliery Monument
• Penshaw Monument

Railway Related Sites

• Causey Arch
• Lambley Viaduct

Towns & Villages

• Craster
• Ford & Etal
• Seahouses
• Alnmouth
• Morpeth
• Wooler
• Elsdon

Other Attractions

• Derwentcote Steel Furnace
• Northumberlandia
• St Cuthbert’s Cave
• Duddo Stone Circle
• The Lit & Phil
• Flodden Field
• Barter Books, Alnwick
• Maelmin Heritage Trail
• Lady’s Well, Holystone

Attractions in Neighbouring Counties

• The Minto Stone, Roxburghshire
• Fatlips Castle, Roxburghshire
• St Abb’s Head Circular Walk, Berwickshire
• Fast Castle Walk, Berwickshire
• Eyemouth, Berwickshire
• Kelso Town Walk, Roxburghshire
• HMS Trincomalee, Hartlepool
• Dryburgh Abbey
• Eildon Hills Walk
• Beirhope Alpaca Walk
• Durham Castle & Cathedral
• Union Chain Bridge, Berwickshire

I will add to this list over the coming months.