Northumberland

Northumberland: Castles, Coast & Wild Skies

Northumberland feels like a place apart – wide-open, untamed, and full of stories. Here, England’s wild northeast meets the North Sea, with vast beaches, rolling hills, and skies so big you can see forever.

This is castle country. More than 70 fortresses stand guard across the county, from the clifftop drama of Bamburgh Castle to the romantic ruins of Dunstanburgh and the fairy-tale turrets of Alnwick Castle – famously featured as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.

The Northumberland Coast National Landscape is one of England’s most spectacular protected coastlines, and it’s easy to see why. Walk barefoot along empty stretches of golden sand, cross the causeway to Holy Island of Lindisfarne at low tide, or watch puffins and seals at the nearby Farne Islands.

Inland, you’ll find sweeping national park landscapes, where Hadrian’s Wall marches across rugged moorland and Roman forts like Housesteads whisper of life on the edge of an empire. Hike, cycle, or simply stand and take in the view – this is a place made for slowing down and breathing deep.

And when night falls, the show continues overhead. Northumberland is home to Europe’s largest Dark Sky Park, where the Milky Way blazes brighter than almost anywhere else in England.

Northumberland is wild, windswept, and utterly spellbinding – a place where history and nature meet under endless skies.