Richard Hawley

i'm off to the castle next weekend...

anyone ever been? know of anything else decent in the surrounding areas?

all i really know is that it's in northumberland...and they filmed harry potter there hah.

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'right now i can't read too good, don't send me no more letters no, not unless you mail them from..desolation row'

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Are you going to see Jools Holland? I know he's playing there sometime.
Alnwick Castle is fantastic and so is the Alnwick Gardens surrounding, well worth a visit.

Theirs also Rothbury and Cragside or if you have time to travel up the coast about 20 miles you could go to 2 of my favourite places, Seahouses and Bamburgh Castle. I was there last week.

Depends what you are looking for, scenery and history theirs plenty of, if your wanting to party, well you might be struggling, unless you pop to Morpeth, good night out there.

http://www.visitnorthumberland.com/site/home

well we're having the weekend there so should have time really.

seahouses?

i've also heard of a book shop that's meant to be quite impressive and worth a visit, someone mentioned that it's almost like an old train station? sorry for all the questions!

definately not looking to 'party' ha, a bit of history and some nice views are what we're after. i've heard of that castle you mention...my dad raves about it and wants me to go check it out, he recalls standing on the beach there (make any sense?) and just being blown away.

thank you for your reply i'm looking forward to my weekend break.

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'right now i can't read too good, don't send me no more letters no, not unless you mail them from..desolation row'

www.last.fm/user/music_and_me

It is quite impressive, situated on the beach head,



The book shop i think your after is called 'Barter Books' was in years ago, can't remember much about it only that it was very big.

Seahouses is just a village on the coast very peaceful and serene and if you head north up the coast from there you come round a bend and Bamburgh Castle just smacks you in the face, really nice.

Gary - that is exactly what I was going to write...

The first time I rounded a bend and saw Bamby Castle - after taking the turn off the A1 near Belford - I nearly drove my car off the road...

We love the place - have stayed there about 13 times in the past 10 years or so...

So much so that we did a 500 mile trip one weekend last October to scatter the ashes of the real 'poppydog' on the beach by the castle...

Any where you go will be great - Seahouses has a bit of the 'tat' - but seaside holidays are about wasting your money in arcades / buying bucket and spades / playing crazy golf in the rain...

Even in the rain the beach at Beadnell Bay / Dunstanburugh Castle is total bliss - have a good one...

Aye it is grand, don't go there enough myself yet i'm only down the road so to speak.

it's going to be about 450 miles for us there and back...

but judging by those photos it's going to be worth it. looks like i'll be needing a camera.

thank you both, you've made me much more excited now.

i'd heard it was meant to be pretty darn nice up there...but in all honesty i wanted to see hogwarts and buy cheap books from a train station

will try and take a picture to share with you my own caption of that wonderful sight

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'right now i can't read too good, don't send me no more letters no, not unless you mail them from..desolation row'

www.last.fm/user/music_and_me

Can't go wrong with the Northumberland castles. Alnwick suffers a little as it is still the home of the Duke and his delightful wife (cough splutter etc.) and there are family photos up. Seriously though a great place. Try Bamburgh as well though and for a real sense of something atmospheric take a diversion to Dunstanburgh Castle, best on a gloomy day (no worries there then) and then imagine what it would have been like with nowt more than a horse to get you out of there.

Hope you have a great time in the perfect county, coast, countryside, city.only lacking a good football team but you can get that in the old County Durham down the coast in Sunderland

You'll have a fab time in Alnwick - bamburgh is great as well (but remember it's not a real castle!)

If you want atmosphere you could visit Holy Island - you'll need to check tides, and it's a bit 'local' - well, well worth a visit.

Alnwick Gardens is gorgeous, loads to see and you could definitely spend a whole day there - but if it's rugged scenery you're after Sugar Sands is definitely the place for a walk along the beach, try the Craster Arms or the Ship Inn in Alnwick for a pint.

Enjoy and let us know what you think! xxx

You'll have a fab time when you go - the weather forecast is good for Saturday. The castle is well worth it, and I gather there are some pretty spectacular gardens there now. The toilets are ranked number one in terms of poshness by my daughters! The bookshop is great - you don't find many like that any more. I also recommend going to Lindesfarne and to Craister ( particularly to sample the kippers!) The journey will be worthwhile- have a great weekend!

Oh and the photos are gawjus, I love the coast

everyone has been so helpful!

all this talk of castles, sea and pubs makes me excited

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'right now i can't read too good, don't send me no more letters no, not unless you mail them from..desolation row'

www.last.fm/user/music_and_me

If they are regularly used by Geordies, they probably have to sand blast them twice a day, so they will look clean.

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apparently the garden grows cannabis and opium....

that duke knows his shit hah

yeah you can go on a tour of the 'poisoned garden' - it's all in there.

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'right now i can't read too good, don't send me no more letters no, not unless you mail them from..desolation row'

www.last.fm/user/music_and_me

Do you have a spare place in your car?

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Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine
http://www.myspace.com/thejanskys