A day out in Alnwick
Looking for some travel inspiration that combines history, shopping and birds of prey?
Alnwick is a historic medieval town located North of Newcastle a few miles inland from the famous Northumberland coast. It has a huge medieval castle to explore alongside a quirky range of shops and independent businesses as well as the famous Alnwick Gardens.
Start your journey on Metro to Haymarket Metro station and then head to the bus interchange where the Arriva X15 bus service will take you directly to the Alnwick central bus station.
Alnwick has a huge amount of independent and quirky shops along with high street favourites such as Costa. Located just close by is Market Square which hosts over 40 unique stalls, every Thursday and Saturday from 9am- 4pm. A great café beside the Market is Melvyn’s Café serving homemade food and delicious cakes.
The market area of the town leads straight on to one of the North East’ star attractions, Alnwick Castle. The second-largest inhabited castle in England, only Windsor Castle is bigger than Alnwick. The historic castle has been home to the Percy family for over 700 years The castle has been used in many feature films, most famously Harry Potter. In the film series Harry undertook broomstick training in the grounds of the castle keep and you can have a go yourself when you visit with regular classes still taking place. There are also birds of prey to see, just like those seen in the films associated with the castle. Taking in a tour of the castle interior is a must, with unique artefacts and medieval knights’ amour it’s not to be missed.
Not only have you got the castle to explore in Alnwick there is also a world famous Alnwick Garden, created in 2001 by the Duchess of Northumberland. This is situated in the original walled garden of the castle, with a grand cascade showing water jets shooting into the air every half an hour. There is also a guided tour, a poison garden with a poisonous ivy tunnel to explore. There is plenty to the do for the kids with special displays you can get soaked in so change of clothes is a must! Plan your visit by visiting What’s On – The Alnwick Garden
The largest treehouse in the world is also located in Alnwick Garden with some living trees growing right alongside it. It is large enough to have its own wood-themed tower and restaurant below. All the chairs and tables are carved from the same wood as the building. It also has bouncy walkways high in the trees for kids and grownups alike to explore.
On leaving the gardens and walking back to the town there is also a crazy golf course which is fun for the whole family. On your way back don’t forget to call into , a wonderful treasure trove of stimulating novels and unique titles you won’t find anywhere else.
Alnwick may be a small town, but it packs a lot in. It is the perfect family day-out!
