Alnwick Garden

We were staying right next to Alnwick’s Catholic church and I loved hearing the chime of the church clock overnight. Breakfast was enjoyable and we got chatting to another couple about local history and Hadrian’s Wall. After breakfast we went straight to Alnwick Garden arriving just as the gates opened. This meant the garden was quiet and we could enjoy it in relative peace and quiet. We particularly enjoyed visiting the poison garden, the cherry orchard with its swing chairs, the serpent garden and the labyrinth. We watched the grand cascade as we took lunch outside the restaurant.

Alnwick Castle

After lunch we visited the state rooms in Alnwick Castle. There was an excellent exhibition on the 200th anniversary of Waterloo where we saw and learned things that were new to us such as Major Henry Percy,  ancestor of the Duke of Northumberland, who was tasked by the  Duke of Wellington with the great honour of carrying news of the victory at Waterloo to the English Prince Regent. There was also an exhibition on WWI.

Church View

After the castle we made our way to Barter Books so that we could have proper look around. It was then time to return to the B&B so that we could put our feet up before dinner. We dined in a local pub which looked promising but didn’t quite deliver and my Dover sole wasn’t up to scratch. After this slightly unsatisfactory experience we stopped off in a nearby pub before returning to the B&B.

Church View

8 Comments CherryPie on Sep 23rd 2016

8 Responses to “Newcastle & Alnwick – Day Four”

  1. james higham says:

    Top pic is remarkably like a scene from the apocalyptic end of my long book – that’s how I imagine the final gathering grounds will be.

  2. rusty duck says:

    Alnwick Garden is definitely on my list.

  3. Mandy says:

    I must visit this part of the world – I have a friend in Newcastle too. These gardens are lovely!

  4. Alan says:

    Barter Books is an amazing place. I liked the fact that they had retained some of the original features altho must have bene the station booking office at the time.