For breakfast I chose the continental option which was delicious. Afterwards, we returned to the Cathedral to appreciate some of the things that I had learned about in the guidebook I purchased the previous day. Some of the Cathedral’s features were now temporarily covered over for a student graduation event. It was lucky that we had visited the day before because I would have missed out on the new guidebook and getting my pilgrim passport stamped.

We drove to Alnwick. Mr C wanted to visit the castle because of current interest in the Wars of the Roses. Despite having to book a time slot, the castle seemed a lot busier that I remembered it on previous visits. Visitors were asked to keep a respectable distance from others but many people ignored this. One woman was herding me along, almost in my pocket. I stepped to one side to let her go in front. She muttered an apology and someone else got herded along.

Mr C visited the military museum in one of the castle’s turrets. I chose to wait outside soaking up the rays. The castle shop turned out to be disappointing and Mr C didn’t find any books on his subject. We had hoped to have lunch in the café but it was shut due to staff shortages. The only food outlet at the castle was a concession that sold Greek kebabs. The teashop next to Alnwick Garden was limited to mostly cake, the main café being inside the garden which we had decided not to visit. We had a quick look around the shop before heading into town for lunch. We found a takeaway sandwich bar where I chose a chicken and stuffing roll, which when it arrived was enormous. I enjoyed the delicious sandwich sitting on a bench next to the market square.

By the time we had finished our lunch it was too late to visit Cragside (as I had hoped) for its formal garden and pleasure drive. Instead we headed off along the ‘coastal route’, eventually stopping at Warkworth where we found a teashop that had a piece of raspberry Bakewell tart with my name on it. Before leaving Warkworth, we visited St Lawrence Church and explored its treasures.

The carparking area around the hotel was in utter chaos when we arrived. Mr C grabbed the last pay and display space rather than struggle to see if a space could be found on the hotel carpark. After we had parked we learned that the reason for the chaos was due to some students having their graduation celebration in one of the hotel’s function rooms.

Safely back in the room, we freshened up before dining in The French Quarter, Arch 6, the arch being one of the arches under the railway viaduct. We found that the French cuisine was served in a Spanish Tapas style and whilst we perused the menu we enjoyed a glass of bubbly Prosecco.

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.

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.

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.

Breakfast in the Vermont was as excellent as usual, although the arrangements had changed since our previous visits. There is still the buffet arrangement for cold breakfast items but all cooked food is prepared fresh to order. We were pleased to find there was the perfect table with five chairs so we were all able to sit together.

After breakfast we set off for Cragside in light drizzle, which wasn’t too worrying because I knew it would be sunny in the afternoon. My companions, however were not convinced and there were a few grumbles about the rain. On arrival at the  Cragside Estate we headed to the cafe for a cup of tea before taking a tour of the house. Whilst we made our way around the house the rain stopped and the sun came out. When we finished the house tour, it was time for lunch where the five of us discussed what we would do next.

The sun was shining brightly as we followed the leisure drive, stopping off at Nelly’s Moss and The Labyrinth along the way before finishing up at the formal garden. My brother and his fiancée were impressed with Cragside; they had never been before and the leisure drive had won them over. The formal garden looks different again at this time of year. Both the leisure drive and the garden visit made my mum’s day, she had not been able to do either of these before because her previous visits had all been coach trips. We drove back to Newcastle via Alnwick taking in a view of the castle and The Percy Lion (who’s tail is still broken) to be able to fill up the car up with petrol.

That evening we dined in a Peruvian restaurant which was a first for me. My brother’s lady is Peruvian and she had spotted the restaurant as they arrived in Newcastle the previous evening and was excited about trying it out. I was quite adventurous and chose fish with sweet potato which is raw marinaded fish. It was light and refreshing and also delicious. To follow, I chose sliced pineapple soaked in rum. The restaurant is called Solano’s after the Newcastle footballer. Interestingly there were three other English and Peruvian couples dining in the bar that evening (which the proprietress told us was unusual). The Peruvian cook came out to chat to my brother’s lady and later in the evening, Solano’s brother came into the restaurant and she also had a chat with him. There is a connection with the restaurant although I couldn’t quite follow what it was because part of the conversation was in Spanish

We returned to the hotel for a nightcap before retiring to our rooms for a well earned rest.

In the morning we visited Alnwick Castle which was labelled a ‘must do’ on Mr C’s list.  We both enjoyed revisiting the castle and were rather relieved that we were English Heritage members, which allowed us discounted entry to the castle which normally costs £14.50.  After I bought up yet another book from the gift shop, we lunched in the cafe before driving along the spectacular coastal route towards Bamburgh Castle.

We stopped in Bamburgh so that we could visit St. Aidan’s Church, a place I had never even noticed let alone visited before.  In the graveyard there is shrine over the grave of Grace Darling who was famed for rescuing survivors of a shipwreck in 1838.  Opposite the church is a museum dedicated to Grace Darling, which we have penciled in for a visit next time we are in the area. The church itself was very interesting and well worth a visit. I was quite fascinated by the shadows cast by the Angels that top a recently installed commemoration to St. Aidan.

After which we made our way back towards Crookham so that we could experience the ‘Flodden Drive’ as described in ‘The Battle of Flodden Why & How’ by Clive Hallum-Barker.  Along the way we called in at the Chain Bridge honey farm for a cup of tea in their tea shop which is a converted red double decker bus.  I eyed up the cakes but resisted temptation.  The tour around the battle field was very interesting and gave us more insight into the battle and the Scots’ difficulties due to the contours of the land.  We then returned to the Coach House where I packed my bags before our last dinner of this trip.

When we retired to the guest lounge for after-dinner coffee, Leona commented that she wouldn’t pop over later (to lock up); she needed an early night.  But to our surprise as the last of the other guests were leaving the residents’ lounge, both she and Toby turned up for a quick drink with us on our last night. Suddenly it was 1.45am!!!

Preparing breakfasts and long journeys back home sprung immediately to our minds…

Needless to say I went straight to bed after I entered my room

The frame is situated within Alnwick Castle Grounds looking out over the countryside.  Just of to the left is the view of the Lion Bridge which can be seen here.  Just out of sight of the picture is the river that Claudia mentioned in the comments section in the previous post.

The earliest mention of Alnwick Castle in the history books appears soon after 1096 when Yves de Vescy became baron of Alnwick and erected the earliest parts of the Castle.

The Castle was first restored, primarily as a fortress, by the 1st Lord Percy of Alnwick in the early 1300’s and portions of this restoration remain today, including the Abbot’s Tower, the Middle Gateway and the Constable’s Tower.

Since then generations of Percys have continued to make their mark. During the late 17th century the Castle fell into decay until Elizabeth Seymour and her husband Hugh Smithson, later to become the first Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, took up the challenge and turned it into a family residence of “gothick” style with the help of architects such as Robert Adam and the landscape designer, Capability Brown.

Algernon, Fourth Duke later replaced the 18th century “gothick”, employing the architect Anthony Salvin.

Since then modern comforts have been added, and Alnwick Castle was one of the first homes in the North East to have electricity. Run by a recently restored hydro electric system installed in 1889, there was enough power produced to run 100 electric lamps.

When I walked past the garden I must admit to feeling a little regret at not having time to visit it as well. So near but so far… Well there is always next time isn’t there?

When I viewed the Lion Bridge from the castle, I thought it would be nice to get a close-up photograph of the Lion. As I approached around the corner onto the bridge I got a shock; it looked rather like the Lion had had an umbrella stuck up his bum! I am not sure what caused the damage, but it gave me a challenge trying to get some decent photos…