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.