Northumberland, the county directly to the north of Newcastle, is one of the largest, and most sparsely populated counties in England. It is also home to many wonderful sights and places of interest. Much of Northumberland is actually a National Park, and there are many places to visit.
There are numerous castles in Northumberland, left over from the days of almost constant wars between England and Scotland. Northumberland being on the border with Scotland tended to get mixed up in these many skirmishes rather often! One of the best situated of these has to be Bamburgh Castle which is right on the coast, practically on the beach. A short walk along that beach will bring you to the picturesque village of Craster. Two other well known and scenic castles can be found at Warkworth and Alnwick.
Along the coastline there are also many places of interest. Such as Lindisfarne, or Holy Island as it is often known. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway, so it is possible to cross by road or by foot when the tide is out, but be sure to check when the tides are in case you end up stranded on the island rather longer than you had planned. Or worse still, stranded half way across when the tide gets that bit too high! I recall seeing a car ploughing through the water and just about making it across before the water got too deep, but incase you don’t make it, there is a hut on tall stilts in the middle of the causeway to provide somewhere for anyone foolish enough to get caught half way across! On Lindisfarne, there is a castle and an abbey, and plenty of quaint English village type places to see, or you could go for an energetic wander in the sand dunes, if you have the energy.
There is also another group of islands called the Farne Island, which can be reached by small ferry boat from the vilage of Seahouses. The Farne Islands claim to fame is the fact that they are inhabited by Puffins, which is a sight you don’t see too often around here! My recollection of Seahouses is that it smells of fish and chips, though not always of the cooked variety of fish, as it is clearly also a fishing village as well as a route to the Farne Islands. The boat ride itself was extremely choppy as I recall, so be prepared to get a little bit wet.
There is much more to Northumberland that I haven’t mentioned, but much of it can simply be found by exploring, and discovering places yourself.