Newcastle and Northumberland: England at the Edge of the World

History meets hospitality in England's rugged North. Whether you fancy Roman hill forts, medieval castles, hip culture and nightlife, or just old-fashioned English brews, Northumberland has something for everyone to love. Newcastle, as the region's cultural capital and transportation hub, is an ideal base for forays into Northumberland's rugged landscape--and, at the same time, into its long, rich past. From there, day trips or overnights to the outlying towns offer priceless glimpses of England past, while Newcastle, with its urban-renewal boom, gives a taste of England to come.

Quick Tips:

Visitor Information Centers (VIC; also TIC, for "Tourist Information Centers") will be your most invaluable resource. Newcastle has one or two in every downtown neighborhood, and most towns will have one on or near the main square. The North is going out of its way to make itself tourist-friendly, and the VIC folks get paid to be your complimentary concierge: they'll book hotel rooms, make dinner reservations, hunt down train and bus schedules, and hand out free brochures and maps. Also a great source of tried-and-true recommendations from folks who live in the region year-round.

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transport is the way to go: in the UK, fuel prices and rental fees are high, and parking is a pain. Rail and bus transport from Newcastle is relatively cheap and very reliable, even in the off-season; the Metro light rail serves the Newcastle metropolitan area, and regular buses run throughout the downtown. Various bus companies provide service to and from towns not on the rail line; see the VIC for details.

This no-frills (and no-food) Victorian-era pub is England at its finest. If you only drink one pint in Newcastle, this is the place to drink it. The staff was treating us like regulars by the second night of our stay; by the end of the first night, we'd made some friends and were buying each other drinks. The Crown Posada is a hophead's heaven, boasting a substantial selection of cask-conditioned, hand-pulled real ales in addition to the standard British nitro-cask fare. Full bar, too. Happy hour from 5 to 7 daily.

Housesteads Roman Fort is only one of dozens of Roman sites along the length of Hadrian's Wall—but it's one of the best. Tucked up in the hills and moors outside of Haltwhistle, Housesteads is also the easiest site to get to in the off-season, when the cleverly-named AD 122 Hadrian's Wall Route (bus, from Newcastle) only runs on Sundays. Regular trains run between Haltwhistle and Newcastle, and regular buses run between Haltwhistle and the Wall. The site itself is wonderfully kitsch-less—just the ruined foundations of the hilltop fort and the wall, dotted by informational signs in multiple languages, accompanied by a small museum housing more archaeological and architectural detail. The bus drops you off in the visitor's center parking lot at the bottom of a high hill; it's a short walk (with a moderately steep grade) through some haunting scenery to the top. The grounds around the fort have been converted to pastures, and in the off-season, the sheep far outnumber people in this distant neck of the woods. One caution, though: children will likely find Housesteads a little dull. If you can't take the AD 122 bus and battle their short attention spans by hitting several different sites along the wall, you might be better served heading out to Segudnum Roman Fort at Wallsend, which, though in a much less atmospheric setting, has a larger and more colorful museum, as well as re-enactments on certain days.

Elemental, imposing, beautiful, and grim. It's hard to come up with the right words for this place—Nana described it as a walk through the ruins of a Gothic novel. This English Heritage site was once one of the largest fortifications in England: erected in 1313 by the Earl of Lancaster (and later occupied by the famous John of Gaunt), Dunstanburgh's position on top of a promontory jutting out into the North Sea dominated this entire stretch of coastline as well as the rolling inland moors. Even after centuries of weathering, the ruins are still enormous: along the approach from Craster, especially, the castle's southern curtain wall dominates the horizon.

Dunstanburgh demands a full day, but believe me it's worth it. The bus (from Alnwick or Newcastle) drops you off in Craster, next to the seaside hamlet's only pub, the Jolly Fisherman (a must for an after-hike bite, with great grub and great views). From there, it's a mile hike along the coast towards the looming ruins of Dunstanburgh. In the spring, the wind is deafening—loud enough to drown out the surf pounding a few dozen yard away. But don't let that deter you from some great photo opportunities along the castle's southern approaches. The interior of the ruin is like a surrealist playground. Behind the curtain wall is a large, open field (the castle's wooden outbuildings are long gone) dominated by the castle's lonely keep. The wall makes for a solid windbreak; but at the holes, windows, and most of all, the gate, the wind can be enough to knock you off your feet.

Out along the foundation of the northern wall, which runs along the top of a cliff overlooking the coast towards Embleton, the wind again gathers its full force. Trek around the perimeter; explore the keep; and try to get some pictures of the crashing surf. Also, don't forget to explore the gatehouse—the entrance is behind the visitor's kiosk, so it can be easy to miss. From the top, there are some spectacular views towards Craster, and of course, plenty of powerful wind.

The gardens are really designed as a summer attraction, and are only worth a visit if there's fresh snow. That said, in the snow, the place is simply magical. The heated fountains and water sculptures run year-round, and the sparse backdrop of evergreen shrubbery and snow can only highlight the waterworks' austere beauty. The bare trellises and the sculpted walks look like something out of a fairytale in the snow. Photo opportunities abound.

Book lovers and souvenir hunters will find Barter Books well worth an afternoon; indeed, Barter itself is almost worth the trip to Alnwick. One of England's largest second-hand bookstores, Barter occupies the entirety of the town's old train station--including the well-appointed waiting room, where you can kick back by a hot fire with a cup of tea and a good book. The selection is enormous, and includes a sizable collection of local books that make great gifts or souvenirs: old treatises on the Northumberland dialect, for instance, or anthologies of local folk tales. All in all, a wonderful place to lose track of a day, especially if the weather isn't being friendly. For more information, visit http://www.barterbooks.co.uk/

Problem: With their great combination of affordability and hospitality, B&Bs in England are the way to go, but many don't have websites, and most don't book online. Small-town accommodations are especially hard to book from overseas.

Solution: Book a bunch of nights in Newcastle in one of the big centrally located hotels (think Travelodge or Premier Inn). Most of these hotels will let you cancel your reservation free of charge if you do so before noon the day prior, so when you get to Newcastle and get settled, go to the VIC and book some cheaper, homier rooms, possibly in some more out-of-the-way locations.

Caution: Many B&Bs will only accept cash, so be sure to check beforehand to see if you'll need to make a stop at the ATM.