Northumberland market town dominated by Alnwick Castle, an ambitious garden, and Barter Books.
Alnwick (pronounced "Annick" — don't say it as written) is the traditional county town of Northumberland, and it punches well above its weight for a market town of 8,000 people. The two great draws are the castle and the garden. Alnwick Castle is one of the grandest medieval castles in England — the seat of the Percy family, Dukes of Northumberland, for over 700 years, and familiar to millions as the exterior of Hogwarts in the early Harry Potter films. The Alnwick Garden, created from the late 1990s by the Duchess of Northumberland, is one of the most ambitious new gardens in Britain — and contains, among its features, a Poison Garden planted exclusively with plants that can kill you.
The town itself is pleasant without being spectacular: a market square, a mediaeval gateway at Bondgate, and a Georgian street grid behind it. But Barter Books, housed in the old Victorian railway station, is worth making a detour for on its own terms — one of the largest second-hand bookshops in Britain, with a model railway running along the ceiling and open fires in winter. It is also the place where a copy of the original "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster was found in 2000, unwittingly launching what became a global merchandising phenomenon.
Alnwick makes a good base for Northumberland coast and countryside. The magnificent Dunstanburgh Castle is eight miles down the coast, reachable by a coastal walk from Craster. Warkworth, with its own fine castle, is seven miles south. The National Trust's Cragside — the first house in the world to be lit by hydro-electricity — is in the hills above Rothbury, about twelve miles to the west.
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Getting There
Alnwick does not have its own railway station — the branch line closed in 1968. The nearest mainline station is Alnmouth (or Alnmouth for Alnwick, as it is signed), about four miles east on the East Coast Main Line. From Alnmouth, an Arriva bus runs into Alnwick several times a day, or it is a manageable taxi ride.
By road, Alnwick is on the A1 — the main road north from London to Edinburgh — making it straightforward to reach from both directions. From Newcastle (about 35 miles south) the drive takes around 40 minutes in normal traffic. Edinburgh is around 90 minutes north. Long-distance buses from London, Edinburgh, and Newcastle stop at or near Alnwick on some services.
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When to Go
Alnwick is at its liveliest between April and October. The castle and garden open for the season in spring, the garden's Grand Cascade runs at full effect in summer, and the Northumberland coast is at its best on warm September days when the summer crowds have thinned. The Alnwick Food Festival in September draws producers from across the region and is worth timing a visit around.
Winter is quiet — the castle closes between November and March, and much of the garden shuts down — but Barter Books stays open year-round and is particularly atmospheric in the dark months, with fires going and fewer visitors competing for the armchairs. The Northumberland countryside is beautiful in late autumn, and the coast at Embleton Bay or Bamburgh, an easy drive north, is magnificent in any season.
Northumberland has some of the least light-polluted skies in England; the Northumberland Dark Sky Park is centred on Kielder Water, about 50 miles northwest. If you are interested in stargazing, October through February, away from full moon, are the best times.
