Newcastle, Gateshead and Points East

Less than half an hour’s drive

• Vindolanda – Roman Fort
• The Roman Army Museum
• Haltwhistle – market town with golf course and open air pool

Less than 1 hour’s drive

• Corbridge – Roman town and museum
• Chesters – Roman Fort and Museum
• Aydon Castle
• Prudhoe Castle
• Belsay Hall
• Hexham Abbey - situated in the picturesque market town of the same name.

Approximately 1 – 2 hours’ drive

• Keilder forest – cyclists’ and nature-lovers’ dream
• Newcastle/ Gateshead – city on the River Tyne with wealth of culture and nightlife
• Alnwick Castle – historic fortification made more famous as Hogwarts in the“Harry Potter” films

• The Alnwick Gardens – created for the millennium and featuring interesting water features, a magnificent tree house restaurant and a poison garden.
• Cragside – historic home of Lord Armstrong, famous inventor and engineer.
• Chillingham Castle - unique, privately-owned and (reputedly) the most haunted castle in the North East, with its own herd of wild white cattle which may be viewed at appointed times.

Just over 2 hours away

• Bamburgh Castle – magnificent castle on the north - east coast. Stunning white beaches – rarely crowded.
• Nearby Ford and Etal castles, a working water mill and the narrow-gauge Heatherslaw railway are all worth a visit.
• Seahouses and the Farne Islands – boat trips daily to see puffins (picture below), seals, terns and eider duck. Good little marine museum in the fishing port of Seahouses.
• Lindisfarne Castle – romantic Tudor fortification converted to an Edwardian home, with interiors by Lutyens. Built on a cliff top overlooking the nearby Priory and with stunning coastal views.