Castles, Castles and More Castles

The next part of our trip we went into Northumberland, a castle lovers' dream. Our first stop was Warkworth Castle. It looks over the river Coquet and the village of Warkworth, with the North Sea in view in the distance. My favorite part was all the blooming daffodils surrounding the castle.

We made Warkworth a quick stop, to leave plenty of time for Alnwick Castle. It's home of Harry "Hotspur," famous medieval knight in the times of Henry IV, but to be honest, we were more drawn by its association with Harry Potter. It was used in the first two Harry Potter movies. In honor of its movie ties, they have Harry Potter tours and a Harry Potter magic show, which we thought was very well cast and a lot of fun. The castle itself is still in use by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. I'm in love with their library, but unfortunately no cameras are allowed inside.

If you like your castles in ruins overlooking the sea, then Dunstanburgh is the castle for you. There's a beautiful walk approaching the ruins leading through fields, a golf course, and a path overlooking the sea.

We didn't go inside Bamburgh Castle, but instead enjoyed a beautiful walk approaching it along the beach and through the coastal dunes. It's a beautiful beach all by itself. Add the medieval castle in the background and it makes a breathtaking walk. 

Whew. You may have got tired of looking at all these pictures of all these castles, but we sure enjoyed every minute of visiting them.