Alnwick Castle, Traveling through the UK with my two knee-high knights was always a good time. But, when logging into my blog account last week, I noticed manyβ so very manyβ other blog posts popping up about Nostalgia-this and Nostalgia-that. I laughed a little, thinking the internet was riding some wistful waveβa viral mood gripping its readers as the autumn chill and our nesting instincts kicked in. On offer today: some photos, and a few notes, from Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, England. Alnwick, on the river Aln, is set by the coast in Northumberland.
It is a couple of hours north of our old homebase of Ripon, N. Yorkshire, and a couple of hours south of Edinburgh. That made it a great stopping off point when we would drive the beautiful coastal road up to Edinburgh. Alnwick Castle is, was, and quite possibly always will be, home to the Duke of Northumberland.
The family still lives in the castle, and, although tourism is big business for the castle, it is still very much a family home. There are family photos in the living areas, family stories told by tour guides, and, if you are lucky, plenty of family sightings. On one visit there, we had to scurry quickly through one of the stone entrance gates to make way for the Duchess of Northumberland to drive through. Jane Percy gave us an appreciative nod as she motored her convertible Audi through the gateβ she was gracious and graceful, and yes, I envied her life in the castle and the convertible just a bit.
Alnwick Castle is about 1, years oldβyes, you heard that right. Much of her prominence owes to the fact that she sits near the present day Scottish border. The border lands have long been disputed territory, so Alnwick was strategically important. He became a knight, Sir Harry Hotspur I kid you not , who earned some fame for his military prowess, and later for rebelling against Henry IV. Nevermind thatβ the Percy family is glad to entertain Potter fans and sneaky enough to slip a little British history into their experience, even if they only showed up to frolic on the Quidditch Lawn.
The grounds of Alnwick are beautiful and extensive. The gardens are certainly worth a tour and they will surprise you. There is a poison garden clearly needed for horticulture and potions classes at a Hogwarts proxy and the massive Treehouse restaurant that will blow your mind if you are, or ever were, a child. When I was little, I used to dream of being part of the Swiss Family Robinson, just for the tree houseβ but this tree house puts that one to shame!
