Here are some suggested themed routes for you, your family or your group:
1. THE GOLDEN AGE OF NORTHUMBRIA - Follow the stories of Oswald, Aidan, Ebba and Cuthbert, four of the region’s best-loved saints, with visits to the rocky cliffs of St Abbs Head, to Bamburgh, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Northumbria in the 7th and 8th centuries, and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne where St Aidan founded the monastery that became the “Cradle of English Christianity”. If weather permits, the day can include a boat trip to the Farne Islands, once a retreat for St Cuthbert and other Celtic saints and now a sanctuary for sea-birds and seals.
2. COAST AND CASTLES - This route follows Northumberland’s Heritage Coast, with its picturesque fishing harbours and views of Holy Island and the Farnes, Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh Castles, to the medieval strongholds of the mighty Percy family at Warkworth and Alnwick, the present seat of the Dukes of Northumberland.
3. THE FLODDEN TRAIL - Explore the historic valleys of the Tweed and the Till, scene of five centuries of Anglo-Scottish conflict. Sites along the route include Norham Castle, once “the most dangerous place in England”, the evocative battlefield of Flodden, and Etal Castle with its audio-visual display about the Flodden campaign. A visit to the Victorian water-powered corn mill at Heatherslaw and a journey on the steam-hauled Heatherslaw Light Railway can also feature on your day’s itinerary.
4. SIR WALTER SCOTT'S LAND - Take a scenic journey along the Tweed Valley and across the Scottish Border to sites and through landscapes associated with the life and works of Sir Walter Scott, the “Wizard of the North”. You can include a visit to Sir Walter’s country mansion at Abbotsford, the famous Scott’s View of the Tweed, the old courthouse in Selkirk where Sir Walter presided as Sheriff, and his last resting place in the beautiful medieval ruins of Dryburgh Abbey.
5. ROMAN FRONTIERLAND - Tread in the footsteps of the Roman legions and their auxiliaries across the wild landscapes of West Northumberland and England's least-populated National Park to explore sites along Hadrian’s Wall such as Corstopitum, Chesters Fort, Housesteads and Vindolanda.
