3 minute read
North E ast
e North E ast has spawned brilliant people, inventions and innovations, you would be well advised to go and investigate, you ’ ll be amazed at the plethora of things to do and see.
bridg es to boot Stare in wonder at one of the larg est water features of its kind - e Grand Cascade - with captivating half hourly water displays.
Father Christmas !
A g arden with a conscience
Bamburg h
e King o f Ca stles
And it truly is ! Perched atop a rocky outcrop at the heart of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beaut y Bamburg h Castle reigns supreme over the surrounding landscape and seascape With outstanding views landward to the Cheviot Hills and seaward to the Farne Islands and L indisfarne it offers a feast for the eyes to behold. As for Eng lishness, there’s been something here from the time of the Ang lo -Sa xons, it was from here that Christianit y spread throug hout the North of Eng land, it’s because of here that L indisfarne is now known as the Holy Island It was the first castle in Eng land to be besieg ed by canon fire, it was home to the world’s first Coastg uard station and the development of the first ever lifeboat. Finally boug ht in 1864 for £8000 it was restored as the quintessential Eng lish castle by one of Eng land’s greatest inventors and philanthropists, 1st Lord Armstrong Now groups can explore the State
Rooms, discovering thousands of items in a collection containing furniture, porcelain, works of art, arms and armour
A separate museum tells the stor y of 1st Lord Armstrong and contains fascinating Aviation artefacts displays
e café provides a welcome rest stop for all and there’s ample parking for coaches
For more details see the website www. bamburghca stle.com
Alnwick Gardens
Once a forg otten, derelict plot, e Alnwick Garden is now one of the world’s most ambitious contemporar y g ardens. It has a wonderful combination of themed g arden spaces, quirky features and play areas.
One such area is e Poison Garden, where specialist g uides take visitors on a journey of discover y, elaborating on the dang erous and sinister side of plants. Feast your eyes on Europe’s larg est wooden Treehouse, comprising of a firstclass restaurant, café and wobbly
emed g ardens such as e Rose Garden, with over 300 David Austin rose bushes resulting in thousands of blooms and perg olas that are adorned with honeysuckle and clematis, and e Ornamental Garden, with one of the larg es collections of European plants in the UK , designed as a series of small ‘ rooms ’ , beautifully framed by hedg es, trees and shrubs
As you would expect, e Garden evolves throug h the seasons. Spring , sees e Garden come to life, and no more so than e Cherr y Orchard, with the larg est collection of Tai haku cherr y blossom trees outside of Japan ; summer provides an aesthetic majest y of colour and fragrance, throug hout the site ; autumn introduces a transition from warm to cold weather with g old and rust coloured leaves ; and winter is accompanied by their Christmas Market, a Skating Rink, Festive Lunches, Aernoon Teas, and the ‘ real’ groups@alnwi ck garden co m
e Alnwick Garden is not simply a visitor attraction, it is a communit y focused charit y with a vision to offer inspiration and enrichment to people in all stag es of their lives.
Binchester R oman Fort
Binchester Roman Fort g ives you an insig ht into what life was like for the Romans in Count y Durham Explore the exceptionally well-preser ved remains of not just one but two bath-houses One lies inside the fort and has one of the most intact hypocaust (underfloor) heating systems in the whole of Britain e protective structure over this bath-house was replaced in 2018 by a more sturdy successor which features improved interpretation and decoration e other bathhouse lies outside the fort and is even better preser ved with walls still standing to a heig ht of more than two metres (six feet) above Roman floor level.
Find out why taking a bath in Roman times was about more than just g etting clean Walk in the footsteps of Roman soldiers within the remains of the commanding officer's housesee if you can find the 'Beast of Binchester' among the ruins ww w.durham.g ov.uk
