For the next few days we would be staying in Bamburgh and exploring this quiet pocket of Northumberland. The village of Bamburgh is a small settlement which services tourists with a few pubs and tea rooms. The most notable part of the town is the massive medieval castle which sits on a big hill at the end of town like a constant looming presence watching over the village.

We had a full day to explore Bamburgh and the weather was excellent again with clear blue skies. We must have been experiencing the 2 day Northumberland summer!

Our first stop was Bamburgh Castle. This was a very different experience to Dunstanburgh Castle the day before. Dunstanburgh was an isolated ruin. Bamburgh is a completely intact family home and very commercialised. The castle is excellently well-preserved and there’s a lot to explore. The entry price was expensive and I was a tad disappointed with our visit after the glory of Dunstanburgh the day before. The state rooms are beautiful, but the part of the castle you can visit was a little more modern than I had hoped. The medieval keep was the best part – much more atmospheric and enjoyable. But on the whole I think the castle is best viewed from a distance where you can see it in its glorious entirety sitting on its hill.

In case you don’t know, Bamburgh Castle has been brought to worldwide attention recently thanks to the hit TV show The Last Kingdom where it represented Bebbanburg, the beloved home of Uhtred, son of Uhtred. Fun fact: Bebbanburg was a real place and is indeed Bamburgh. Whether or not Uhtred was a real person is a separate matter for debate.

There’s a whole display about The Last Kingdom in Bamburgh Castle which you won’t want to miss if you’re a fan of the show. Destiny Is All!

After spending the morning exploring the castle we wandered back into town for lunch. We stumbled upon The Copper Kettle which was a very busy but very quaint English tea room with a fantastic selection of cakes, not to mention the hot chocolates which were nearly as awe-inspiring as the castle we had just seen.

The weather was still clear and sunny so after lunch we wandered down to the beach where the kids spent the afternoon paddling and playing in the sand while we marvelled at the astonishing view of Bamburgh Castle from the beach. Northumberland sure does know how to put on a good display when it comes to imposing castles.

For dinner that night we drove 5 minutes down to the coast to Seahouses for some fish and chips. I was happy to see fishcake on the menu (these are nearly impossible to find in Australia) but on the whole it was a little disappointing, although I did appreciate the bread and butter and cup of tea that it was served with. I don’t know whether my recollection of fish and chips in England has changed or whether this just wasn’t a good one. In general we have found the food to be a little bland compared to the extremely salty Australian food that we have become accustomed to.

The next morning we were up early and off to Holy Island, a tidal island just off the coast. Holy Island is a very significant place because not only does it house Lindisfarne Priory, one of the most important Anglo-Saxon monasteries of its time, but in June 793 this peaceful community was the scene of one of the most devastating attacks in English history.

Rich in wealth and undefended, the Priory was an easy target for the Vikings and was the first place they landed and attacked in England. This brutal attack sent shockwaves of horror through Western Europe and heralded a new period of English history. Bloodshed ensued and England would never be the same.

One of the most interesting things about visiting Holy Island is getting there. It’s a tiny island that can only be accessed via a causeway which is submerged under the sea apart from at low tide. During high tide the island is completely cut off, so you really do have to plan ahead and made sure you’re clear of the island before the tide comes in.

It’s a haunting place, perhaps because you can sense the sadness of its history, perhaps because it’s so lonely and remote. There’s a real feeling of tranquility on the island despite its turbulent past. However, the island is not short of visitors and is bombarded by coachloads of tourists during the day, somewhat diminishing the overall atmosphere.

Because it was low tide when we visited (obviously) you can walk quite far out across the seabed flats to the point the sea starts. This was great fun for the kids stepping on the rocks, spotting shells, crabs, sea worms and the best prize of all – a large colony of seals bobbing their heads in the water. This really is a wild place where nature reigns.

By this time Lindisfarne Priory was open to visitors so we had a look around the excellent onsite museum to learn more about the significance of the place, and then wandered through the ruins of the Priory. The constant attacks by the Vikings over the course of a hundred years caused the Lindisfarne monks to move out to Durham. And then Henry VIII came along and dissolved the monasteries and Lindisfarne Priory was left to go into disrepair. A sad ending to a tumultuous history.

From the Priory – which was crowded with tourists by the way – you get a great view of Lindisfarne Castle, another imposing castle building in the 1500s.

The island was getting very busy at this point so after a quick stop to taste some famous Lindisfarne mead and fudge we strolled back through the village and had lunch in Pilgrims Coffee. The cheese scones were phenomenal, and we tried some Cuthberts cake which was a zesty combination of cranberries, pistachios and lime named for Lindisfarne’s St Cuthbert and exclusive to Pilgrims Coffee. Very unusual, but delicious.

We managed to make it off the island while it was still low tide and made a snap decision to go in search of puffins. Puffin memorabilia is everywhere around here so we felt obligated to at least try and see an actual puffin. From Seahouses they run boat tours out to the Farne Islands just off the coast. Unfortunately what no one told us was that the puffins are only here in July and August during breeding season and then they leave for warmer climes. Given this was mid-September they had totally cleared out and not a single puffin was to be seen. In fact we saw very little wildlife on this tour. A small group of black birds and a group of seals which were in the water due to the high tide.

The Farne Islands are internationally recognised – even by David Attenborough! – as one of the most important wildlife habitats in the world, so our visit was a little disappointing. If I’m being picky perhaps the tour company should have made it clear up front that the puffins were long gone. Still, it was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon – bobbing on the sea in a little boat with the sun shining brightly. I would definitely recommend going in summer and at low tide to maximise your chance of spotting the wildlife. This would be a good tour to take.

After the boat tour we wandered around Seahouses looking in all the lovely little gift shops and whiled away a pleasant hour in the amusement arcades.

For dinner we headed back to Bamburgh and let the kids have a good play in a really well-kept playground with an excellent view of the castle. It was also right next to a field of rabbits which entertained Rose no end. Dinner was in the upmarket Victoria Hotel which we were pleased to see had a few different menu items, as by this stage were were getting mightily bored of pub-grub.

Coming up…off to Yorkshire.

Previously…read about the best days of the trip here.