Having guided visitors all over our county for the last too many years with my “Not Entirely Sure Tours” company I have compiled these guides and podcasts to take my place, and guide you through my favourite places so that you may enjoy the OUT part of your holiday. This guide is by no means definitive and contains my personal observations and asides which may brighten your days and take you to places which will linger in your memories long after you leave. So when the dark nights come you may open up these guides and once more enjoy Northumbria

It’s all yours!

Guide 1: Amble to Alnmouth

Including:

Amble Harbour - Coquet Island - Amble Marina - Warkworth Castle - Riverside Walk to Hermitage - Warkworth Village, Church & Toll Bridge - Beach Walk to Alnmouth inc Dunes & Golf course - St Walric’s Church remains - The Bishop’s Cross - Alnmouth Village inc Golf course & Gallery - Lesbury Church & Bridge

Guide 2: Alnwick

Including:

Hardy’s Fishing Tackle Museum - The Tenantry Column - Barter Books - Hotspur Tower - Market Place - Harry Hotspur Statue - Castle Barbican - Gardens - Baliffgate Museum - Lion Bridge - St Leonard’s Chapel ruin - Malcolm’s Cross - William’s Stone - Brizlee Tower

Guide 3: Boulmer to Embleton

Including:

The Percy Folly, Ratcheugh - Longhoughton - Boulmer RAF 212 Squadron Base - Boulmer Strand inc FBI - Boulmer Steele - Maize Maze at Red Steads - Howick Hall and Gardens - Mesolithic Remains at Howick Burn - Rumbling Kern - The Bathing House - Cullernose Point - Craster Tower - Craster Village inc. Home of the Craster Kipper, The Jolly Fisherman, Shoreline Cafe, Mick Oxley’s Gallery, the Harbour - Dunstanburgh Castle ruins, Proctor’s Stead Tower, Elenor’s Byre at Spittleford - Embleton Village inc. the Dovecot, The Grey’s Inn, Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club and beach, William Stead memorial plaque

Guide 4: Seahouses via Beadnell and Low Newton

Including:

Seahouse bus to Low Newton - St Mary’s Church - The Haven - The smallest brewery & “The Ship” Inn - Football Hole - Beadnell Bay - The Joiners Arms - The Lang Nanny - Beadnell Harbour & Lime Kilns - The Craster Arms, Beadnell - St Ebba’s Church - Anstead Sands - Seahouses Golf Course - Seahouses Harbour - Preston Tower - a pint in the Olde Ship or Bamburgh Castle Inn?

Guide 5: Farne Islands and Bamburgh

Including:

Seahouses Harbour & Booking Sheds - Boats - Inner Farne inc St Cuthbert’s Chapel with Durham Carvings, Prior Castel’s Tower, The Inner Farne Lighthouse - Staple Island inc The Pinnacles - The Brownsman Fire Tower - The Harcar Rocks and Grace Darling - Longstone Lighthouse - Grey Seals - Back on shore with... The Monk’s House - Bamburgh Castle (must visit) and its sands - Bamburgh Church wit St Aidan’s Light, Leper Squint, Lancelot di Lac, and Bailiol window - Grace Darling Memorial - Grace Darling Museum - Carter’s Bamburgh Bangers

Guide 6: Lindisfarne

Including:

Ros Back Sands - Budle Bay Bird Watching - Elwick - Barn at Beal - TIDE TABLES (must read) - Pilgrim’s Way - The Priory ruins inc. St Aidan Statue, Rainbow Arch, Pilgraims Door, Royal Doorway, The “Green Man”, St Cuthbert’s Statue with “Cuddy Duck” - The Petting Stone - Museum with Viking Stone - Fenwick Lawson’s carving in Church - St Cuthbert’s Island - Lindisfarne Mead Factory with FREE nip - Heritage Centre for Lindisfarne Gospels interaction - Lindisfarne Castle with Gertrude Jekyll Garden.

Please always read the Tide Tables before leaving for the mainland!

Guide 7: Ingram Valley

Including:

Brizlee “Golf Ball” - Corby Crags - Edlingham Church & Castle - Whittingham Church - Whittingham Pele Tower - Eslington Hall - Powburn - Neolithic Terraces - Ingram Church - Mational Park Museum of Ancient Breamish People - Bulby’s Wood - Ingram Valley - Linhope Top - Linhope Spout - Wooperton - Battle of Hedgely Moor with Percy’s Leap

Guide 8: Berwick Upon Tweed – Norham

Including:

The Bridges - The Town Hall with Scotsgate - The Walls from Sandgate round to Castle - Edward’s Tower - Lady Buchann’s Tower - Quay Walls - Foxton’s Wine Bar - Barracks of KOSB - Cromwell’s Church - Cowgate - Conunderum Farm - Pot a dodle so - Battle of Halidon Hill - Hand a dyke neuk - Union Suspension Bridge - Chainbridge Honey farm - Norham Castle, Marmion’s Gate - St Cuthbert’s Church

Guide 9: Corbridge and Hexham

Including:

Halton Castle - Aydon Castle - St Andrew’s Church - The Vicar’s Pele Tower - The King’s Oven - Corstopitum Roman Museum - Hexham Abbey with Flavius’s stone, The Saxon Crypt, The Frith Stool, Dancers with death - Abbey Gift Shop - Moothall - Reivers Museum - Meeting of the Waters - Warden Rocks

Guide 10: North Tyne Valley

Including:

Chollerford - Humshaugh - Simonburn Church - The Battlesteads Hotel Wark - Chipchase Castle - Bellingham Church and The Lang Pack, Stone roof - Heritage Museum - Little Hareshaw Linn - Riverdale Hotel - Tarset Castle - The Holly Bush Tavern at Greenhaugh - Black Middens Bastle - The Pheasant at Stannersburn - The Black Cock at Falstone - Kielder Dam - Tower Knowe - Leaplish – Kielder

Guide 11: Roman Wall

Including:

Stagshaw roundabout - The Vallum - Heavenfield battle site 635AD - Heavenfield Church - Brunton Turret - Chollerford Bridge - Chester’s Cavalry fort with bath house, treasury and museum - Chester House stables - Mithras Temple - Housesteads Fort - “Robin Hood’s” Tree - Steel Rigg - Twice Brewed pub - Vindolanda with excavations of supply fort, rebuit wall sections in timber and stone, tableux of Roman life with museum and cafe - Bewcastle Cross

Guide 12: Morpeth and Ashington

Including:

Telford’s Bridge - The Chantry bagpipe museum - Tower - Carlisle Park with Castle - Bothal Castle - Bothal Church with Ogle Tomb - Wansbeck Stones - Ashington Main St - Woodhorn Museum inc Winding House, Pony Stable, miniture railway, pitmen’s painting gallery, clootie mats - Queen Elizabeth Park and lake - Druridge Bay - Creswell Tower

Guide 13: Belsay and Wallington

Including:

The Beresford Arms at Whalton - Whalton Church and Ogle tombs - Bolam Church with Walter Bolam carving - Meldon Church, painted ceiling and Guy Fenwick statue - Bolam Lake - Belsay Castle - Belsay Hall and quarry gardens - Harnham Hall - Shortflatt Tower - Kirkhale with “rural” shopping centre - Lorraine gravestone - Wallington Bridge - Wallington Hall, walled gardens, cafe and shop - Hartburn Church with Knights Templar carving - The Dyke Neuk pub - Mitford Castle and Church - Mitford Hall

Guide 14: Coquet Valley

Including:

The Anglers Arms dining carriage - Brinkburn Priory and manor house - The Thrum of Coquet - Cragside House with gardens, stable tea rooms and shop - Rithbury Church with Gilpin’s Pulpit and Saxon preaching base - Rogerson’s shoe shop - Sharperton - Harbottle with Star pub and Castle - Alwinton with Rose and Thistle pub - Holystone with Lady’s Well - Woodhouses Bastle - Elsdon Church and Motes with pele tower - Winter’s Gibbet at Steng Cross - Otterburn Mill Shop - Otterburn Towers Hotel - Percy Arms Hotel - Battle of Otterburn

Guide 15: The Cheviot

Including:

Middleton Hall - Skirl Naked - The Harthope Burn & Valley - Happy Valley - Langleeford - Cheviot and back - West Weetwood cup and ring markings - The Till Valley to Glendale

Guide 16: The Till Valley

Including:

Doddington Church and Cheese factory shop - Roughting Linn “cup and ring” markings - Roughting Linn Waterfall - Ford Castle - Lady Waterford’s Hall and frescos - Heatherslaw light railway - Heatherslaw Mill, working watermill, flour grinding with shop and cafe - Etal Castle with Flodden Museum - The Black Bull - Post Office Tea Rooms - Duddo Tower - Five Sisters standing stones of Duddo

Guide 17: Glendale Valley

Including:

Humbledon Hill Battle site - Arthur’s Battle Stone - Akeld Bastle - Gefrin with walk - Yeavering Bell - Kirknewton Church with war graves, Josephine Butler’s grave and Saxon “Adoration of Magi” - College Valley - College Valley foxhounds - Pawston - Kirk Yetholm - The Border Pub - The Barragadgee crowning - The Gypsy King’s “Palace”

Guide 18: Flodden

Including:

Milfield - The Maelmin Henge complex with circular walk and prehistoric house reconstruction - Branxton village - Concrete Menagerie - The Scot’s position before battle - Stock Hill, the Earl of Surry’s position - Dacres Pickers - Earl Stanley’s march - Branxton Church burial pit - The Memorial to “the Brave of both Nations” - The Collingwood Arms at Cornhill - Remains of Wark Castle and the Order of the Garter

Guide 19: Chillingham

Including:

Sandyford’s Moor TV Mast - Quarryhouse Heather Honey - Ros “Castle” - Hepburn Woodland walks - Hepburn Bastle - Old Bewick Church with Pousitina, lepers alms stone, “Green Men”, Queens tombstone and Saxon stones - Chillingham Castle drive - Chillingham Castle with Nine worthies, kitchen cafe, Susannah fireplace, torture chamber and innumerable items, gift shop, formal gardens by Geoffrey Whyattville with Eco Home statue - Chillingham Church with Charnocke’s memorial and Sir Ralph and Lady Elizabeth Grey’s tomb with Saints carvings and green man.