Eglingham, The Tankerville Arms

Posh pub, great eating ( they have bedrooms too)
8 miles north west of Alnwick, on the way to Chillingham

 email - info@tankervillearms.com

Northumberland possesses that conflicting quality, doesn't it?  You know you have stumbled on something magnificent but not everybody knows about it and... you want to keep it for yourself.

I'd been talking about taking the boy to Chillingham to see the wild cattle but didn't really know where it was and our first rekky last week was way off the mark - the little leaflet they do suggests it's just outside Alnwick. In fact it's way past Eglingham on these amazing rolling roads, where every turn brings a new view of the misty blue Cheviots over undulating countryside and where the houses belong to another land, another century...

Okay, so the journey itself is a fantastic ride and for me that is fifty per cent of the joy of exploration.  And on the way you drive through pretty little Eglingham, which feels so cloistered away from the rest of the world. On the left going north there's this old sandstone pub, where you can park on the forecourt.  We saw locals walking down for their tea at The Tankerville Arms.

I think we were fortunate getting there before 6pm because all the tables had been booked but they did have a gap on one table in the bar so we grabbed it and had our drinks while we waited for the food to begin.

Himself had the steak and I had the lobster. Oh my goodness, what a greedy, gourmandising way to end the long summer break.  How nice the lasses and the manager were to us too.

And how nicely designed the pub furniture was too and how well polished; I loved the funny little carvings of trumpeters under the mantelpiece, the well-made modern stained glass in the doors, the chunky furniture - great details for a visitor to enjoy. Not part of a national chain nor is it rustic in any way.

Barter Books in Alnwick

About 35 miles North of Newcastle, take the A1 then the turning for Alnwick
Huge second-hand bookshop set within a Victorian railway station - barter system in full working order        
One of the largest in the UK
Tea, coffee, snacks and meals served in the comfortable waiting rooms
Accessible to all

Barter Books in Alnwick has got to be one of the marvels of the North.  It was set up in 1991 by Mary and Stuart Manley and acts as a repository for all kinds of texts, art to zoology, comedy to theology, children's literature to military history.



Dink kindly allowed me to take his picture at the desk, where the records of how much your books are worth are kept.

Here you will find book-lovers of every sort too, children through to octogenarians, academics through to lovers of romance.  And all enjoying that peculiarly gentle ambiance created by the browsing of books, simply for the pure pleasure of it.  I think it's that atmosphere which brings us back again and again. 


The mural by Peter Dodd of famous writers - don't worry there is a "key" to help you out.

Obviously others feel the same because the place is usually crowded and one couple chose to get married here!

Himself trusts the place to both provide useful texts for his studies and to give him a fair price for his own books for the staff seem to be both expert and fair.



I enjoy the arts and crafts section and I also adore the visual details provided by the specialist books on display or the tiny, old books, which have been opened at particularly decorative plates.

Wander under arches imprinted with famous words; watch the toy railway running above your head; settle yourself on padded benches or at a round table; sit by the fire and pour yourself a coffee and munch a biscuit; decode the life-size, famous writers' mural; relax and read.

Nostalgia is sweet

The place is beautifully warm, a perfect way to end your afternoon off and it's just as nice in the winter months too, even better when you think about sitting beside a roaring fire with a book in your hands.

Cheerfully chilled Chillingham

Chillingham Castle, the most haunted castle in Britain, about 10 miles north west of Alnwick
(either use the A1 to go north or take the road to Eglingham from Alnwick )


Home of Sir Humphry Wakefield Br.      

Chillingham from the front

C12th century stronghold
Fully fortified castle in 1344
C18th and C19th embellishments
Grounds by Sir Jeffrey Wyattville

Tea rooms open from 12- 5pm ( so see the wild cattle in the morning, consider a joint ticket).

Entrance to house and gardens: £9 per adult
CLOSED ON SATURDAYS
NE66 5NJ
tel: 01668 215359
www.chillingham-castle.com

31st August 2014


Fantastic walking country

"Look out for the next big junction signed for Chillingham and Chatton," said Himself after we had passed the A6346 junction ... so I took the first junction for Chillingham ... We saw a lot of sheep, heather, clouds and mountains and, after the sensation of maybe being lost had passed, we settled down to enjoy the glorious views over the high dales before the road dropped down between pines and bracken;  we were soon at the great Chillingham gates and entered with that slight sense of trepidation normal people get when they pass between
towering gateposts and spikey bits of metal!

The tone of gothic creep-me-out continued throughout the whole parking experience underneath enormous moss-bedecked trees; read the careful notices disclaiming all responsibility for loss of life and limb whilst on the property; ignore the not so distant bellowing of wild cattle; watch out for the man-traps!

You need to walk a wee distance, less than a quarter of a mile on a wide gravel path, to get to the castle and what a castle!  Battlements, walled gardens, huge and domineering yew trees and statues - and that's only on the outside.  This medieval castle was built to inspire awe and its bat motifs, stone dragons and time-worn stone pediments only add to the somewhat Transylvanian atmosphere. Enter with care.   

Okay, so if you wanted to make a list of everything a medieval castle should have, what would it contain? Armour? Weapons like halberts and stuff? Hand gonnes? Broad swords and chain mail? What about a torture chamber? Ancient tapestries and ragged standards from bygone campaigns? Crusading memorabilia such as war-elephant head armour? A curse from a C17th Spanish witch if you steal from the castle?  Antlers and pelts from exotic beasts; Kingly artefacts and ghosts who tread behind you and leave a chill in the air...?

The C17th witch who curses thieves!

Teenagers will adore it. Anyone who loves a good historical romance or a fantasy by Terry Pratchett will pick up lots of resonances. A History buff like Himself will find the real articles (and there are MANY) on display and be able to touch them.  Perhaps not for the little kids though -  too gory, too surreal!

The family's C20th history is shared with the public too and the handwritten notes betray a deep personal interest and sense of humour.

Need I go on?  The thing about Chillingham, I realised, is that there's an awful lot of history in that place and as the place has stood in one family line since the twelfth century, they've managed to hold on to it in one place.  Amazing to think how one northern family's history has been documented for nearly a millennium.

Saracen armour

Himself and I loved this place.  The knot work garden provides a peaceful and lovely walk for the end of the visit. And we still didn't see the lakes and the cattle will have to wait for another day.  It will be another morning before an afternoon visit to the castle again with the boy and his slightly goth mum.







Imagine having a steam-punk wedding at this location!

Apparently a "presence" has been felt in the gardens...

Hamsterley Forest - brilliant afternoon out

County Durham
Adventure forest, which includes heathland too
Lots of bike tracks
West off the A68 south of Tow Law
Fuel stops x 2 south of Tow Law- not between Corbridge and Tow law!
Accessibility: flattish walking.  Get the kids to bring wellies!

We had intended to take the boy to High Force but, after he was sick on the road - and he is usually never carsick, we started looking out for something a bit closer to home - hence, Hamsterley Forest.

When I say it's "old fashioned," what I really mean is children having fun in water, on climbing frames, learning how to balance, on swinging chains, basically just mucking around with their parents (or grand parents).   The climbing frames are all incredibly strong and chunky and huge.  Little kids will enjoy visiting the enormous wooden Gruffalo in the woods and older kids will enjoy the bike rides and you can even hire bikes here too. And have picnics or go to the coffee shop.

Our nine year old is just a little too young for the mountain bike rides ( or maybe we're just a little too old - no, never say that!) but he did enjoy balancing on wobbly stones in the wide shallow river and trying to get as far across as he could before it became too deep - about a foot deep at the very most.

And of course he got his feet wet and of course I got my feet wet.  And no, Himself did not get his feet wet, just looked on wryly waiting for his moment to make a comment.  Ha!

Well, it was a fun afternoon.  And Hamsterley truly is a lovely, verdantly green forest, with wide and sweeping conifers doing what conifers do best - drape themselves elegantly in their sticky-out ball dresses and also the marvellous beeches, which this area grows so well.

After we had got wet, we had our picnic and headed home, back up that rollercoaster of a road, the A68.  Just watch out for the speedy racers who obviously love the switchback potential of this driver's road. There are lots of warnings about accidents, so go carefully, eh?

Kirkharle, home of Lancelot " Capability" Brown and John Speight

A courtyard of galleries and workshops in rural Northumberland NE19 2PE
18 miles north of Newcastle on the A696 - look out for the sign exactly opposite the sign for Wallington

If you want to buy some really special presents, go to Kirkharle.

After our windy walk at Northumberlandia, Himself and I were desperate for a cup of something hot.  The boy was keen as mustard to get up to his favourite tree in Wallington but we kind of inveigled him into letting us have our drinks and then we would go so...

 Driving north on the A696 has that special "climbing" feel, which makes you feel like you are crawling on the top of the world and you can see for miles. I must admit, it is a bit of a drive but you do have at least 2 fantastic places to visit and you could always do Belsay and/ or the Blacksmith's Coffee shop, if you have all day. Bolam Lake isn't far away either so if you want a quiet walk and to feed the swans, then that's possible too.

Kirkharle has an awful lot going for it: a brilliant children's play park with the best, little fort with slide that I WANT; galleries for art; jewellery for sale; handcrafted gifts  (I really like the foxy doorstop); cabinetry and antiques; a warm and welcoming little tea shop with fantastic scones AND, best of all, real artists.

I met one. 

John Speight is a third generation papercut artist, who uses his scalpel on black paper to create the most exquisite and intricate scenes, my favourite being tree forms. Desirable or what!

I assumed, wrongly, that they had to be laser-cut but no! He cuts far finer than a laser can. After 30 years, he stays true to his handcrafting and original art ethos. A second breath-taking discovery in one day ( following our walk around Northumberlandia) made me feel quite energised. How often do we really meet with experts with the "wow" factor?

His website is      www.johnspeight.co.uk

His papercuts celebrate people's loves, their favourite hobbies ( you should see the drummer), favourite animals and begin at £19, I believe.  However, they do go up in price as the work becomes even more detailed.    I simply could not understand how anyone could cut so accurately at that tiny scale.    He does cards too.  I bought two for £2.50 each.  Lovely.

His shop is beautiful too and I loved the "chakra"jewellery made from semi precious stones and the sea-glass-style bracelets too.

I know we will be back fairly soon.  I want Himself to know what I was jabbering about and there is plenty still to see, not least the exhibition on his nibs, old Capability, who grew up here and who walked to school at Cambo.

I tell you, Northumberland has it all!

High Force... High impact!

Roaring waterfall in County Durham (70 foot high or 21 metres)
Forest in Teesdale

Apparently open all year round - imagine the ice on this one!
Summer Opening Hours: April to October 2014: 10am - 5pm daily

The Gift Shop, car park and other visitor facilities will all be open

Walk through Tolkienesque woodlands
Steep steps down to the viewing point
Good walking area, including a walk up to the head of the falls
Go south on either the A68 or A1 - then west on A66  - then northwest on the B6277, 4.5 miles NW from Middleton-in-Teesdale

If you and your kids are looking for drama, then get yourself down to what has got to be one of the loudest, prettiest, most powerful examples of white water in the UK. I would say the journey down from Newcastle will take you about an hour and a half but don't worry about that.  You can stop for an ice-cream in Staindrop or just just stop to look around in Barnard Castle or Middleton in Teesdale - all pretty as owt.  The area west of West Auckland is lovely.

High Force is well signposted off the  A 678 and you need to use the designated car-park ( £2), which also has some very presentable picnic tables for the family.  You buy tickets at the shop - 
Admissions to Waterfall Walk:

• Adult: £1.50
• Child (5 - 15 yrs): 50p
• Concessions: £1.00 

Cross the road on foot and pick up the track on the other side, which leads you through some of the most elvish (or maybe entish) woods I have seen for some time... Remember that scene where the hobbits have crawled under sprawling tree roots to hide from a black rider? Hmmm. Did Tolkien or Peter Jackson ever visit this place, I wonder?

We couldn't help noticing the rock forms, sandstone, shale and whinstone; we took photo after photo of the ferns and moss-covered trees and watched for birdlife.  Himself did notice some dippers and lots of cute, yellow wagtails, which he has never seen before.  But mostly what you notice is the growing roar from the waterfall.  It's not a long walk - about 1/3 mile-  turn the corner and, voila! 

It only gets better.  A steep set of 26 steps will take you and everyone else down to the rocky platform and I was glad of my sturdy trainers on those enormous, sloping rocks. This is truly magnificent and I am really pleased we went. We are now planning on bringing the family - though we will be keeping a tight hold on the little ones!

Further still, there is Low Force, which requires a hike across a field and sharp eyes to spot the stopping place in time. Another lovely day.