Alnwick in Northumberland, England contains several attractions to pass the time. I visited in mid-July and filled my time with castles, gardens, good food, shopping, museums, and much more. This post covers the different attractions that you can see to help plan for your visit to Alnwick. The best time of the year to visit Alnwick is in the spring or summer, but you can visit at any time. The majority of attractions are outdoors.
Barter Books: Barter Books is the largest second-hand bookstore in the UK. The place is a destination itself as it has a cafe and is a converted train station. See the model railway along the bookshelves, enjoy food in the cafe, and browse the second-hand books. I spent over a couple of hours here browsing. If you have a rainy day in Alnwick, it is a perfect place to visit, but be warned that it gets busy inside. For more information, see my post on Barter Books.
Alnwick Castle: Alnwick Castle is an attraction in its own right. Owned by the Northumberlands, the castle is a top tourist attraction. Visitors can tour the "state rooms", see falconry displays, have a try at archery or broomstick training, and go on various tours or games. The castle was used in filming "Harry Potter" and other films, and a lot of visitors come for the "Harry Potter" connections. For visitors with more time on their hands and nice weather, the grounds can also be walked along the riverside and onto the grounds along the hillside for more views. Read more about Alnwick Castle.
Balliffgate Museum: The Balliffgate Museum is set over three floors of exhibitions about the town of Alnwick from pre-historic times to modern times. The top floor contains temporary exhibitions, and during my visit, it was a great space to learn about Vikings. The bottom floor contains exhibitions about coal mining. The museum is focused on Alnwick and the close vicinity, so it is a great place to spend a couple of hours. See my post about Balliffgate Museum.
Alnwick Garden: Opened in 2001, Alnwick Garden is one of the most popular attractions at Alnwick. The feature point of the 12-acre garden is the impressive 120-jet fountain that cascades down from the hillside and has an impressive fountain display every thirty minutes. There are different parts of the garden so visitors can see something new each time they visit. When I visited, it was at the height of the rose garden and just before the roses went over their peak. There is a cherry orchard with impressive blossom in spring, hedge mazes, a walled garden, and a poison garden. If you visit the cafe at lunch, you will see the resident duck family begging for crumbs. See my post about Alnwick Garden and Forgotten Garden Adventure Golf.
Alnwick Garden Forgotten Garden Adventure Golf: Outside of Alnwick Garden is a crazy golf course that visitors can enjoy. There are some discounts for the golf if choosing Gift Aid to buy the tickets to the gardens. The course contains a garden theme throughout and features broken pots, bees, ants, worms, and an animated spider that shoots water. See my post about Alnwick Garden and Forgotten Garden Adventure Golf.
The Treehouse Restaurant: The Treehouse is a part of Alnwick Gardens, but you can visit it without a ticket to the garden. Constructed to appear like a treehouse, the restaurant has a wintery feel with white fairy lights and furniture and architecture constructed out of tree limbs. It's a beautiful setting, and the restaurant boasts different menus for the time of the day/week and cocktails. I hope to return here. For more information, see my post about the Treehouse Restaurant.
Market and Shopping: Alnwick is a small town that can be effortlessly be walked. On Saturdays, there is a market day in the square that sells a variety of food and crafts. There is a selection of tourist shops to visit and a brewery shop.
Hotspur Tower: This monument was an entrance gate into Alnwick and dates from the middle ages. It is not open to the public.
Ice cream: There are a couple of different places to get ice cream from in Alnwick. The first place is on the western side of the town a short walk away from Balliffgate Museum and one of the entrances to the castle. It is aptly named "Alnwick Ice Cream Parlour". The other location is Carlo's Takeaway, which is a popular place in the town for fish and chips.
Gardens: In addition to Alnwick Gardens, different areas of the city are filled with flowers and colourful flower beds to brighten up the town.
Histortorical fountain, St. Michael's Pant: A couple of historical fountains and animal troughs can stll be seen along the high street at Alnwick. One of those is St. Michael's Pant.
Henry Hotspur Statue: The famous local resident is a son of Henry Percy, and he was born at Alnwick Castle in 1364. He saw a lot of bloody battles between the Scottish and English and was nicknamed "Hotspur" by the Scottish. Hotspur was a legend on the battlefield and gained a celebrity status. The statue to the local hero of the battlefield dates from 2010.
Alnwick is a wonderful place to visit, and there are many attractions to see.
Leave a comment