Northumberland, UK
Getting there
In January 2025 I, (Harriet), took a solo trip for two nights to Northumberland. I hired a small car from Enterprise in Sheffield (£100 for 3 days plus £40 for fuel) and broke up the 2.5 hour drive to Northumberland with a stopover in Durham.
Accommodation
I stayed for one night at Hadrian’s Shepherd’s Hut (£105), a huddled refuge tucked in to the edge of the land, ten miles from Hexham.
The aim was simple –
Peace – a solitary pause,
To gather the silence,
And let the hours unfold.
The hut was small and snug,
A little pocket of warmth in the dark.
A sanctuary against the cold,
And the rain tapping on the roof.
I nestled in,
With a wood fire,
Tea cup,
And story book.
https://www.hadrianshepherdhuts.co.uk
Our star rating: 5
Our cost rating: 4
On the second night, I stayed at Alnwick Youth Hostel (£45.90) in a private en suite double room. The hostel was really well located in the town centre, just 10 minutes walk from the castle. The hostel was cheap, clean and safe, but the bed was uncomfortable and the communal areas were somewhat lacklustre.
Our star rating: 3
Our cost rating: 5
Durham
On day one, I arrived in Durham City Centre at 1pm and parked at Prince Bishops Car Park (£3.50 for 4 hours). In January parking and crowds weren’t an issue but in summer it would probably be worth making use of the park and ride bus service to avoid congestion. I walked around Durham city centre and browsed a few shops including the excellent board game shop Meeple World (great name!).
I made my way up to Palace Green where I visited the University Library. The Library building doubles as the UNESCO world heritage site visitor centre and houses a free archeological museum. This museum was small but very well presented, and had lots of artefacts from pre-historic, Norman and Roman times.
I was fascinated by the tiny copper Lanchester Fleet Diploma found in 2016 by a metal detectorist. The Diploma was issued by the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161) to Tigernos, a native of Lanchester, County Durham, in around AD 150. The diploma granted Tigernos Roman citizenship after he retired from the Roman military having served 26 years.
Then I joined an excellent 1-hour guided tour of the castle (£5). The castle now serves as accommodation for Durham University students so access to the building for the public is by guided tour only.
The castle dates back to the 11th century when William the Conqueror ordered it to be built to help defend against Scottish and Danish invasions and local rebellions, and secure the Norman Conquest of England. It was build on a mound (a motte) with an inner courtyard (bailey).
I had planned to eat a late lunch at the Flat White Kitchen but others clearly had the same idea as lots of people were queuing out of the door for a table. So I opted instead for the tea room Cafédral where I enjoyed a (delicious) raisin scone with butter and jam and a pot of earl grey tea (£7.70).
Feeling very pleased with my improptu afternoon tea experience, I headed back outside. I was glad for my waterproof jacket and gloves because Storm Herminia had arrived and brought with it a deluge of freezing rain. I quickly walked back up the hill.
Durham Cathedral is one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in England. It was built between 1093 and 1133 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I’m not religious, but I am interested in history and architecture, and the cathedral’s columns and ceiling are remarkable.
The cathedral houses the ‘relics’ (remains) of St Cuthbert. Cuthbert was a monk and hermit and the patron saint of Northumbria. He was born in the 630s, at a time when Roman Christianity was supplanting pagan beliefs. He was seen as pious, diligent and obedient. After he died, Cuthbert’s body was moved to keep it safe – first from a Danish invasion and later from William the Conqueror’s harrowing of the north. In 999 he was enshrined in the (then new) Durham Cathedral. Henry VIII destroyed the shrine at Durham in the dissolution of the monasteries, but his ‘relics’ remain there.
I decided to stay for the Evensong service. Although I'm an atheist, I have a soft spot for choral music and am always in awe of the talent displayed by choir singers. The Cathedral choir was singing at Sunderland Minster that evening, but the substitute Durham Cathedral Consort of Singers were absolutely fantastic and to my untrained ear I couldn’t tell the difference.
From Durham, I made the short journey to my first night’s accommodation near Hexham, arriving just after sunset. Keeping this trip low budget, I had brought a simple supper of bread, cheese and biscuits with me to enjoy in the Shepherd’s Hut.
Hadrian’s Wall
On day two, I ate some cereal and one of the pastries I had brought from home for breakfast and then packed up my stuff and made ready for a day outdoors. The weather was looking decent, but I had my walking boots and waterproofs just in case.
First I drove to Housesteads Roman Fort, arriving at 10am for the advertised opening time. Unfortunately the visitor centre and museum were closed due to a power cut. The friendly chap staffing the site said I could walk up to the ruins anyway.
Even though the entrance to the ruins was gated and padlocked, I could still see quite a lot from the perimeter. The views from the top of the site were great, and I had the whole place to myself bar a few sheep. Because of the power cut, entrance and parking were both free.
Next, I drove to Vindolandia, where the museum was closed! I was starting to see the downside of visiting out of season. The site itself was open though, and after a couple of failed attempts to find it, I made my way up the hill and found the main car park and visitor centre. They could do with better signage to the main site from the museum.
Entrance cost £5 and that included an excellent guided tour by Ann, a volunteer archaeologist who has worked at the site for many years. Ann interpreted the piles of stone (shops, a tavern, houses, and headquarters), and described some recent finds from last year’s excavations. She implored me to return in summer with my kids, when archaeologists would be on site excavating.
Some ominous looking clouds were starting to threaten rain, so I decided to have lunch at the Twice Brewed pub. This was an excellent decision - the food was delicious, the service was great (even out of season!) and the fire was roaring. I had a cheese toastie and loaded potato skins, a soda & lime, and a cup of tea (£20).
Warmed up and full of calories, I made myself way to Steel Rigg Car Park (£4) and walked along Hadrian’s Wall to Sycamore Gap. It was a wonderful hike, and a real highlight of the trip. The sun came out just as I reached the top of the hill, and I had the whole gorgeous landscape to myself.
This was a more challenging walk than I’d expected and walking boots were a must for the muddy paths and slippery stones. On the return journey I saw a tour group arrive, wearing white trainers and t shirts. Their guide was advising that they may want to get a quick photo and then return to the van. I hope they took his advice!
After visiting Hadrian’s Wall, I drove to the Kielder Forest, England’s largest forest. Many of the trails were closed due to recent storm damage, so I just stopped a couple of times for photos but didn’t do any walking here.
Alnwick and the Northumberland Coast
I finished off day two by driving to my accommodation in Alnwick. I parked in the Roxburgh long stay car park just behind the hostel (free for 24 hours).
Once checked in, I walked to Barter Books, a huge second hand bookshop housed in the old railway station. The bookshop is open until 7pm which was perfect because there were a lot of books to browse! I purchased a paperback by my current favourite author - Robert Macfarlane (£4).
I made my way back to the hostel, and still full from lunch I skipped supper. There didn’t seem to be anyone else staying at the hostel that I could see, so I took a cup of tea up to my room and read my book.
On day three, my final day of the trip, I had a slightly later and more relaxed start to the day. Sticking to my low budget approach, I finished off my snacks from home (dried fruit and a pastry) for breakfast. After checking out of the hostel I walked through Alnwick town centre and up to the castle (closed for the winter). Alnwick seemed like a pleasant town with interesting shops and lots of local life.
Returning to my car at the hostel, I drove to Craster and parked in the quarry car park (£5 for 4 hours). From Craster, I walked to Dunstanburgh Castle (and back).
This was a pretty walk along the coastal footpath. I saw one or two dog walkers but for most of the walk I was alone. Craster was a small but pretty village, and I could imagine in summer kids crabbing and fishing at the harbour. The smokehouse was open for business and the whole village smelt of smoked kipper!
After Craster I drove north along the coast to Seahouses and parked in the station car park (free for 1 hour). At Seahouses I counted at least 4 fish and chip shops and many (closed) gift shops selling puffin-themed wares. I bought a packet of clotted cream fudge (£3.50) and a jar of local honey (£4) as gifts for the kids, and a jar of marmalade for myself (£3.50) and then drove the 3 hours back to Sheffield.
This was my first solo trip since having kids and I was keen to take advantage of being alone to enjoy the peace and quiet. I enjoyed not having to orchestrate everyone to be ready at the right time for things. I felt like I could take a simple, low-budget (total spend £356.10) and slow pace approach and as a result felt very relaxed!
The main draw of this trip for me was the beautiful landscape and I thoroughly enjoyed the walking. Most of the time I was completely alone and found the feeling of space and isolation quite humbling and moving.
The historic sites and guided tours were interesting, even though I didn’t get the full experience because a number of museums and visitor centres were closed.
Knowing that I was visiting out of season, I had lowered my expectations with regard to hospitality and amenities along the coast; and I could see that in summer the seaside villages would be more lively, albeit full of holiday makers.
Northumberland is one of England’s least visited areas; presumably because it’s relatively far from the largest urban populations. However it is stunning and full of fascinating places and I’d highly recommend visiting!
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