Northumberland ~ England

Northumberland is the largest county in Northumbria, stretching from the Northumberland coast in the East to the Cheviot Hills in the West and bordering Scotland in the North. The main road through Northumberland is the London- Edinburgh A1 highway. The area's history can be traced back at least 8000 years, with prehistoric and Roman monuments, medieval castles through to industrial and railway heritage.

Places of Interest

Some of Northumberland's many attractions include:

• Hadrian's Wall - built by the Emperor Hadrian in 122 to separate the land of the Britons from the land of the Picts, it is now recognised as a World Heritage Site, incorporating forts, temples and museums.
• Lindisfarne- or Holy Island- is only accessible by a causeway from Berwick-upon-Tweed at low tide. Here is where the 7th Century Lindisfarne gospels were written to celebrate the life of St. Cuthbert. After its destruction by Henry VIII, the stones of the ruined Benedictine Priory were then used to build Lindisfarne Castle.
• With a 27-mile shoreline, Kielder Water is the largest man-made lake in Western Europe. It sits deep within the massive Kielder Forest, Britain's largest forest, which covers an area of over 230 square miles.
• Embleton Bay- one of England's most breathtaking beaches, with apricot-coloured sand and views to the dramatic medieval ruin of Dunstanburgh Castle. With its giant dune system, Embleton seems lost in a time warp, and is still totally uncommercialised thanks to the protection of the National Trust.
• Northumberland National Park, with breathtaking moors and valleys, rare wildlife such as the endangered red squirrel and ruined forts and castles.

In addition there are many historic castles, ancient monuments and museums and quaint market towns to explore.

Living in Northumberland - Education, Shopping and Travel Links

Morpeth, the County town of Northumberland, is approximately 300 miles from London and 6 hours journey via the A1. It is just over 100 miles and 2 hours' drive from Edinburgh. By train it is approximately 3 ½ hours from Kings Cross London and 2 ¾ hours from Edinburgh. The nearest airport is Newcastle, 60 miles away.

The friendly market towns in Northumberland provide shops, weekly markets and Farmer's Markets offering local beef and lamb, fresh from the hills, as well as excellent cheeses, ice-creams, fresh vegetables and fruit in season, bread, cakes and biscuits, herbs and preserves, chicken, smoked meats, and fruit juices. Leading high street stores are also to be found in all the larger towns. There are theatres at Alnwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Blyth and Hexham, and cinemas in Berwick, Blyth and Hexham. There are also 10 leisure centres in the area. Northumberland County Council provides 141 First schools, 54 Middle schools and 16 High schools. 80 venues in the community provide adult education as well as Northumberland College.

Cities, towns and villages within Northumberland