We took a trip to Alnwick Castle yesterday. Its in North East England, and took us 2 hours to drive down from Edinburgh. It was well worth it, the castle was completely stunning, and the town around it was really nice too.
The castle dates back to the 11th Century, although it has been remodelled many times since then, however, you can still see the Norman influence on the architecture.
The Percy family took ownership of the castle in 1309, and still have it today ! The 12th Duke of Northumberland still lives there (part of the year). Their internal state rooms were quite stunning, but photography was not allowed inside.
The castle is very photogenic, and I just could not help snapping away, and it appears to be in a complete state of repair, which is quite impressive for a castle of this size.
As can be seen from the info board above, the castle is quite huge. There is a central keep surrounded by a large set of castle walls which enclose a fairly large set of grounds (the inner and outer baileys). There are then 2 further courtyards. There was so much to explore with many activities to do, they really had set it up so that you could easily spend hours there - and we did.
Everywhere you went there was something to see or do. A really nice unique feature was the figurines (statues) that adorn the walls. You can see two in the pick above. They were positioned all around the castle, and from afar it appears like there are people doing things right at the top of the walls, wherever you look.
There were quite a few on the front gate (above) - and its just a lovely feature that brings more life to the place.
A cafe seating area was set up in the main courtyard which was really nice. The sun was blazing when we were there and I could have easily sat there with a beer for a few hours (if they were serving it) and watched life go by ! It really was a beautiful setting.
They had quite a lot of activities set up. In the pic above you can see their archery area.
And in the second courtyard (above) they had lots of activities for kids - dressing up in armour, etc.
One cool thing about the entry ticket is that it is valid for a year ! And we will definitely be going back. There was just so much to do and see, and the setting was quite beautiful, that I can see us going back 2 or 3 times more just to take it all in.
The central keep was quite stunning, inside and out. In the pic above you can see that it has its own chapel - with the leaded roof on the left. We didnt actually get to see that part of the castle which is a shame, but they were keeping a number of areas private noting that it is still where they live - so thats understandable.
The architecture throughout was really stunning - and you can see that they have gone to the detail of maintaining it all in tip-top condition.
The section above is the main link between the inner and outer baileys. Again you can see the figurines at various positions at the top.
The main entrance gate is also quite stunning (above).
A large part of the main keep was undergoing maintenance, which is good to see - that means it will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
One of the really interesting aspects of this castle is that it appeared in the Harry Potter films ! In particular it was used for the scene where they learn to fly on their broomsticks. And as such, the castle actually offers broomstick lessons !
You can seem them all in the pic above - getting their lessons from a 'professor' ! Our daughter was way too embarrassed to take part, even though she loves Harry Potter - but they all looked like they were having great fun !
We really loved the castle, and will absolutely be going again. It was a great day out - and as said, one of the best castles we've ever visited (and we've been to tons of them).
Highly recommended and well worth the visit !