Bamburgh Castle

Recently voted Britain's second favourite view in a national TV poll, Bamburgh Castle is probably the finest castle in England.  Perched on a basalt outcrop on the very edge of the North Sea at Bamborough, the castle http://www.bamburghcastle.com/ overlooks miles of pristine beaches and sand dunes.  The castle is open to the public and also hosts weddings and other events in its grounds.

The pretty village of Bamburgh surrounds a large green and contains a few gift, shops, an award-winning butchers and a couple of excellent hotel & restaurants.  A cricket field sits between the village and the castle, which makes for the most dramatic backdrop to summer matches.

On the edge of the village is the Grace Darling museum which has recently benefited from a major redevelopment. Perhaps Northumberland’s most famous heroin, Grace was the daughter of the local lighthouse keeper. She achieved national fame in Victorian times for rowing out in a storm to rescue the crew of a stricken ship.

Bamburgh is situated on the Northumberland coast about 20 minutes drive north from Alnwick.