This would once have been a beautiful building. Unfortunately, after Henry VIII disbanded monastic…read morecommunities in England, Wales and Scotland in the 1500s, all that remains is the gatehouse. This functioned as a vicarage to the local church and is now in the care of English Heritage and probably dates back to the 1100s. Definetly worth the walk, or the drive.

I came across this odd landmark a few years ago doing geocaching. Having never seen or heard of one…read morein the UK before I found it rather intriguing. What it is, is a sulphur spring right beside the river tees. The smell of rotten eggs greats you as you approach down a small path but after about 5 minuets the smell no longer seems to be there however if you move away some distance and return it's back like a bad smell. Apparently it has some healing properties according to the Victorians who flocked to taste the waters. Having had a little taste my self it wasn't that inviting. The original fountain was replaced in 2000 but still looks the part (see images). If you are heading up teesdale via Barnard Castle then it's on the way. A small lay-by is provided to park in and then it's just a short 100m walk down a path.

Legend has it that the Abbey on Inchcolm Island in the Forth, began when King Alexander I was…read moreshipwrecked in 1123, and took shelter in a hermit's hovel. After the hermit saved his life, the King decided to build a priory on the Island. In any case it was definitely a priory by the mid 13th century when in 1235 it became an Abbey and grew from there. Inchcolm Abbey is regarded as one of the best preserved medieval monastic building complexes. It really is impressive. To get here you need to get one of two ferry services from Queensferry (make you sure you choose the option to get off at the Island and don't just pay for the cruise) which takes about thirty minutes. Once there you are free to explore the Abbey (and the rest of the island). It really is a great trip, if you're anything like me and generally like ruined piles of stone. But in all seriousness so much of it is still intact, that you really get a feel for the place. Actually it can become a bit maze like with all its stairs and many floors. One particular nerve racking part involves a steep climb up some very small winding stairs. These monks really were midgets! In fact I'm quite surprised Historic Scotland still lets visitors climb these precarious heights, but I'm glad they do. From the top of the tower you get a fantastic view of the Island and across the Forth. It also makes a great family day out, especially with the cruise to boot. Kids love to run around the Island and if its a nice day it makes a perfect picnic venue.

Just because we live in Edinburgh doesn't mean we can't enjoy the city. The folks who run the city…read morecentre (Waverley Bridge) bus tours also run a boat to Inchcolm Abbey. Go for it - an absolutely brilliant and fascinating day out. Couple of tips, buy coffee on board, if you get off at Inchcolm (do, it's amazing) either take a picnic or have a meal before or after the cruise. They only have very expensive bottled drinks and biscuits and chocolate on the island. Take your camera, wear flat shoes and comfy clothes and go for a paddle if its warm. Look out for the seals, so cute. Fantastic day out for all ages.

With well-preserved parts of Hadrian's Wall nearby, we stopped at the Chesters Roman Fort and…read moreMuseum to pick up an information booklet after checking out Hadrian's Wall. But while we were there, how could we say no to some cream tea? Especially since we happened to be there when the weather was beautiful, with clear skies above, where you can bet your but we enjoyed some tasty cream tea in perfect weather. So while we didn't buy a ticket to check out the exterior structure (the Roman Fort), we went into the museum instead. Probably weren't supposed to do that without a ticket, though there wasn't anyone at the museum. Which kind of... surprised me, because there were some seriously neat things inside of it. (The current rate is £6.60, btw, which is different to what others previously posted.) The museum was reallllly neat. Pillars, grave stones, milestones, altars, building stones. And a lot of these items weren't behind glass; they were propped up in shelves or just straight there on the floor. You could touch them, though I'm sure that's frowned upon. Their inscriptions read stuff like, "Building stone with relief of bore." Vindalanda. Or "Dedication to the Goddess Covventina by Titus D. Cosconianus, prefect of the first cohort of Batavians. The Goddess holds a water lily leaf in her right hand, and water flows from a pitcher by her left elbow." And "Tombstone of a Longinus a trumpeter (bucinator)." The museum is called the Clayton Museum, and he was an antiquarian whom excavated sites along Hadrians Wall, which were stored and displayed in the museum. Like I said, very interesting! We spent about 20 minutes exploring this place, and even that was a pretty thorough exploration of the museum. Definitely check it out if you have a particular interest in old architecture.

An interesting set of Roman remains with a small museum and cafe and shop. The site is one of the…read morebest-preserved fortifications of Hadrian's Wall and commands a fine view of the river Tyne. Some of the interpretation is in poor condition.

Aydon Castle is a 13th century English manor house which was later turned into a farmhouse and was…read morethen restored as closely as possible to its former state. It's an enjoyable place to visit and you get a good sense of what it must have been like to live in medieval times thanks to the information boards in the main castle building. It's a pleasantly understated English Heritage site really, a bit of a relief after the busier Roman historical sites in the area which inevitably draw more of the crowds. When I visited it was £3.90 for adults, £3.50 for concessions (not much of a concession really as always with English Heritage) and £2.30 for a child. It is accessed by a narrow, and at parts rough, road and has a similarly rough and ready car park. Worth a visit really, especially on a sunny day as there are a few picnic tables and the perimeter walk traverses some pretty woodland.

My wife and I visited Alnwick Castle on a cold blustery day in September 2024. It was one stop of…read moremany in a tour around Roman, Saxon, Viking and Norman historical sites across the country. I'm a sucker for castles me. What boy isn't. Alnwick is so well preserved its a real treat. In fact its a living working home to the Earl of Northumberland.  The history encapsulated in this venue is vast. Built by the Normans, owned by the Percy family and the site of battles and sieges during the Wars Of The Roses, captured by Yorkists, recaptured by Lancaster. The walls have many tales to tell. There are lots of activities outside of historical studies. DragonQuesting, Harry Potter themed events (having been filmed here), knights quest, archery. It's great for kids. But thats not why we were there. We were here for the history. And there are lots of small museum displays around the site. There was a great tour around the State House that went into some good detail of the lives of the Percy family through the years. Its a magnificent building. Stately and opulent. Whereas the outside has the battlements and the armouries. And the grounds are beautiful, alongside the River Aln. We parked on The Peth, luckily found a spot right next to the castle, avoiding the walk from paid parking lots. Spent an hour or two at the end of a long day here, but wish we had more time to leisurely enjoy all Alnwick Castle has to offer.

I especially wanted to visit Alnwick castle as some of the scenes from Harry Potter had been filmed…read morethere. Me and my friend travelled from Edinburgh for the day and it took us 90 minutes each way, but it was so worth it. When we arrived it cost £3 for parking. The car parks are a good 15 minute walk from the castle, so if anyone has walking issues then be prepared. The first bit you reach is the gardens which are beautiful. You pay for the gardens separately to the castle. You could spend a day in both as there is so much to do. You can get your castle tickets validated for a year, meaning you can visit as often as you want for the next year. This is brilliant as your ticket is only £14 per adult. We had been warned that broomstick training tickets sell out quickly so we headed straight there. The tickets are free but are very popular. We arrived at 12pm and the next tickets we could get were for 3pm. To be honest we went to do it, but it was more for kids. So we gave our tickets away and headed for the movie tour, I'll come back to this. We headed to the gardens to have lunch. We got some fish and chips which were reasonably priced and went and sat on the lawn to eat them. We were lucky as we had a lovely sunny day. We then investigated the gardens which included a fairy trail, where you had to find the clues to save the princess, a maze, a beautiful water feature, a maze made from bamboo and a Poisen garden. We never managed the Poisen garden but heard good things. Back to the castle, it is a beautiful castle with stunning views. we wandered about, there was lots of entertainment for all ages. As I said earlier we left the broomstick training to join the movie tour. This was fascinating and we were shown the different places that things had been filmed. I knew about Harry Potter but not about Robin Hood prince of thieves, Black Adder and more recently Downton Abbey. As they say, time passes when you're having fun and the day flew past. We'd didn't even manage to go into the castle or visit the tree house. I will defo be taking advantage of my years free entry. Definitely worth a visit whatever age you are. Oh and all the staff members where lovely and friendly. All me and my friend kept saying was this has just been a perfect day, and it really was..

The Penshaw Monument is a tourist attraction, which is great for pictures and walking. Located a…read moregood 3 miles from the Tyne and Wear Metro system, the monument is a good afternoon trip from Newcastle or Sunderland. Pack a lunch and wear some comfortable clothes, this monument and the adjacent walking trails are hidden treasures of the Northeast.

Standing at 75 meters tall, it is the largest sculpture of an angel in the world. The Angel of the…read moreNorth is a very impressive sculpture in Gateshead. You can get to the Angel via bus, the 21 Angel bus service between Brandon and Durham stops here, and also goes via Newcastle city centre and Gateshead Interchange, do be advised it is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and there are no food/drink or even toilet facilities nearby, so do plan ahead. The Angel is such a beautiful structure, it is actually viewed by approximately 33 million people a year, due to people passing on the A1 and East Coast Mainline, but it really is much better up close and in person when physically visiting the statue. The field it is located in is an ideal place for a picnic with a great review, especially when the weather is nice. 4*

His hair is shit but he has a massive huge cock. Honestly he does…read more He likes other things that I don't want to tell you!