I spent an excellent day with friends in Hadrian‘s Wall country, in Northumberland yesterday. The weather was just about perfect for walking, warm but not too hot, although we did consume a fair amount of liquids throughout the walk. We started off at Housesteads Roman Fort. Now the others didn’t spot it at first but [...]
Standing dramatically on the cliff tops between Craster and Embleton in Northumberland is Dunstanburgh Castle. The Castle is now largely ruinous although it rated at one time among the largest and grandest castles in the North of England. Today the only way to reach Dunstanburgh Castle is on foot along the exposed Northumberland coastline. We [...]
On the National Trust website, Wallington is described as “Magnificent mansion with fine interiors and collections, set in an extensive garden and parkland”. It is an accurate description of what was once the home of the Trevelyan family, in Border Reiver country. As you approach the estate,one of the first sights to greet you are [...]
Acquired by The National Trust in 1983 Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal are part of a huge site just outside of Ripon. Fountains Abbey was established in 1132 by 13, French, Benedictine monks who left their order due to their outrage at the way their order was being broken. The monks originally travelled to [...]
The River Tyne has a long history, not merely as a waterway to the sea, but as a working river. Today you are more likely to see leisure cruise craft, ferries or speedboats on the river, however in years gone by you could have seen keelmen loading all types of different cargo on to ships [...]
The Sanctuary Knock on the northern door of Durham Cathedral In the middle ages, someone accused of a serious offence could claim sanctuary in Durham Cathedral by knocking on the door. Having knocked and claiming sanctuary the local constables were unable to take any further action in the precincts of the Cathedral, such was the [...]
The legend of the Lambton Worm lives on forever through the song by the same name. The lyrics, written in dialect, are available from the Traditional Music Library The Lambton Worm was made famous by the 1867 pantomime song by C.M. Leumane, performed at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle Upon Tyne. There is some disagreement locally, whether [...]
