Autumn in Northumberland

I thought that being away from Canada and our legendary Maple trees this year would mean a lack of vibrant fall colours. Part of what makes the fall season in Ontario so lovely is the almost unbelievable vibrant reds of the forests. With England not having any maple trees, I was expecting a more diluted array of autumn colours. Well folks, I’m happy to report that I was proven wrong!

Autumn in Northumberland was a feast for the eyes. Mac and I stayed with a vibrant 70 year old CouchSurfing host in a teeny hamlet in Northumberland county. (Northumberland is England’s southern version of the Scottish Borders.) Our host is a world traveller himself and had no shortage of inspiring stories to share. He was also kind enough to take us on a few guided tours of the area that he calls home. During our two days there, we definitely got a taste for autumn in Northumberland!

English Hamlet

Our host lives at the foothills of the Cheviots – the small mountain range along the English-Scottish border. When we weren’t driving around or swapping travel stories, I took the time to explore the area. It’s so charmingly British that I couldn’t resist capturing it on camera. The vintage red phone booth (in the middle of nowhere), the token Royal Mail letterbox, and even a crew of cows.

Alnwick

On the north east coast of England is a town called Alnwick. If you’re planning on visiting England, you’ll need to become fluent in British. Yes, I am aware that the English language is spoken in Britain, but there are some words that are pronounced completely differently than what a North American English speaker would expect. The city of Alnwick is actually pronounced Ann-ick. (If you think that’s odd, the town of Hawick is pronounced Hoy-ck!). Regardless* of how you pronounce the name, this town is home to a few special gems.

*Be warned that if you say Aln-wick, you absolutely, positively will get corrected. Gotta love those Brits… 

Barter Books

Our first stop in Alnwick was to Barter Books. I love me a good bookstore (or library), and Barter Books was no different. Housed in a refurbished train station, Barter Books is more than a second hand book store. It has fireplaces galore with cozy chairs and sofas, a cafe (in the old train station waiting room), and lots, and lots, of books. The prices range from £2.40 to +£400! In one room, there’s even a model train set that runs across the tops of the bookshelves!

Also in Alnwick (did you remember to pronounce it in your head as Annick??!), is the Alnwick Castle. Due to the relentless pouring rain, we abstained from going in the castle. However, from what we could see from the outside, it did look fairly impressive! Alnwick Castle can be seen on the big screen in Harry Potter as well as Downton Abbey. It dates back to the early 1300’s and is considered to be a very iconic castle in England.

Bamburgh Castle

Just up the coast from Alnwick Castle is Bamburgh Castle. This stately fortress on the sea passed between the Britons and Anglo-Saxons several times in Medieval Times, and its construction dates back to the 11th century. We arrived just after closing time, so unfortunately we couldn’t go in. However, we did get to admire the castle from the outside and take in some incredible coastal views.

It was from this bridge where we learned about the incredible story of Grace Darling. Grace and her family lived in the lighthouse on Longstone Rock – just off the coast from Bamburgh Castle. Longstone Rock is an island in the Farne Islands.

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is only a short distance away. Check out this post to learn more about Lindisfarne.

In the early morning hours of September 6, 1838, the SS Forfarshire became wrecked on the rocks of the Farne Islands due to a strong and raging storm. Grace saw the wreckage from her window, and at 7:00am her and her father, William set out on a rescue mission. They rowed in extremely challenging conditions for nearly a mile before arriving at the ship wreck. Grace and William managed to save nine of the ship’s crew and passengers. (An additional nine people jumped into a lifeboat before the ship sank. They were swept out to sea and rescued a few hours later.)

News of this rescue travelled fast and Grace and William were soon awarded with Gold Medal of Bravery from the Royal Humane Society and a Silver Medal for Gallantry from the RNLI. Sadly, Grace died from tuberculosis only four years later, at the age of 26. Her story lives on in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Grace Darling Museum in Bamburgh.

Etal Estate

On our last day in northern England, our host took us to Etal Estate. While the estate and its hundreds of acres are free to roam, public access is not usually granted. Our visit lined up with the estate’s Open Garden Sunday. For a £5 donation to HospiceCare Northumberland we were able to stroll through the gardens and meander along the stream and beside the beautiful trees. It was here where we fully got a taste for autumn in Northumberland.

You may remember that we visited Etal during our stay in Berwick-upon-Tweed! Check out this post to learn more about this quaint English village.

The red leaves that I was concerned about missing this year? I needn’t have worried – the Etal Estate was positively blooming with leaves of nearly every colour of the rainbow! We spent quite a while walking through the endless gardens admiring the beautiful scenery, and enjoying a spectacular autumn day.

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As much as I admit to being a ‘spring > autumn’ person, I really did enjoy experiencing autumn in Northumberland. Granted, there were times where I did wish I were in shorts and a t-shirt, rather than donning a toque and mitts, but happily the beautiful scenery was a good distraction. We re-visited Newcastle after our time in Northumberland and the leaves had all but fallen off the trees. The clocks go back this weekend, meaning the evening will come earlier and it will really start feeling like winter. I’ll be looking at these bright and vibrant photos for several weeks to come to remind me of more colourful days.

Tell me, how was your autumn season? Do you prefer spring or fall??

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