Alnwick Food Festival

The Alnwick Food Festival 2010 is set to be just as spectacular as the previous five.
Alnwick Beer Festival will again be held on food festival weekend and the two festival committees are working together to cook up a weekend of family fun. Don't miss the large selection of local ales in the Town Hall in an event which is very popular and well-attending.
Since the launch of the Alnwick Food Festival, the town has been named as the sixth best place for gastronomic activity in the country by a new guide to British food. The BMW 1 Series Good Food Ride said Alnwick’s restaurants, food festival and farmers’ markets have contributed to a thriving ‘gastrohub’. To be placed in the book’s top 20, each destination had to reach certain criteria which the panel of judges felt were necessary to be defined as a gastrohub. Each place had to hold a farmers’ market, have a traditional dish or destination ingredient, hold a food festival, have a food hero who is passionate about local sourcing and a Michelin-starred restaurant, the only category in which Alnwick failed.
Alnwick is set to be the culinary capital of Northumberland again when the sixth food festival hits the town on September 18/19, 2010. Organisers have packed this festival with more food fun and gastronomical games.

Kielder FootFest

What better way to end the summer holidays than taking part in the first Footfest event. A festival to celebrate all the wonderful things you can do on your feet at Kielder and Northumberland National Park! Keep the whole family entertained with a week full of taster sessions, family events and adventure activities for all such as bush tucker trail, action heroes, king of the jungle, tyre treasure hunt, monster machines, a walk through time and much much more.
Special ticket offer - 3 for the price of 2! Buy 2 tickets for pre-bookable Footfest activities now and get a third of equal or lesser value for free. Subject to conditions and availability, see terms and conditions or call 01434 250209 for details. Quote 'Visitkielder' at time of booking.

Top 10 For Bamburgh Beach

Bamburgh finished sixth out of twentyfour nominated beaches in the 2010 Cadbury Beach Awards. Beating some of the countries most popular holiday beaches. So maybe quantity does count, as long as it's miles of unspoilt sands and dunes in one of britains most beautiful locations!

Northumberland - come and stay

Welcome to Northumberland, a magical place filled with ancient castles, rolling hills and fabulous coastline, rugged moorland and friendly little market towns like Alnwick, Berwick, Hexham, Rothbury, Morpeth and Corbridge.

Northumberland is home to England’s most tranquil and inspiring National Park and England's largest resevor at Keilder Water and Forest Park. There are also two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty waiting to be discovered, the Northumberland Coast and the North Pennines AONB.

The vast majority of the remaining sections of Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site can be found in Northumberland, with five of the eight excavated forts and endless stretches of unbroken wall rising and falling over dramatic landscapes.

Our holiday cottages at Bamburgh are ideally placed to take advantage of all Northumberland has to offer.

Lindisfarne Castle Garden Tour

For a great day out while staying at Bamburgh Holdiay Cottages, on the 15th July there is a talk by the Gardener at Lindisfarne Castle about The Gertrude Jekyll garden clsoe to the Castle. Jekyll was an influential British garden designer, writer, and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the UK including the walled garden at Lindisfarne Castle.

For more information head to the National Trust website http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-lindisfarnecastle/

St Cuthbert's Land Bamburgh Castle

As part of Archaeology week the Anglo-Saxons return bringing to life one of the country's top archaeological setting. Living History returns to Bamburgh Castle as part of Archaeology week. Experience the past brought to the present with displays, demonstartions and re-enactments. The weekend will also feature guided talks by the Bamburgh Research Project.

Ticket Type and Ticket Tariff
Child £4.00
Family £20.00
Adult£8.00
Concession £7.00

Opening Times
2010 (31/07/2010 - 01/08/2010)

Saturday 10:00 - 17:00
Sunday 10:00 - 17:00

Barter Books a short drive from our Bamburgh Holdiay Cottages

Close to Bamburgh in the market town of Alnwick only 20 minutes drive from both The Haven and Sandham, our holiday cottages, is Barter Books, a second-hand bookshop with a difference. It has over 200,000 visitors a year, and is one of the largest second-hand bookstores in Europe.It has been described as "the British Libarary of second-hand bookshops." The bookshop is located within the Victorian station designed by William Bell and opened in 1887.Customers can exchange their books for credit against future purchases. Standard cash purchases are also available.Keep Calm and Carry On poster (1939)Barter Books hit the headlines when the owner discovered a second world war poster from 1939, introduced in case the Nazis ever succeeded in invading Great Britain. The slogan, "Keep Calm and Carry On", and the simple design has turned it into an international phenomenon, and is currently on the walls at places as diverse as Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street.

Sweet Taste of Success

Bamburgh Castle kitchen is buzzing with the sweet smell of success. Two enterprising ladies have started making Bamburgh Castle Fudge in the Castle kitchens.

It’s not only made in the castle by people who live in the castle but sold in the castle shop too.
The sweet and sugary moreish concoction is made in a section of the castle’s former Victorian scullery in what is thought to be the old buttery by castle residents Rosanne Sprot, 31, and Grazia Calvert, 47.

Rosanne lives in the castle lodge with husband Robert, castle groundsman, and their son, Alex, aged eight. Grazia, the Italian wife of castle director Chris Calvert, lives with him and their sons Wallace, 13, and Otello, 14, in an apartment within the castle.

Rosanne and Grazia have been making the fudge on site for the last month and it proved so popular they sold 15 kilos in the first week.

And while it might not quite make the history books just yet, the sweet treat is already making a name for itself, selling out within a week.

It’s good timing too for the sweet venture as the castle recently announced that it will be opening all year round.

The castle, which draws around 150,000 visitors a year, traditionally closes between November and March, but will now stay open during the winter months following a successful half-term trial.

Easter Eggstravaganza

Things to do in the area over Easter
National Trust Properties - www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Wallington Hall
Enjoy Easter fun at Wallington with a fantastic children's trail, craft activities, games and races. Krafty Kidz will also be here on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 April, giving you the chance to make lovely Easter items - small charge for items made.

Join one of the expert Wallington Gardeners on a guided walk through the beautiful Walled Garden and discover the art of spring planting.

Holy Island
Track down the Easter Bunnies hidden inside Lindisfarne Castle and win a Cadbury's Easter egg

Cragside
Celebrate Easter with with a family trail. Find all the wooden eggs and you'll get your chocolate reward. Suitable for children of all ages.

Hobbies and experiments - discover how the family's time at Cragside was well spent. An illustrated talk by Andrew Sawyer. Enjoy a cup of tea and slice of cake afterwards.

Alnwick Garden
www.alnwickgarden.com
Easter Egg Hunt
Friday 2nd – Monday 5th April
Collect a card from the information desk and follow the clues the Easter bunny has left around The Garden to see how many egg shapes you can find.

Egg decorating workshop
Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd April
Join a workshop to decorate hard boiled eggs or make a traditional Easter card.

Egg-rolling and Easter Stories
Sunday 4th and Monday 5th April
Decorate an egg and then join storyteller Taffy Thomas for egg-rolling and traditional Easter stories.

Roots and Shoots open weekend
Friday April 2nd - Monday 5th April
Visit the Roots and Shoots Garden for a series of practical demonstrations and hands on workshops by the garden team on seed setting, transplanting seedlings, and preparing the ground for the coming season.

Floors Castle - Kelso
www.roxburghe.net
Join them for their annual Easter Eggstravaganza event. Eggs hunts, magic shows, bouncy castles and garden games. Come in fancy dress and join in our competitions. A delicious hog roast and BBQ provided by Iain Collingbourne, Head Chef at Floors Castle.
Family entertainment and fun for all.
Adult £3.50 / Child £3.00 / Family £12.00
11am - 3pm

Warkworth Castle
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
Can you find Henry VIII and his six wives and uncover the grisly truth behind the untimely deaths of Anne Boleyn and Kathryn Howard. You'll need to keep your head to complete this trail and receive your yummy Easter prize.

Bamburgh Castle Opens For February Half Term

Bamburgh Castle will open in the off season for the frist time to boost North Northumberland's winter visitor offer. The castle, which closes from November to March, will open for February Half Term.

Whale washed up on Beadnell Beach

A TEN-metre long sperm whale has died ater becoming stranded on rocks between Beadnell and Seahouses on Monday.
The mammal, which experts think weighed about 20 tonnes, is thought to have suffered dehydration after losing its way. The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said the whale was alive for a time, but could not be saved as the tide was going out. Sperm whales are the deepest diving mammal and the largest toothed of all whales, feeding on squid and other large deep water fish. They can grow up to 18 metres in length and weigh up to 50 tonnes.

Bamburgh copes with the recent snow

Bamburgh Castle and village looked spectacular during the recent snow fallls, although the snow did get fairly thick on the local roads, you could still get through to the village from the A1. Things are getting back to normal now. The cottages are closed in January for redecoration and this is nearly complete. New carpets in Sandham's master bedroom and a makeover with some new lighting in the sitting room.

We have also revamped The Haven's sitting room with new furnishings and a flat screen TV. The hall also gets a new look with new wall lights.

Bookings are going well. Here's to 2010 - and a long hot summer !