A brief introduction to Northumberland

Northumberland is in the North East of England.  It borders the county of Cumbria to its west, County Durham to the south and to the south east the small county of Tyne & Wear.  To the North West of Northumberland is the English / Scottish border. 

Northumberland has over 300,000 people living there and is nearly 2,000 square miles.  If you are looking for a coastal holiday then the 80 miles of coastline Northumberland has to offer is bound to suit most people’s needs.

Northumberland boasts a wide diversity in landscape.  Beautiful national parks, a spectacular coastline as well as densely populated areas habituated due to its historic richness in natural resources such as coal.

Northumberland National Park

Nearly 400 square miles of beautiful countryside that is well worth a visit.  The parks houses the largest artificial lake (Kielder Water) in Europe.  It holds 200,000,000,000 litres of water.  Hadrian’s Wall runs to the south of the national park.  The park is still littered with pre-historic remains and its history can be still seen.  Fortified farmhouses are still a feature which were originally built to safeguard the farmers family and livestock from thieves. Its hard to imagine such a turbulent past at such a beautiful location.

Soak up Northumbrian history on holiday

Whilst you are enjoying your holiday in Northumberland why not take the opportunity to explore some of the many historical sights this county has to offer.

There are castles to see in towns such as Bamburgh, Warkworth and Alnwick,  so these may be ideal bases for a self-catering cottage holiday in historical Northumbrian locations.
In Howick the UK’s oldest house is located.  It is said to date back to around 7500BC.  There are also Neolithic stone ring locations within Northumberland.  There are Roman settlements in the Housesead as well as other places within this historic county.

Islands along the coast of Northumberland

Like many coastal counties Northumberland has a far few Islands along its 80 miles of coastline. Annstead Rocks is located near Seahouses.  Broadstones, Castledhead Rocks and Keal Head can be found near Holy Island.  There are many others dotted along the coast, most are un inhabited.