Originally Posted by
mikeec
Cragside and Alnwick Castle both need a reasonable amount of time to fully appreciate. You could easily spend half a day at each but it just depends how much you want to go into things. Alnwick is very much the big tourist attraction. Spectacular gardens and the castle itself to look round. Then there might be additional displays of falconry etc that can easily take more time if you want to just sit and watch them. Also, cafes shops, tree houses. I think we spent about 3 hours there and that was only just enough time to do the main bits.
Cragside is out in the country near Rothbury. We love it for the mix of spectacular location, fascinating house and grounds and all the engineering of the electrical and water systems and everything else that goes with the Armstrong name; ship building, armaments etc. There are lovely trails through the woods to see some of the engineering installations - definitely worth taking the time to do these if the weather allows. There are lots of other trails around the grounds if you are feeling energetic.
Rothbury is a pleasant little town for a look around but you probably don't need a massive amount of time to have a stroll up and down the main street.
Just for completeness Alnmouth itself is a lovely seaside village with some nice pubs and B&Bs. We have stayed there a few times. Nice walks along the beach before breakfast or after dinner. Unfortunately Alnmouth is a good way from the railway station of the same name; not really walkable with luggage.
A wonderful area to explore. Enjoy.
It sounds like we should do an afternoon in one and the next morning in the other (assuming we arrive from the South in the morning). Perhaps the morning in Alnwick in the hope that it will be less crowded then (and to be closer to the train for our journey north)?
Is there anything else in the area that we should see and that's reachable by taxi? We are much more interested in art, architecture and gardens than beaches or pubs.