The Centre of Britain Makes Its Mark

Earlier in the year, on an exceptionally sunny July day, I left the city of Glasgow behind and ventured south across the border to the small English town of Haltwhistle.

Haltwhistle – known as the “Centre of Britain” – is located in Northumberland, a county renowned for its sweeping moorlands, ancient castles, beautiful beaches, friendly pubs and, of course, Hadrian’s Wall. On arrival at my accommodation I was greeted not only by my lovely hosts, but with Eton mess and chilled prosecco! Very welcome treats that only set the tone for my delightful stay.

On the advice of my hosts, I decided to make the most of the afternoon sunshine and explore the local area. Haltwhistle really offers nature lovers a treat! Situated between the North Pennines and Northumberland National Park, the town has over 20 easily accessible country walks. I took myself on a short two-mile walk from my B&B through the town centre. I made a brief pit stop in a local inn and enjoyed a refreshing pint of English cider and a hearty game stew. It would have been rude not to!

Enjoying a refreshing English cider

Later, I ventured onwards to one of Britain’s most famous landmarks – Hadrian’s Wall, the northern frontier of the Holy Roman Empire. The once 80-mile coast to coast structure was erected by 15,000 men in just six years – truly some extraordinary work! Although not so vast nowadays, many large parts of the wall have been beautifully conserved. Milecastle 42 is considered one of the most well-preserved areas and it is an impressive sight to see. The once heavily guarded wall, now an unguarded world heritage site, transports you back two millennia in a matter of moments. I can easily imagine the soldiers and their enemies on the other side, bustling about their days entirely unaware that many years later, their lives would be mused over by tourists from all over the world. I made myself a promise to return again to visit the Roman army fort and the Vindolanda to learn more about this fascinating time in history.

Strolling back through the village later in the evening I was distracted by the smell of deep-fried deliciousness wafting from the local chip shop. It didn’t take much to tempt me inside! There is something wonderfully British and nostalgic about sitting on a bench on a cool summer’s night, a ‘poke’ of fresh chips in hand. A lovely end to an enjoyable day in the “Centre of Britain”.

Some fresh chips in Haltwhistle

McKinlay Kidd offer a variety of holidays to Northumberland, from self-drives across Northern England to dark sky experiences and journeys through beautiful scenery by train. For more information, simply get in touch with our award-winning team, who will be delighted to help.

Exploring Northumberland – hills and castles!

I may be a little biased as I have lived in Northern England all my life, but I have truly enjoyed researching holidays for McKinlay Kidd on my own stomping ground. I thought I knew my home area fairly well but have made some amazing discoveries and continue to be very impressed with the quality of accommodation and experiences on offer. The overriding feeling from all of my encounters in Northumberland has been the friendliness of the people I have met, who are all so passionate about their surroundings and all they have to offer.

Being Northumbrian by birth, I have always adored the dramatic countryside, the stark contrasts, the often wild weather and the endless opportunities for a good walk, safe in the knowledge that you won’t bump into many people! Whatever the time of year you will find a spot you can call your own, perhaps to enjoy a peaceful picnic with a superb view, interrupted only by birdsong.

In the north-west, the Cheviot Hills offer an inviting wilderness of hidden valleys, waterfalls, endless heather moorland and copious remains of Bronze Age activity, with hill forts, standing stones and cup and ring marked carvings scattered throughout the area. You really can get away from it all in the most sparsely populated of all the English counties. Pack waterproofs and sunglasses and prepare to enjoy four seasons in one day. If you prefer to enjoy the great outdoors from the comfort of your car then North Northumberland’s roads offer fantastic drives, criss-crossing the county with superb views in all directions. The roads are incredibly quiet and a joy to explore. I discovered some routes I had never been on before and loved seeing the new views of the hills from different directions. There are plenty of great pubs for lunch, too.

Northumberland has more castles than any other county with over 70 sites; I must have visited nearly all of them. Being the most northerly county of England the area was continually fought over by the ruling powers of England and Scotland, resulting in grand fortifications as Bamburgh and Alnwick, which remain intact and still lived in today. My favourite castle is the ruin of Dunstanburgh, dramatically perched on a headland overlooking Embleton Bay. There’s an easy walk from Craster village along the foreshore (and back to enjoy a crab sandwich in the pub for lunch) or continue to Embleton and Newton further north for a proper hike. The views are incredible from both directions. A close second favourite of mine is Warkworth, a solid structure towering above the delightful village of the same name, on a bend in the River Coquet, one mile inland from the sea.  It’s a ruin but a substantial one, accessed by a drawbridge and surrounded by a moat.

As well as the royal castles, the locals certainly added to the battle-torn countryside of Northumberland with many fortified houses and peel towers to guard against raids from each other. The Border Reivers from both England and Scotland scraped a living from the land from the 13th to 17th centuries: there was a certain amount of lawlessness and basically it was survival of the fittest. There are numerous ruins and dozens of stories from this era. One saying I remember on reading about a quarrel over sheep rustling which resulted in a murder was “his heid span alang the heather like an inion”. Fortunately, such tough times are well behind us!

by Anna Skelton, who has been helping us plan and prepare our new programme of holidays to the North of England.