Bamburgh Castle - Itinerary Day Three - Wednesday
Lindisfarne - Itinerary Day Four - Thursday
Durham Cathedral - Itinerary Day Seven - Sunday
Alnwick Castle - Itinerary Day Two - Tuesday
Chillingham Castle - Itinerary Day Three - Wednesday
Bamburgh Castle
nce upon a time, when I was a little girl (quite a while ago!) I was regularly taken to Bamburgh Castle and the beautiful white sands that surround it. Always an exciting treat, with my egg sandwiches packed up ready to eat on the beach, but it seemed to take forever to get there. Of course it didn't, a mere forty minute drive from my home and there it was! I really relish introducing you, on one of our days, to this incredible "castle in the sand"! Bamburgh (pronounced Bam-burr-ra) Castle is perched on a vertical bluff of rock overlooking the wild North sea. From a visual perspective it is impossibly powerful and dramatic looming majestically as it does over a seemingly endless stretch of deserted white beaches. It is arguably the most photogenic castle in the whole of British Isles.
Steeped in history of course, but myths too cling to its enigmatic facade, for it is said that here did Lancelot spend much of his youth before venturing out to join with King Arthur and his knights of the round table. So here is my mini version of the story behind this great castle.....
Hang on to your hats!! Northumbria is the heart of Anglo Saxon England and it is the most powerful of all the seven Kingdoms. Sixth century Kings choose Bamburgh as their royal capital due to its formidable position.
King Aethelfrith, nicknamed "the Destroyer" inherits the castle around 607A.D. and leaves a bloody trail of mayhem in his wake.
Despite this bloodshed, or possibly because of it he expands his Kingdom and makes it more powerful yet. He bequeaths the castle to his wife Bebba, and so it is renamed Bebbanburgh in her honour, the origin of today's name.
Destiny intervenes around A.D. 634 as Good King Oswald, descendant of King Aethelfrith has a chance meeting with a man called Aiden (later to become St Aiden) and gives permission for him to build a monastery on Lindisfarne. This is to become the start of the story of Holy Island, the cradle of Christianity in Britain and Europe.......anyway back to this story.....
Violent and bloody invasions follow for the next century. Kings are murdered or forced into exile and power- hungry leaders of rival kingdoms start to eat away at Northumbria.
Oh dear........the violence continues another hundred years or so with the Vikings and then William the Conqueror. The capital begins to weaken and the castle falls slowly into disrepair.
.........due to its strategic position it is vital that the castle should withhold attack from the Scots, so orders for fortification and restoration are given. Serfs and tenants to work!!
.......eventually around 1600 King James 1st bequeaths the castle to the Forster family for loyal service. Thus for the first time in 1200 years does the castle become privately owned.
.........of course the family cannot afford the upkeep for such a grand castle and so for the second time it falls into disrepair
.........in 1701 a great love story becomes intertwined with the destiny of the castle as Dorothy, one of the Forster family and heiress to the castle, falls in love and marries a man 40 years her senior. They are happy and in love but tragically she dies and her grieving husband sets up a trust fund in her memory to restore her beloved castle.........and so the castle lives again!
......... Lord Armstrong purchases the castle in 1894 for the princely sum of 60 pounds ($100) with a view to restoring it to its former glory........ ..one million pounds later, he is close to achieving his goal, but of course in the best of operatic traditions, he dies before the work is complete. Nevertheless his descendants continue to call Bamburgh Castle their home!
........Phew, so much to tell in a short version. I hope this gives you the flavour of this magnificent castle and its breathtaking landscape.
..Let us share it with you!
Lindisfarne
ou do not have to be religious to appreciate the profound history attached to Holy Island ( Lindisfarne). Visitors from all walks of life arrive to experience this special place, internationally renowned as the "Cradle of Christianity." My first visit to Holy Island was many decades ago on school trip, unfortunately I really managed to miss a lot of the significance of the visit because I had torn a hole in one of my long socks and all I was concerned about was hiding that!!!! Oh well.....children!
The only way to drive to Holy Island is via a long causeway open only twice a day as the tide sweeps in from the North Sea to cover it completely, and that fact alone gives a mystical feel to it. "Safe" crossing times are accurately forecast from phases of the moon, so don't worry, we will not have to wear life jackets and we will not be stranded overnight!! (although believe me that has happened to some people.)
Historians have written a multitude of books on the history of Holy Island, but not being one of them, and having no desire to bore you with too much detail, here is my super short version:-
.........The story begins with the arrival of St Aiden in 635 A.D. on Lindisfarne to build a monastery.
.........The story continues when a youth of seventeen years ( later to become St.Cuthbert) is gazing out from his Northumbrian home and sees a light descend to earth and then return to the heavens. He believes that he has witnessed a human soul going to heaven. The date is 31st of August 651 A.D., the same night that St.Aiden dies.
.......... Cuthbert's calling is to become a monk and his path is eventually to take him to Lindisfarne where he runs the monastery and becomes a renowned spiritual guide developing the gift of healing.
...........Cuthbert dies in the company of Lindisfarne monks on 20th of March 687 A.D. His body is buried on Lindisfarne.
.........people come to his grave to pray and miracles of healing are soon proclaimed; a clear sign that he will soon be declared a saint. And so his following grows to be even stronger in death than in life.
..........eleven years are allowed to pass so that only his skeleton will remain and he can be "elevated". The declaration day of his sainthood is also to be a day of shock and surprise, for when his coffin is opened, the body within is complete and un-decayed. And so begins the cult of St Cuthbert as pilgrims to flocked to the shrine.
.......through Viking raids, the Norman conquest, the reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries, his remains survive and are now laid to rest inside Durham Cathedral. A plain gravestone bearing the name 'Cuthbertus' can still be seen on Lindisfarne and to this day pilgrimages are made to the site.
......I can not leave Holy Island without mentioning the Lindisfarne gospels ....so here we go ......
THE LINDISFARNE GOSPELS
Holy Island holds a very special place in history as the birthplace of the Lindisfarne Gospels. These illuminated manuscripts are a precious testimony to the tenacity of Christian belief during one of the most turbulent and dark periods of British history. Superb in design, costly in time and materials, opulent and richly decorated this manuscript is amongst our greatest artistic and religious treasures.
The entire Lindisfarne gospels are the work of one man, an artistic monk called Eadfrith, giving it a coherent sense of design.
Eadfrith played a major part in establishing Cuthberts cult and the Gospels are thought to have been written in honour of his sainthood.
With much controversy the Gospels were moved, and are now under glass in the British library in London, but there is an ongoing campaign to relocate them to the North East of England, their rightful home
Durham Cathedral
he Cathedral originally served a political and military function by reinforcing the authority of the Norman conquerors and subsequently the prince -bishops over England's Northern border. Built at the end of the 11th Century, it also protects the shrine of St.Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. It sits on a peninsular of land over the river Wear which hovers above a precipitous gorge. Widely recognized as a renowned masterpiece of Norman (or Romanesque) architecture it is also the largest structure of its kind In England, if not all of Europe, never failing to impress.
The Cathedral as you would expect has a rich history and has borne witness to much turbulence throughout the ages including the Reformation in the 15th Century when it was surrendered to the Crown and the intervention of Oliver Cromwell in 1650 when three thousand "troublesome" Scottish prisoners were incarcerated inside its walls.
If only walls could talk, my goodness what stories they would have to tell.....
Let us share it with you!
Alnwick Castle
lnwick Castle (pronounced Annik) is amidst one of Northumberland's most attractive market towns and is nothing short of magnificent! One of the largest "lived in" castles in England, the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland and their family call it "home". Built on the border between England and Scotland it has played an extremely important strategic role full of drama and intrigue, just as you would expect!!! Alnwick Castle's royal residents have recently celebrated 700 candles on the cake.... now that's old!
A tiny slice of history about the Castle.
.........it all started in the 11th Century when the "Percy family" took it as their seat of power. Incidentally, Shakespeare has immortalized the eldest son of the first Earl of Percy, nicknamed "Hotspur" in his play Henry V.
.....battles won and lost, imprisonment, courage against all odds and treachery galore.....honestly who needs to watch "soap operas" on television when the real thing is right here!
.....the current Duchess, with great vision, took it upon herself to transform the derelict gardens of the castle into a contemporary masterpiece which is an absolute delight to visit. As I have been living in North America during that past decade I have missed all the local news on the restoration, but on a visit "home " on a beautiful April's day, I was simply astounded by the sight (poison garden and all). Another reason I had to start "Northumbria Trails" and share this area with the rest of the world.
.....Alnwick Castle is packed with glorious art and furniture treasures collected from bygone centuries. The gardens are simply outstanding and have recently been attracting world wide attention. All in all........ an absolute "must see!"
..Let us share it with you!
Chillingham Castle
o wonder we have so many ghostly stories and haunting in our ancient castles, for after all, have they not borne witness to bloody battles deeds of ghastly torture as the centuries have idled by? Could "energy" yet reside in their cold stark walls? Probably imagined ? Perhaps not!
I'm sure I am no different to most people in being fairly sceptical of any ghost story however after recently revisiting Chillingham Castle in Northumberland, reputed to be the most haunted place in England I came out of it's torture chambers with a profound chill; a sense that I had been close to witnessing the horrors of barbaric practices, centuries old. Many poor souls hung within these cruel chambers, to be drawn and quartered whilst still living. The fortunate few simply had their heads chopped off!
And it is not just there in the bowels of the castle. Far above, through the winding halls and across the windswept ramparts, the ghosts of the Blue Boy and the Lady Mary are said yet to roam!
Truly authentic, not for the faint hearted but not to be missed either on our "Northumbria Trails" experience.
Let us share it with you!
Time Line
nd with the passing of the Roman Empire so does Britannia fall into a Dark Age.
Temples crumble, roads fall into disrepair and fear stalks the land.
Into this grim scenario a hero is born. As history and myth merge into one, a light dispels the gloomy pall. It is cast by ARTHUR and his Knights of the Round Table. But all too briefly does it burn before lengthening shadows from the East consume it.
Under the cover of these shadows, Angle and Saxon raiders set sail from their Germanic homelands, to land upon Britannia's undefended shores. And now, consumed by war, civilization loses its lustre; the order established by the Romans gives way to chaos.
But then, in the 6th century, in a far off place, another light emerges: that of IDA THE FLAME BEARER. King of the Anglican Kingdom of Bernicia, he is destined to become the founder of the dynasty of the Anglo-Saxon Kings. Just two generations are to pass before his grandson AETHELFRITH unites Bernicia with the neighbouring Kingdom of Deira, and thus is Northumbria born.
It is a huge realm extending southwards from the Firth of Forth, all the way to the Humber Estuary, and is destined to become one of the strongest Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of Britannia.
Two centuries pass during which KING OSWALD consolidates Northumbrian boundaries and, despite this continual backdrop of violence, finds time to acquaint his people with Celtic Christianity by establishing the famed monastery at Lindisfarne.
KING OSWIV, Oswald's brother and successor, goes on to become a dominant figure in Britannia; a "Bretwalda" or "lord of the Britons". This elevated position is short lived however, revolt and civil war are not far away.
The 9th Century arrives and Britannia sees the arrival of the infamous Vikings and their leader IVAR THE BONELESS. It is said that Ivar is one of the wisest of men who has ever lived and is therefore adviser to his not-so-bright bright brothers BJORN IRONSIDE and SIGURD SNAKE-IN-THE-EYE.
Having wintered in East Anglia with his "Great Heathen Army", he leads his forces north, where, to the surprise of all, he finds the Northumbrians engaged in civil war. Thus he is able to capture their capital, York, with ease, and also AELLA of NORTHUMBRIA who, if accounts are to be believed has murdered Ivar's father by throwing him into a snake pit. And thus did these events presage a new era of benign enlightenment under a dynasty of Viking rulers as Ivar suggests that a" blood eagle" be carved upon Aella's back: a colourful Viking practice whereby the victims back is cut open, his ribs are pulled from his spine, and his lungs pulled out to form "wings".
The Viking dynasty comes to an end with the reign of ERIC BLOODAXE, who is also the last independent Northumbrian monarch. Typically, he is betrayed and murdered by OSULF, high reeve of Northumbria, who is subsequently appointed as prospective Earl of Northumbria the following year as the Kingdom is absorbed into England, under the reign of EADRED.
1066 - a famous date in the history of Britannia, brings a new King of England: WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. A dazzling light indeed, whose radiance turns immediately upon Northumbria, a buffer against the Scots. A Norman noble, ROBERT COMINE by name is despatched northward, as prospective Earl of Northumbria."Prospective" he remains as he and his 700 men are massacred in the city of Durham. This, and further rebellions, persuade the Normans to partition Northumbria into more manageable portions, namely Northumberland and Durham.
From that day to this, subsequent monarchs invariably recognize the importance of Northumberland, wedged as it is against the Scottish border, and each of its Earls, invariably named Henry Percy, prospers....at least those few who are not killed in battle, or committed to the Tower of London!
