Walk in the footsteps of Roman legionnaires and explore this wild and beautiful border county
It’s easy to forget how far north Northumberland is. Most of it is closer to the North Pole than Scotland’s Gretna Green is, with Berwick-upon-Tweed further north than Ayr or Kilmarnock.
The effects of Scotland’s proximity are evident everywhere. This is border country. Castles dot the landscape. Villages are dominated by defensive pele towers. Even the formidable Roman army felt it necessary to build a wall, coast to coast. All this to discourage the incursion of the wild and feared Scottish tribes.
Religion and heavy industry have also left their mark on the landscape. Northumberland was known not only as a cradle of Christianity but also of the industrial revolution.
Today, Northumberland has an impressive coastline of castles and beaches. Its southern border is defined by Hadrian’s Wall, the most clearly marked of any of the Roman Empire’s borders and a World Heritage site which attracts visitors from all over the globe. The county’s interior, stretching north from the Wall, consists of mile upon mile of rolling moorland and forest – bleak, bare, beautiful and home to a wide variety of animals and birds.
Go north for your Great Escape. You’ll not regret it.