The Holy Island of Lindisfarne

There are few places in this country that combine such powerful religious history and stunning natural vistas quite like The Holy Island of Lindisfarne does. Visiting can be anything from a pilgrimage to the birthplace of Britain's Christianity movement to just a beautiful walk around this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Island has a population of just 160, yet it welcomes over 650,000 guests each and every year.

So what is there to do here? and where can you find out about the glorious history? the 'Cradle of Christianity'? Places to eat and drink? Your Northumberland Guide of course! Click here for your guide to Holy Island...

Queen's Visit causes Road Closures

Just a quick heads up if you plan (or need) to get into Alnwick tomorrow, there are many road closures due to the Queen's visit. Guests to the event must approach Alnwick on the A1 and take the Denwick slip road to the North, NOT the Willowburn slip road at the South of the town, you should already have instructions about which car park to use.

All other traffic must enter the town from the South slip road (Willowburn A1068). Within the town centre itself there will be many road closures, some for just short periods of time and they will be manned at all times and have clear diversion routes. Bondgate Within, Denwick Lane and Narrowgate will be closed for most of the day and should be avoided.

Bamburgh Village Guide

'It's a coastline ravaged by nature and steeped in history, there's a story round every single corner ...you're not just looking at a view, you're standing in the footsteps of kings, and all on one of the most dramatic coastlines nature has to offer.' Janet Street Porter on ITV's Britain's Best View.

Bamburgh is a stunningly attractive small Village set on the Northern stretch of the Northumberland Coast. It is without doubt dominated by it's magnificently striking Castle that can be seen for miles around, giving the whole Village a somewhat dramatic feeling. You can't fail to be impressed by the sheer scale of the Castle once you are up close and in the Village itself. There is much to do in the Village alongside the Castle and it's amazing history, there are impressive stretches of pure golden sandy beaches, many 'proper' English tea rooms and restaurants, St Aidan's Church and a newly renovated museum dedicated to Grace Darling, amongst other things. Click here for Your Guide to the wonderful coastal Village of Bamburgh.

Your Guide to the Farne Islands

One of the Country's most important and beautiful bird sanctuaries lies just a few miles off the coast of Northumberland. The Farne Islands are home to over 100,000 pairs of birds in the mating season from May to July and up to 6,000 Seals in their breeding season in late Autumn. The Islands also have an amazing history, it was the home of St Cuthbert from 678AD and is also the home of the legend of Grace Darling. Boat trips leave from the fishing port of Seahouses all year round to this fascinating place, and now you can read all about it in your guide to the Farne Islands HERE at Your Northumberland Guide.

After ten years, it's still a "Wow"

This is why i love this County. A bit of history first, I grew up in the heart of Northumberland and it is the only place that i will ever consider to be 'home', I love it dearly. My partner grew up in the Midlands and we have been visiting places all over the County for over ten years together. Not long ago we were discussing where we could go for a bit of a walk and a drink at the weekend, "I fancy somewhere different"... so i wracked my brains and realised that for some reason we'd never been to the beach at Low Newton and had a drink at the Ship Inn. How could we have overlooked it for so long?

So off we went on a gloriously sunny morning, drove through the village and out towards Low Newton beach. As we hit the brow of the hill something amazing happened. The stunning view of the beach at low tide sprawled out in front of us, the sea sparking in the low sunlight and Dunstanburgh Castle's dramatic ruins finishing off the horizon like a punctuation mark. "oh wow" i hear next to me in the car. After over ten years of exploring and enjoying this amazing place, it's still capable of raising a "wow" from a seasoned travellor. And that's why i love Northumberland.

'Best Shopping Street' to get Royal Visit

It's been somewhat of a 'double whammy' this month for the town of Alnwick. Not only has Bondgate Within won Google's Street Award for Best Shopping Street in the UK, it will also have the honour of Royal endorsement from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The Royal visit is set for Wednesday the 22nd of June when the Town will hold a special party to recognise the valuable work of carers and volunteers from around the County. The event will take place in Alnwick Castle, The Alnwick Garden and a walk around Alnwick's town centre. With 8,000 people on the list of invitations it's going to be a busy day! An excellent reason to visit (or avoid!) Alnwick on the 22nd depending on your views. The Castle will be open to the public from 2.30pm to join in the celebrations, although normal entrance fees apply.

We would like to extend our congratulations to the Town's shopkeepers and businesses for creating such a brilliant, award-winning shopping experience. Click here for Your Guide to Alnwick's Shopping.

Alnwick Wins National 'Best Shopping Street' Award

Alnwick's beautiful main shopping street of Bondgate Within has won Google Street View's 2011 award for 'Best Shopping Street' in the UK, beating off stiff competition from the rest of the Country. We have been enjoying the relaxed shopping of Alnwick for years and we are proud that it has finally been recognised! Over 20,000 people voted in the awards and we would like to thank all of them for giving Alnwick some excellent promotion.

Laura Scott, of Google, said: "I think it's clear that people not just from the area, but also people who have visited from outside the area, obviously really credit the North East as being not only great for shopping, but also hip or trendy. There's lots of talk from the government about Britain's high streets and I think Alnwick kind of describes what the perfect high street would be like."

Front Street in Bamburgh was also recognised in the awards, it came second in most 'Romantic Street' category.

Click here to read our complete guide to Alnwick's Shopping, part of Your Guide to Alnwick.