Back Roads Great Britain (Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

DRIVE 20:Wild Northumbria 209

Above left Cragside towering above its large

rock garden Above right The technologically

advanced Victorian manor house at Cragside

EAT AND DRINK

AROUND KIELDER WATER

Old School Tea Room inexpensive

Attractive tea rooms and craft shop

housed in a Victorian school building,

ideal for inexpensive snacks.

Falstone, NE48 1AA; 01434 240 459

AROUND CRAGSIDE

Angler’s Arms moderate

This 1760s coaching inn is on the River

Coquet, off the A697 around 10 km

(6 miles) east of Cragside. Meals are

served in an old railway carriage.

Weldon Bridge, Longframlington,

NE65 8AX; 01665 570 271

AROUND AMBLE

Mason’s Arms inexpensive

Home-cooked meals include Craster

smoked kipper pâté and Northumbrian

sausage at this pub in Warkworth, 3 km

(2 miles) north of Amble on the A1068.

3 Dial Place, Warkworth, NE65 0UR;

01665 711 398

WHERE TO STAY

AROUND KIELDER WATER

Pheasant Inn inexpensive–moderate

On the road (1 km/2 miles) from Kielder

Water, this friendly farmhouse-inn has a

great location and comfy rooms.

Stannersburn, Falstone, NE48 1DD; 01434

240 382; http://www.thepheasantinn.com

AROUND AMBLE

Roxbro House moderate

This boutique B&B in an old stone house

3 km (2 miles) north of Amble on the

A1068 is charming and friendly and

serves great locally sourced breakfasts.

5 Castle Terrace, Warkworth, NE65 0UP;

01665 711 416; http://www.roxbrohouse.co.uk

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under £25; moderate, £25–£50; expensive, over £50

2 Cragside Estate
Rothbury, Northumberland; NE65 7PX
One of the great Victorian houses of
the Northeast and the first to be lit by
hydro-electricity in 1880, Cragside
Estate (open Mar–Sep; http://www.nationaltrust.
org.uk) was commissioned by scientist
and arms manufacturer Sir William
Armstrong. It is best seen from below,
looming over its woodland estate, and
the largest hand-made rock garden in
Europe. The sumptuous interiors also
contain a wealth of gadgetry. There is
some rough going in the grounds, so
wear walking shoes and keep a
lookout for glimpses of red squirrels
and England’s tallest tree, a Douglas

A Man’s House is his Castle

Over the centuries, Northumberland

has been the site of many battles and

border raids with the Scots, so it is no

surprise that it boasts more castles

than any other part of England. There

are also many smaller houses fortified

with square bastions or pele towers,

which were virtually impregnable. In

Elizabethan times these oddities also

harboured raiding clans known as

the Border Reivers (see p198).

1 Kielder Water
Northumberland; NE48 1BX
With 43 km (27 miles) of shoreline set
among cool pine forest and heather
moorland, Kielder Water is northern
Europe’s largest man-made lake. Visit
the Tower Knowe Visitor Centre (closed
Nov through Mar; http://www.nwl.co.uk)) to find
out about the activities on offer, such
as walking, fishing, lake cruises,
mountain biking and horse riding.
Further west along the shoreline is the
Leaplish Waterside Park (0870 240 3549;
http://www.nwl.co.uk/planyourbreak.aspx)) with
lodges for rent, Bird of Prey Centre,
swimming pools, saunas, boat hire
and ferry rides – for non-residents, too.
The forest teems with wildlife such
as otters, roe deer and osprey, and is
home to nearly three-quarters of the
UK’s red squirrels. The lakeside is also
home to works by renowned artists.
ª Turn left out of the visitor centre,
following the minor roads towards
Greenhaugh. Turn right just before this
hamlet then left on B6320 to Otterburn.
Turn right on A696 and left on B6341
just beyond Rothbury to Cragside.

3 Amble

Northumberland; NE65

A key centre for coal distribution in

the 19th century, Amble’s fortunes

declined along with the mining

industry. Sitting at the mouth of the

River Coquet, Amble is now a pleasant

and relaxed town. Head north along

the Coquet to Warkworth to see the

castle – a former stronghold of the

mighty Percy family – with its cross-

shaped keep, and enjoy lunch in the

Mason’s Arms (see right) or picnic on

the wide sandy beach. In summer,

take a boat from the marina to

Coquet Island with its 24-m (80-ft)

high lighthouse, and watch nesting

seabirds – puffins, eider ducks and the

rare roseate tern. Or walk south along

the coast and picnic in the dunes at

lovely Druridge Country Park.

ª Take the A1068 north for 14.5 km

(9 miles) to Alnwick. Turn right onto

Greenwell Road for the car park.

Fir, in the pinetum. Children will enjoy

playing with the hands-on mini

electrical generators inside the house

and the newt colony, adventure play

area and rhododendron maze outside.

ª Return towards Rothbury on B6341,

turn left on B6344; turn left on A697 and

right on B6345, then A1068 to Amble.

GETTING TO KIELDER WATER

From the south, take the A1, turning left

on the A68 after Darlington, then left to

Bellingham and the road to Kielder.