Bamburgh

Northumberland break 7

You can't really go to Northumberland without calling in at Bamburgh, a small village built around one of its most famous castles, originally the seat of the kings of Northumbria. Prominent on a rocky outcrop, the castle's core dates back to Norman times, though it has been extensively enlarged and altered over the years. It has belonged to the Armstrong family since 1894, when it was bought by the industrialist and inventor William Armstrong, who set about transforming it and filling it with his collection of art, ceramics and objets d'art. 

Bamburgh is a tourist hotspot - this must be one of the most photographed red telephone boxes in England! 

I found a field of poppies to the south of the castle, but sand dunes meant that I couldn't really frame them with the castle in the background. You can just see it! 

The village also has St Aidan's church, the burial place of Grace Darling (1815-1842). She was the daughter of the lighthouse keeper on Longstone Island in the Farne islands just off the coast. In 1838, Grace and her father - in a rowing boat - rescued some of the crew and passengers of the paddleship Forfarshire, wrecked on nearby rocks. Grace became something of a Victorian celebrity as a result. Sadly she later died of TB aged only 26.