...well, not counting our 'spring holiday' at the end of May to Madrid & Paris, nor our Dales Way walk at the end of June -- which was a bit of a washout.
Although my birthday was in early July, I told DH that what I wanted for my pressie was a weekend away somewhere nice here in the UK -- we agreed to do it on the August bank holiday weekend. He planned it to be a complete surprise so I didn't know exactly where we were going to be until we got there! And we just got home this evening after spending a lovely 5 days (Thursday through today) away.
Whoa! What
didn't we do?!?! First off, we drove up to a little town called Rennington in Northumberland - to check in, which is where we stayed Thursday through Saturday nights. It's very near Alnwick! So once we'd checked in & had lunch, it was off to Alnwick Castle (Hogwarts Castle)!!!!
http://www.alnwickcastle.com/index.phpWe also had a quick walk around Alnwick. There is a wonderful & HUGE second hand bookstore there called Barter Books:
http://www.barterbooks.co.uk/ (One of the largest second hand bookstores in Europe!) That I wasn't prepared for & it was so lovely outside that we wanted to be outside, not in -- but I would love to go back & shop more there!
The next morning, we went back into Alnwick to see the Alnwick Garden:
http://www.alnwickgarden.com/index.asp Simply amazing! It was really just incredibly beautiful there.
Then in the afternoon, we were off to Craster which is right on the Northumberland coast:
http://www.northumberland-coast.co.uk/craster.php Where we had lunch, and did a long walk through the afternoon along the coast, over to Dunstanburgh Castle, then to a lovely golden sandy beach, Embleton Bay, then back to Craster through gorgeous farms in full harvest swing. Granted the North Sea was a bit cooler than my beloved Gulf of Mexico, but only just...
On Saturday, we did a really long walk (10 miles) in the Cheviot Hills -- first along a beautiful river valley (Breamish Valley), then back up high on a moor, over to a waterfall & back to the start (again around wonderful farms). Much of this was really isolated & remote.
On Sunday, we went over to Seahouses (also on the Northumberland coast), and took a boat trip around the Farne Islands, and saw the seals out there. In the afternoon, we went & saw the Wild Chillingham Cattle:
http://www.chillingham-wildcattle.org.uk/ (Of course, Steve was teasing me that he was going to take me on a walk during which I would be chased by wild cattle!)
Sunday evening, we then drove down to Durham for a night/day spent there. He booked us the loveliest B&B with a view of Durham Cathedral outside our window -- which we could see while lying in bed. And today, we spent touring Durham Cathedral:
http://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/ and Durham Castle:
http://www.northeastengland.talktalk.net/DurhamCastle.htmAnd now we're home again. He really outdid himself this time! The weekend couldn't have been any more perfect, just the right combination of action-packed & relaxation. Lots of good wining & dining. GORGEOUS weather every single day! (Have just a slight sunburn on my face.) So many amazing things that we did and saw. I didn't want it to end. Sigh.
