Follow the Northumberland Coastal Route past castles in Warkworth and Dunstanburgh (optionally why not take a stroll along the coast from Craster to the castle – you could also taste some traditional Craster Kippers or the famous crab sandwiches at The Jolly Fischerman) and head into Alnwick for a visit to Britain’s largest inhabited castle besides Windsor. Here, at the home of the Percy family, Duke of Northumberland, marvel at the grand interior of the lived-in palace – also a filimng location for Harry Potter and Downton Abbey.
Or, why not travel north to Bamburgh and explore the former capital of Northumbria, later to Holy Island and disvover Edwyn Lutyens famed Lindisfarne Castle before enjoying a well-deserved afternoon tea in the estate village of Ford and Etal (both boasting formidable castles), near Flodden battlefield.
There are so many options for a personalised castles tour – not only in Northumberland but also, of course in Yorkshire – some of the greatest castle towns are there for the taking: Richmond, Skipton or Ripley…