We’ve had some time away in Northumberland as part of our Easter holidays. We decided to make our second visit to Alnwick Castle for a family day out.
It’s been four years since our last trip but the children could still remember all the fun they had that day. That’s pretty impressive when you are 10 and 7 years old.
Alnwick is a beautiful castle right in the heart of Alnwick and it’s well worth a trip. Parking was really easy and just a couple of minutes walk down to the gates. You can buy discounted tickets online in advance. We left it too late so first stop was the ticket office. Our family ticket for 4 cost £45. You can get it validated so you can return for free within a year (although I never managed to find the place you have to go to do that)
Hogwarts connections
In case you didn’t know, Alnwick isn’t just a beautiful castle, bathed at this time of year in a sea of daffodils. It was also used as a location in the filming of Harry Potter. There is a real sense of the familiar if you are a fan. There are plenty of references to Harry and Hogwarts in the activities and the gift shop. You don’t need to be a Potter fan to enjoy the place though. There is plenty more to see and do.
Castle activities
We started our day looking at the amazing birds of prey ( flying displays run all day). Then we went along to the free Archery sessions. With a cold wind blowing and quite a few people waiting we decided not to queue so went on to explore into the towers of the castle where various exhibits are displayed.
In the main section we could join in on broomstick training sessions and watch a show featuring Harry, Dumbledore and some magic. They were both good fun! I would highly recommend the broomstick training if only for the photo opportunities at the end. Grab your camera and snap your family members on their broomsticks. If you time it right you’ll get an awesome photo!
Into the courtyard there is an area for dressing up and trying out the stocks. They also offer free craft activities. The kids remembered making homemade soap on our previous visit, today it was magic wands.
In the courtyard you can also collect a ticket to visit the Dragons Quest. This is a really good walkthrough exhibition full of lots of really good special effects. It also has a tricky mirrored maze which nearly caused us a few bumped heads!
Inside the castle
We finished our trip inside Alnwick castle by visiting the state rooms. There were lots of tours and guides all around to speak to. We chose to go round ourselves but we chatted to a really friendly and knowledgeable guide. It amazed us all to see signs of normal life among all the state and history and to learn that the family do use some of those rooms for real. It was lovely to see real family photos alongside famous art works and some pictures of Royals who have stopped by for a visit.
The castle is a great place to visit and the activities made it a great family school holiday trip. We only visited the castle, but you could extend your visit even further. Alnwick also has beautiful gardens and the fantastic treehouse restaurant.
If you haven’t been I would highly recommend a visit. I’m off to practice on my broomstick….
It looks a terrific place to visit. Very nice photos.
Can you tell me which part of the country it is in? Shall be in Britain later in the year.
It’s near the coast in Northumberland- right in the north east corner of England near the Scottish border. It’s a long way from anywhere but a lovely area to visit if you have the time. Have a wonderful trip – wherever you visit there will be plenty to explore I’m sure.