Yesterday we enjoyed the beauty that is Alnwick castle and gardens. Whenever we are in Northumberland we visit the castle and gardens. We do this because we not only love seeing the gardens at different times during the year but also when you pay once and keep your tickets you are entitled to visit as many times as you like for a year!
Last time we visited it was in April. Due to the long winter that we had, the trees and beds were bare so we we're looking forward to seeing the garden a little bit fuller. As it is now autumn we have missed the flowers but it was lovely seeing the autumnal colours. Everything is turning orange, yellow and brown and leaves are starting to fall. I do love the colours that autumn brings.
At the bottom of the huge cascading water feature they have ride on tractors. Taylor fell in love with them and we had tears and screams when we left them. We now know what to get him for his birthday!
We took them round to see the decorative water features. We thought that this would be something that they'd love. This was true for Taylor but not for Isabella. As we walked closer she backed away bless her but Taylor thought it was great and loved feeling the cold water on his hands.
After some lunch over looking the gardens we ventured over to the castle. Joseph ran straight over to the archery which unfortunately was cancelled thanks to the rain. I thought he would be disappointed but he just went to explore elsewhere. We saw, again, where Harry Potter was filmed and admired the castle. Joseph knew exactly where he was going and led us back to the Dragon's Quest. Last time we were here Joseph had to take us all through the spooky looking area one at a time, he loved it so much! So off he went. First with his dad and grandad. Next it my turn. This time he saw that it wasn't just a spooky tour there was also an activity to do as we went round! So we had a bit of "Mummy Joe-Joe" time and completed the activity as well as being spooked and getting confused in the maze of mirrors. It was just what we needed, a bit of time together, me and my boy!
We made our way down to the shop and as we left the heavens opened! It poured down leaving puddles which the twins made a dash for!
Once the rain eased we made our way back to the car discussing and planning a winter visit before Christmas. They are having a Christmas market during December which we'd like to visit. They are also doing a winter wonderland special where the children can meet father Christmas. This would be great if the twins were older. This year I don't think that they will be sure of father Christmas and the wonderland would cost us £75 altogether for all 5 of us which is a lot of money for us, especially at that time of year. Another year maybe! But we're going to make the most of our years pass and enjoy a winter break.
On our way back we called into Sunnyhills farm shop again. After our visit for cheese we decided to go back and visit the tea room. We had some lovely cakes, scones and tea. We even bought some more delicious charcoal crackers that we had the other night. I could spend a fortune in this farm shop, it sells all the unusual artisan foods that I love. We had their steak pies for our tea last night. The steak was so lean and tender. I am normally quite fussy when it comes to bought pies as more often than not the meat is not great and can often be fatty but this pie was delicious and packed with huge pieces of fantastic quality lean steak. We will definitely be passing by on our way home to pick up a couple more pies to take home.
The shop details can be found at www.sunnyhillsfarmshop.co.uk if you are in the area it is definitely worth a visit!
Today we are going over the causeway to Holy Island and Lindisfarne which should be a great way to spend our last day here. So far the weather is looking good so we should stay dry!
I can't believe our holiday is almost over but we intend to make the most of our last day and make more memories.
Last time we visited it was in April. Due to the long winter that we had, the trees and beds were bare so we we're looking forward to seeing the garden a little bit fuller. As it is now autumn we have missed the flowers but it was lovely seeing the autumnal colours. Everything is turning orange, yellow and brown and leaves are starting to fall. I do love the colours that autumn brings.
At the bottom of the huge cascading water feature they have ride on tractors. Taylor fell in love with them and we had tears and screams when we left them. We now know what to get him for his birthday!
We took them round to see the decorative water features. We thought that this would be something that they'd love. This was true for Taylor but not for Isabella. As we walked closer she backed away bless her but Taylor thought it was great and loved feeling the cold water on his hands.
After some lunch over looking the gardens we ventured over to the castle. Joseph ran straight over to the archery which unfortunately was cancelled thanks to the rain. I thought he would be disappointed but he just went to explore elsewhere. We saw, again, where Harry Potter was filmed and admired the castle. Joseph knew exactly where he was going and led us back to the Dragon's Quest. Last time we were here Joseph had to take us all through the spooky looking area one at a time, he loved it so much! So off he went. First with his dad and grandad. Next it my turn. This time he saw that it wasn't just a spooky tour there was also an activity to do as we went round! So we had a bit of "Mummy Joe-Joe" time and completed the activity as well as being spooked and getting confused in the maze of mirrors. It was just what we needed, a bit of time together, me and my boy!
We made our way down to the shop and as we left the heavens opened! It poured down leaving puddles which the twins made a dash for!
Once the rain eased we made our way back to the car discussing and planning a winter visit before Christmas. They are having a Christmas market during December which we'd like to visit. They are also doing a winter wonderland special where the children can meet father Christmas. This would be great if the twins were older. This year I don't think that they will be sure of father Christmas and the wonderland would cost us £75 altogether for all 5 of us which is a lot of money for us, especially at that time of year. Another year maybe! But we're going to make the most of our years pass and enjoy a winter break.
On our way back we called into Sunnyhills farm shop again. After our visit for cheese we decided to go back and visit the tea room. We had some lovely cakes, scones and tea. We even bought some more delicious charcoal crackers that we had the other night. I could spend a fortune in this farm shop, it sells all the unusual artisan foods that I love. We had their steak pies for our tea last night. The steak was so lean and tender. I am normally quite fussy when it comes to bought pies as more often than not the meat is not great and can often be fatty but this pie was delicious and packed with huge pieces of fantastic quality lean steak. We will definitely be passing by on our way home to pick up a couple more pies to take home.
The shop details can be found at www.sunnyhillsfarmshop.co.uk if you are in the area it is definitely worth a visit!
Today we are going over the causeway to Holy Island and Lindisfarne which should be a great way to spend our last day here. So far the weather is looking good so we should stay dry!
I can't believe our holiday is almost over but we intend to make the most of our last day and make more memories.
We stayed near Alnwick in June for a wedding but didn't get chance to visit the castle - I regret that even more now reading your post!
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If you go back it is definitely worth a visit especially if you go more than once a year. We are using the years pass as much as we can, hey it's a great excuse for a break!
ReplyDeletewow it looks like you had a great day! We passed by there about 10 years ago but didn't have time to go in.
ReplyDeleteYou guys looked as though you had a great time and fab photos too! Thanks for linking up with #MMWBH xx
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