Alnwick

Getting there

Alnwick is 34 miles north of Newcastle via the A1 towards Berwick and Edinburgh. Arriva Northumbria Bus X15 runs hourly from Newcastle upon Tyne Haymarket, taking 90 min via Gosforth and Morpeth. Alternate buses continue north up the A1 to Beal (for Lindisfarne), Scremerston and Berwick-upon-Tweed. Bus X18 runs hourly from Newcastle, taking two hours via Gosforth, Morpeth, Widdrington, Amble, Warkworth, and Alnmouth village and railway station. Four per day continue up the coast to Craster, Beadnell, Seahouses, Bamburgh, Belford, Beal, Scremerston and Berwick. Bus X20 runs hourly from Newcastle, taking two hours via Ashington, Widdrington, Amble and Alnmouth station, but not Alnmouth village. Buses make several stops in town then turn around at the bus station at the west end - get off there for the castle. 1 Alnmouth is the nearest railway station, 3 miles southeast. Hourly trains from Newcastle take 25 min via Morpeth and continue to Berwick and Edinburgh. They may start from Plymouth via the Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds, or London Kings Cross via York. Bus X18 and X20 together run every half hour from the station to Alnwick, taking 13 min.

Getting around

You can see everything in town on foot, and the bus gets you to the station and Alnmouth. You need wheels for outlying villages - the area is fairly flat and good for cycling. Taxi firms are AA (+44 1665 606060), Sovereign (+44 7553 360662) and Alnwick Wizard (+44 1665 663709).

See

1 Alnwick Castle, Alnwick NE66 1NQ, ☏ +44 1665 511100. Apr-Oct daily 10AM-4:30PM. A stout defensive castle built from 1096 that transitioned into a stately home in the 15th century, but in the 19th century the Duke of Northumberland "re-medievalised" it, for the look of the thing not defence. It's still the ducal home, with interiors of plush Victorian Italianate. Many films and TV series have used it as a location. Adult £21.55, conc £17.55, child £11.35. (updated Feb 2025) Fusiliers Museum is within the castle, same ticket. 2 Alnwick Garden, Denwick Lane, Alnwick NE66 1FJ, ☏ +44 1665 511350. April-Oct daily 10AM-5PM. East flank of the castle but now managed and ticketed separately. It features a rose garden, numerous modern fountains for kids to play in, and a poison garden by guided tour. Adult £19, child free. (updated Feb 2025) Bailiffgate Museum, 14 Bailiffgate, Alnwick NE66 1LX (100 yards west of castle), ☏ +44 1665 605847. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su 11AM-4PM. Local history museum in a disused church of 1836. Adult £6, conc £5, child £1. (updated Feb 2025) St Michael's Church 100 yards west of the museum is Anglican, from 15th century but much restored in the 19th. 3 St Leonard's Hospital Chapel is the scrappy ruin of a 13th century hospital for the aged, poor and sick. It's by B6431 north. 4 Aln Valley Railway, Lionheart Station, Alnwick NE66 2EZ. Apr-Oct. A standard-gauge branch line connected Alnwick to the main line at Alnmouth until axed in 1968 as part of the Beeching cuts. A heritage railway now runs along 1.5 miles of it east of the A1. Adult return £10, child £4.50, dog £1. (updated Feb 2025)

5 Cragside, Rothbury NE65 7PX (10 miles southeast of Alnwick), ☏ +44 1669 620333, [email protected]. Daily 11AM-4PM. Mansion of the inventor and industrialist Lord Armstrong (1810-1900), founder of the Armstrong Whitworth works on Tyneside. It's in Victorian Tudor Revival style, with all sorts of domestic gadgets he invented, and extensive gardens. Adult £

Do

Lilidorei is a theme park within Alnwick Castle grounds. Theatre: Alnwick Playhouse is on Bondgate. Sports Centre: Willowburn SLC has a gym and pool. Football: the town soccer and rugby union teams play in the amateur leagues near the sports centre. Golf: Alnwick Castle GC is on Rugley Road just west of town. More in Alnmouth.

Buy

Supermarket: Morrison's on Fenkle St by the bus station is open M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM. Lidl is on South Rd. Aldi and Sainsburys are south towards the A1 junction. Barter Books, Alnwick Station NE66 2NP, ☏ +44 1665 604888. Daily 9AM-7PM. Large second hand bookstore in the former railway station. Cute decor with a fireplace, old Victorian sofas, and a miniature train running on top of the bookshelves. It holds some very old and rare books and has its own cafe in the back. (updated Feb 2025)

Eat

Town centre has Sonnet, Caffe Tirreno, Di Sopra, Adam and Eve, Sherkhan, Market Tavern and Lilburns. Olympic Restaurant. Within the White Swan Hotel (see below) is a recreation of the first class lounge of RMS Olympic, the sister ship of Titanic. The hotel bought the fittings, along with a revolving door and staircase when the ship was scrapped in Jarrow in 1936. Have breakfast, lunch, Sunday afternoon tea or dinner to see what dining on the Titanic might have been like, though the menu is contemporary. (updated Feb 2025)

Drink & nightlife

Town centre has The Plough, The Ale Gate, Fleece, The Queen's Head, Blue Bell Inn, Market Tavern, Mailhouse and The George Inn. Alnwick Brewery is a mile east on A1068, producing ale and mead. The taproom is open M-Th 11AM-4PM, F Sa 11AM-9PM.

Sleep

1 Premier Inn, South Rd, Alnwick NE66 2PF, ☏ +44 300 373 0315. Function budget chain, if you just want to break your journey along A1 with a quick look at town this will do fine. B&B double £160. (updated Feb 2025) 2 White Swan Hotel, Bondgate Within, Alnwick NE66 1TD, ☏ +44 1665 602109. Hotel in an 18th century coaching inn (which means no lift to upper floors). Bedrooms are modern and middlebrow. Its most distinctive feature is the dining room, furnished from RMS Olympic, see Eat . B&B double £170. (updated Feb 2025) 3 Cookie Jar, 12 Baliffgate, Alnwick NE66 1LU, ☏ +44 1665 510465. Smart stylish upscale hotel in a former convent, with good dining. B&B double £320. (updated Feb 2025) Bailiffgate Hotel by the castle opens in June 2025.

Go next

Alnmouth is the attractive nearby harbour. Amble is a fishing village south, where the main sight is Warkworth Castle. Northumberland National Park is in the Cheviot hills to the west. Seahouses is the largest of a string of little villages north up the coast. Lindisfarne or Holy Island is reached by a tidal causeway.