Too much of a good spring
In springtime, daffodils surround some of our castles, Japanese Taihaku Cherry Blossoms bloom at The Alnwick Garden, Ospreys return to Kielder Water & Forest Park and you can see freshly-hatched pufflings on Coquet Island and The Farne Islands. All in all, Northumberland is pretty magical in spring.
Wondering where to see daffodils? Visit Warkworth Castle, where a host of golden daffodils surrounds the fortification which sits above the cobbled village of Warkworth and the romantic River Coquet. Howick Hall Garden & Arboretum is a gardener's paradise, with the grounds packed full of daffodils from March. Alnwick Castle also floods with bright and beautiful daffodils that flutter in the breeze and add a burst of colour to the grounds.
Spring at The Alnwick Garden sees the spectacular sight of Japanese Taihaku Cherry Blossoms in its Cherry Orchard. Explore the extensive grounds at Cragside, whose Rhododendron display is legendary, and marvel at the microclimate of The Quarry Garden at Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens, home to a vast array of exotic plants and trees usually found across the globe.
Wallington Hall is surrounded by an informal landscape of lawns, lakes, parkland and woodland waiting to be explored, and the gardens at Seaton Delaval Hall, created by John Vanbrugh are now the most complete Vanbrugh landscape in existence, pre-dating Capability Brown. Head across the causeway (check causeway crossing times first) to the winner of Countryfile Magazine’s Garden of the Year 2019, The Gertrude Jekyll Garden at Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island.
Prepare to get back to nature with England’s most tranquil National Park, the largest reservoir in Northern Europe, two National Landscapes and many Nature Reserves just waiting to be explored. You'll see the Ospreys returning to Kielder Water & Forest Park, discover rare Black Grouse in the heather moorland of the North Pennines AONB, and spot puffins on Coquet Island and the Farne Islands.
So whether you are looking to plan a springtime weekend break, after being inspired by the latest series of Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes, or making a visit to the region as part of a family day out over one of bank holiday weekends or February half term, Northumberland has so many events, destinations and attractions to offer visitors in Spring.