Castles, Hadrian's Wall & the Lake District

For an adventurous getaway combining history and hiking, few destinations can compete with the windswept wilds of northern England. Here we meet long-gone monarchs and marauding invaders at Alnwick and Bamburgh castles, both seen in TV shows and films, including Harry Potter, Downton Abbey and The Last Kingdom. We also cross to the tidal island of Lindisfarne, the birthplace of Christianity in England, and walk a section of Hadrian’s Wall, which once marked the northwest boundary of the Roman empire. We end the trip in the Lake District where we hike two peaks – known locally as fells – for astonishing views over perhaps the most beautiful rural landscape in the UK.

Did you know you can travel by train to this trip? Find out more here

We use three hotels on this trip, in Newcastle, Alnwick and Keswick. Below are the accommodations we typically use.



Newcastle: Royal Station Hotel (night 1)







The Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle is a Grade I-listed retreat within an easy walk of the train station and city centre. The rooms are classically styled and there’s an in-house cocktail bar and leisure club.



Alnwick: The Hogs Head Inn (nights 2-3)







The Hogs Head Inn was built in 2012 but to a traditional style and set within extensive landscaped grounds. 

Keswick: Royal Oak (nights 4-6)





The three-star Royal Oak in Keswick town centre is a boutique-style accommodation within an 18th-century coaching inn. Over the years, it’s welcomed a host of literary luminaries, including Lord Tennyson, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott.