Northumberland: Local, Characterful Guides to Britain’s Special Places

Part of Bradt’s distinctive, award-winning series of ’Slow’ travel guides to UK regions, the new, thoroughly updated, third edition of the best-selling Northumberland (Slow Travel) provides a reliable, wide-ranging, detailed and accessible font of inspiration and information for discovering the unexpected, varied and increasingly popular riches of northeasternmost England.

Northumberland is much loved for its beaches, wildlife, islands and desolate upland scenery, but despite all the attention and accolades (’most tranquil county’, ’darkest night skies in England’, ’best beaches’), most of the county remains wonderfully crowd-free. Getting away from it all is straightforward, whether you walk all afternoon over moorland and not meet anyone, skinny-dip in lakes, picnic on pristine sands with nobody else around, or gaze at stars in Europe’s largest area of protected night sky - England’s first Dark Sky Park, a 572-square-mile expanse that hosts an annual Dark Sky Festival.

Northumberland celebrates many connections with the USA, from presidential links (George Washington and the Clintons) to Rapper sword-dancing and the so-called ’Geordie Doughboys’, men who left northeast England before World War I to enlist in the US army. Here, history buffs have masses to explore. In addition to Hadrian’s Wall, Britain’s most important Roman monument, no county hosts more castles. Visit fortifications at Alnwick (Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films), Bamburgh (featured in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) and Dunstanburgh - all of which are detailed extensively in the guide alongside lesser-known heritage sites such as Aydon Castle, the Iron Age hill forts of Breamish Valley, medieval tower houses, Bronze Age stone circles and landmark historic houses open to the public.

Northumberland (Slow Travel) encourages visitors to slow down and explore the green lanes, footpaths, rivers and cycle trails linking Northumberland’s coast with the interior’s heather-topped hills, Roman fortresses and the villages. Dedicated chapters celebrate the Northumberland National Park, Hadrian’s Wall, the Heritage Coast and Newcastle, while tips from local experts make this an authoritative book - as much an entertaining armchair read as a practical guide. The result is perfect for walkers, birdwatchers, cyclists, families, and anyone interested in Roman archaeology, industrial heritage and medieval castles.

Travel writer Gemma Hall (gemmahall.co.uk) grew up in Newcastle and spent many weekends and holidays in Northumberland in the family campervan, visiting relatives in the hills around Rothbury, cycling in Kielder Forest and enjoying long days on the beach at Newton-by-the-Sea. Coming from a family of outdoor enthusiasts, Hall has explored many of the remote upland and coastal landscapes she describes so intimately in this guide, and hiked many of the region’s long-distance trails including Hadrian’s Wall Way, St Cuthbert’s Way and the Northumberland Coast path. She loves discovering new walking and cycling routes, birdwatching, going for pub lunches and spending time with her young family on Embleton Bay, where she holidays for several months of the year. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, she has written all three editions of Bradt’s Northumberland (Slow Travel) as well as the equivalent guidebook for adjacent Durham.