Jubilee weekend in Northumberland - visiting Alnwick Castle pt 1
There is an entrance fee for the Gardens and the Castle where you could opt for seperate tickets depending on what you were interested in. We decided to make the most of the day and go for a combined ticket for both attractions. Also do not forget to ask for your tickets to be validated, this entitles you to free entry for the year - not bad at all.
The Grand Cascade
As you pass through the archway, you are greeted with the grand cascade - the largest water feature of its kind in the country. Every hour and a half, there is a water display so make sure you stick around to see it.
For the kids, there are also mini tractors at the foot of the cascade where they can collect water or shall I say splash their parents!
For the kids, there are also mini tractors at the foot of the cascade where they can collect water or shall I say splash their parents!
As you wander around the gardens, there are some really nice water features (see above) giving a sense of tranquility in the air. I can imagine it would be perfect to sit here with a good book to read on a hot summer's day.
Ornamental Garden
Lots of different plants and flowers can be found here. The garden is symmetrical on both sides so you will find the same layout on the other side. There are also beautiful white doves plodding around the garden.
There are over 100 deadly plants growing in the Poison Garden, of which many can be found in our own back gardens at home. As part of the tour, you get to see the plants and the guide shares lots of stories about different crimes commited using these deadly plants. It was interesting to learn many of these plants are still used today in medicine.
Treehouse
My favourite part of the gardens - Treehouse, complete with winding, swinging wooden bridges. It was not only the kids who were jumping around! As you walk further into the centre of the treehouse, you find the Treehouse restaurant selling local inspired food. It was interesting to see the tree's growing through the floor, the wooden craved tables and chairs and glowing fairy lights that all added to create a magical almost enchanted setting. We were suprised to find a roaring log fire in the centre, it was toasty, great on a cold day.
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Overall I was suprised at how much there was to do here, plenty of activities for the children to keep them entertained whilst the parents can sit back and relax in the gardens.
All photographs courtesy of © Christopher Wong 2012.
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