The castle, since it is the first part of Alnwick we visited. As home to the Percy family (Duke of Northumberland) this is one of the largest inhabited castles in the world. A good portion of the outer areas, as well as several interior staterooms are open for touring at a cost of 14 pounds plus 3 pounds for parking (children under 16 are 4.40--hurray for that!). There is also a large gardens area to tour for an additional 14 pounds, but it was very windy and the cost seemed steep so we skipped that.
We started outside:
(I love this view looking out from the castle wall)
If this feels a little familiar to you, it is probably because many films and TV shows are filmed here--most notably, the castle was used for exterior shots of Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter movies:
(image from Harry Potter Wikia:
http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Rolanda_Hooch )
There were several rooms to visit inside, including a lovely library. This castle does feel more "homey" and you can tell it is actually lived in. Little things like a stocked bar and a foosball table, as well as current family photos make that clear. The wedding dresses of both Percy daughters (married in 2010 and 2013) are also on display, as well as the kids' outfits from one of the weddings, and a short video of the bride and grooms in the carriage in the courtyard. I wonder what it feels like to live IN a tourist attraction?
Anyway, no photos are allowed inside, so I have none to share here, other than this one of the carriage, which was outside:
There was also an area designed for younger kids to dress up and play some games. It looked like it would be quite fun with a little one:
After our visit (took about 90 minutes at a leisurely pace), we walked down through the town of Alnwick:
to Barter Books. Barter Books is one of the largest bookstores in England. They sell used books and have many special or first editions and other collectibles (many displayed in the cases along side walls). They are perhaps most known for being the shop whose owners found the original "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster and displayed it on the shop, thus spawning a craze. The shop is in the old train station.
It was a fun shop to wander around in, and they do have a good sized collection. I couldn't find ANY of the books I wanted though--which is very, very unusual for me. I am spoiled by the excellent used bookstore in Boulder ( The Bookworm) and the amazing independent Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, so it is hard to totally WOW me in this area I guess. It was very nice though--certainly worth popping in--and I enjoyed identifying the authors in that mural you can see in that third photo.
--Hadley
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