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Alnwick, Northumberland’s Historic Market Town
This medieval market town originally prospered as an ideal staging post, being only a day's ride from Berwick-upon-Tweed in the north and Newcastle upon Tyne in the south. It still retains many of its cobbled streets, narrow alleys, fine stone buildings and market square, which now house a range of specialist shops, family run businesses, cafés, restaurants, bakers, butchers, and public houses. On the periphery of the town is a retail park with a Sainsbury’s Supermarket, Homebase DIY Store and Argos. The Lionhart Business Park offers facilities for local trades and businesses. There is a leisure centre which has a swimming pool, gymnasium, sports hall and offers exercise classes and programs for all ages. Extensive medical provision within the town consists of medical centre, infirmary hospital and dentists.
Alnwick caters for schooling from primary school age through to sixth form with three first schools, three middle schools and one high school. Once children are of high school age there is further choice within the Northumberland region in Morpeth and Berwick-upon-Tweed subject to schools’ catchment areas.
Alnwick’s main feature is its imposing Castle & Gardens, the ancestral home of the Duke of Northumberland. The Castle has featured in the Harry Potter movies and, along with the amazing gardens, is open to the public throughout the year.
Your nearest transport links are local bus routes which serve surrounding villages with routes to Berwick-upon-Tweed, Morpeth, Ashington, Wansbeck Hospital and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The nearest railway station is situated approximately four miles south of the town in the picturesque coastal village of Alnmouth. Offering direct routes to London, Glasgow and Edinburgh, there are regular trains to and from Newcastle.
Road links include the A1 trunk road which leads north to Berwick and Edinburgh and south to Morpeth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Newcastle City Airport and Tyneside. You also have the A697 which lies to the west of Alnwick and serves the Coquet Valley and The Northumberland National Park area of the region.
The Rest of the Region
Situated within the County of Northumberland, Alnwick is surrounded by England’s most amazing coast and countryside.
The Heritage Coast
The coastline of the Alnwick region boasts over 20 spectacular miles of golden sands, rocky outcrops and sand dunes which provide beautiful fun days out for all the family and peaceful beach strolls along the sweeping sands of Druridge Bay and Cresswell.
Coastal villages include the working harbour town of Amble with shopping facilities, leisure centre and pool, restaurants, public houses, health centre and schooling for all ages; Warkworth with its magnificent castle; picturesque Alnmouth (home of the oldest golf course in Britain); the hidden coves at Boulmer; the historical Bamburgh Castle overlooking Lindisfarne & Holy Island and you can enjoy internationally famous smoked kippers and salmon at the fishing village of Craster after walking to the haunting Dunstanburgh Castle.
Northumberland’s National Park
To the south east of Alnwick lie the valleys and heather-topped expanses of Coquetdale and the Simonside Hills around Rothbury - a haven for hillwalkers and cyclists and a gateway to the Northumberland National Park. Rothbury is also a market town and is often referred to as the gateway to the Coquet Valley. The town offers amenties such as shopping and leisure facilities, restuarants, public houses, hotels, eighteen hole golf course, doctors surgery, local hospital and schooling for primary school age. Access can be gained via road links and local bus routes to the surrounding villages of Thropton, Netherton, Snitter, Hepple, Sharperton, Alwinton and many more.
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