Christmas in Northumberland: Warkworth

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14th century bridge over the River Coquet

On the last day of our Christmas break we visited Warkworth. Leaving the car part way between the town and the beach, which we would visit later, we crossed the old bridge over the Coquet. Warkworth’s castle is already visible high up on the left. However, our first aim was the 12th century church of St Lawrence which we approached along the riverside – but not before spotting the, by now totally expected, Little Free Library.

St Lawrence dates from 1130 with medieval and Victorian modifications.

The interior was very Christmassy with a display of trees by different local societies and companies, usually with some connection to their organisation’s raison d’être. The cricket club, for example, had chosen mini bats and balls.

After looking at the church we continued along the river for a while before cutting back up into town, views of the castle ever present.

The castle wasn’t open, but we walked all the way round it.

As this was Boxing Day we had leftovers from our Christmas dinner which we ate as a picnic on a bench by the river. However, we were in need of a coffee so we popped into the Castle Brew House before a last wander down through the town and back over the bridge. There were some very handsome doors, including a fairy one.

We then headed down to the beach for the final walk of our holiday. It was absolutely stunning.

The following morning we had to pack up and head for home after a wonderful week – a fine addition to our growing list of Christmases away from it all.

Linked to Jo’s Monday Walk.

England, UK , ,

24 Comments »

  1. Perhaps because I’ve only seen Warkworth in sunshine, I think it’s a lovely village, and I enjoyed clambering around the castle too. It’s so nice when churches add that personal touch at Christmas. St. Mary’s at Whitby has a fabulous collection of trees each year. Thanks so much for sharing, Anabel. I enjoyed going back xx

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  3. That’s definitely a brilliant way to spend a Christmas.Your photos capture so many wonderful sights on these visits that they really encourage others to follow in your footsteps and visit these places! Warkworth looks delightful with a church, castle and that stunning beach to visit…just perfect!

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  4. What a lovely finish to your holiday. We visited the castle way back in 2015 when we had a week in the northern Pennines and had a day pottering along the coastline. Another Percy connection – we once lived on Percy Street in Shrewsbury. A nice thing about English Heritage sites is that they often have an audio tour which I think greatly enhances the experience.

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  5. Like the river views and the beaches. Luckily that’s one thing that has come down in price. I can get best selling books and DVD’s for as little as 20 pence out of charity shops whereas I was paying £5 to £10-£20 pounds ( box sets) each for the same items in the 1980s. Happy days when everything else has gone up in price. Bob. BSS.

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  6. Beautiful pictures all round. I like seeing what my daughter would call ‘proper’ castles when she was young and love the idea of the Little Free Libraries. I am so sad to read about the fire near Glasgow Central.

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    • I enjoy a good “proper” castle too! It’s a miracle that no-one was injured in that terrible fire, and that the station was untouched apart from smoke damage it seems. I’m so sorry for all the small businesses that were there though – I hope they were properly insured. Another beautiful building gone.

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  8. It looks like a great final day Anabel. The beach in the sunshine looks lovely and I like the Christmassy church. The first time I went to Warkworth I got lost in the castle, every staircase seemed to take me back to the same room and I thought I was destined to die in there 😀 The second time I had a friend with me and we went for a meal in the Mason’s Arms just across the road from the Hermitage.

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