North East England

A dramatic view of this castle here in Northumberland. Since AD 547 it has been a Royal Fortress, a Norman Stronghold and a home. This was the scene from just across the road from our rented cottage. A better sunset was to be had but then there would have been no foreground detail as seen here. Enjoy full screen. more info: www.bamburghcastle.com/castle

A view of the castle on Holy Island from the side of the old Abbey. You can see the trekking line of visitors just below the caste here. The little harbour is just to the right but a little tricky to get to from this point. PiP HBW, enjoy the day.

Another harbour view here in the seaside tiny village of Craster in Northumberland. This is the starting point for the wonderful walk to Dunstanburgh Castle. Have a great week.

A real treat for those that can do the hike along the coast to get as close as this. In fact on our walk from the little port of Craster there was a constant line of many visitors making their way to the castle itself. We went as far as the large gateway entrance here but swung left to the back of the castle and the sea for different views. This was the best overall view though in my opinion. A strange haze seems to cover the whole scene here and made it quite soft but for me it worked nicely. As can be seen. I resisted the temptation to push the contrast slider to the right. “Dunstanburgh Castle is a 14th-century fortification on the coast of Northumberland in northern England, between the villages of Craster and Embleton. The castle was built by Earl Thomas of Lancaster between 1313 and 1322, taking advantage of the site's natural defences and the existing earthworks of an Iron Age fort.” WiKi Enjoy full screen.

A view from Dunstanburgh Castle as we walk to the coastline with the castle to my back. PiP

This is taken on Embleton Bay at the northern end of the big castle grounds showing its lone Lilburn tower (named after John de Lilburn, who became constable in 1322.) Of course we see the rather nice Dunstanburgh cliffs too which is known for its sea-bird colonies of razorbills and guillemots. The great artist William Turner painted this tower: www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-dunstanburgh-castle-the-lilburn-tower-with-the-sea-beyond-d00954 Essential full screen

Here on the coast of Northumbria just north of Seahouses is one of Britain’s finest and biggest beaches. As it is on the north east then a common phenomenon is this sea-mist (fret) that can come and go in moments. We can see many beach strollers and also some surfers here as well as the very imposing Bamburgh castle in the far background. The benches? - well they are for the many coastal walkers who just like to enjoy the view and take in the sun or perhaps enjoy their picnics. The Pip shows another view taken on a different day. Nice full screen HBM, enjoy the day.

A traditional view of this famous Northumbrian castle from the north seaward side. One can easily imagine knights practicing their swordsmanship in the high grounds or even jousting here on the sands. With a little more imagination, a dragon might be seen circling above too. Described In medieval text as Lancelot’s Joyeus Garde Castle in the Arthurian tradition. Once the ancient capital of the powerful kingdom of Northumbria. There has been some kind of defensive structure at Bamburgh since at least the 6th century after constant Viking invasions. The massive Norman keep was built in 1095 and since then was used as a prison to members of the Scottish aristocracy. During the Wars of the Roses, Bamburgh was a Lancastrian stronghold that came under fierce attack. By the early 1600s, Bamburgh was ruinous and in private hands, those of the local Forster family. It later became a hospital and a school, before being bought by the wealthy local industrialist, Lord Armstrong, who began the work of restoration but died before it was completed. Still owned today by the Armstrong family, Bamburgh Castle is open to the public. (https://www.historic-uk.com/DestinationsUK/Bamburgh-Castle/) Enjoy full screen

We are at Seahouses on the Northumbrian coast looking just south of the main harbour, at a most peculiar building. It is in fact a building built to store gunpowder for the construction of the pier and harbour in 1886. It was placed out here on the rocks away from the village in case of any accidental explosions. For me, on this rather misty day the colours all harmonise almost as one. Photographically I would normally rather not have left the house in the middle but you might notice the figure on the right balancing things out nicely and in fact along with the red marker it makes for a nice triangle. Essential full screen. Enjoy your day.