
You are looking down on the Poison Garden at Alnwick Garden. Belladonna, mandrake and cannabis are among the toxic substances grown here. No wonder some of the plants are in cages and all visitors are escorted round. Alnwick Garden has been built over the last ten years, inspired by the Duchess of Northumbland it covers what was once a derelict site which is now open to the public.
Here we are at the top of the Grand Cascade looking down. Every half-an-hour the water feature explodes with energetic fountains of water spraying everyone around, to the delight of the children!
Children also love this giant treehouse which is accessible only via some very wobbly rope bridges. Other attractions at Alnwick Garden include the Cherry Orchard, the Rose Garden and The Serpent Garden. Work is ongoing on The Garden of the Senses!
Traveling further north we arrive at Bamburgh, which was the centre of Christianity in the north of England during the Dark Ages. This imposing building is Bamburgh Castle, built on the same site by the Normans as the original which was destroyed by Vikings. Happily the owners during the seventeenth century onwards did a lot of restoration work so it is in a very fine state for such an old castle. From his castle the King of Northumbria had a fine view across the sea including Holy Island and the Farne Islands.
Here is Bamburgh beach, over which the castle towers. Bamburgh itself is a small village which makes a good base for people exploring Northumberland. If you are wondering, Northumberland is the northernmost county in England, and because it borders Scotland it has seen a fair amount of fighting. This is probably why it has more castles than any other county! It is called "the cradle of Christianity" because of the vital role in the conversion of the British by monks who lived here.
This is one of the Farne Islands, off the coast off Northumberland. St Cuthbert, a hermit and bishop, lived here in the seventh century. He was responsible for introducing laws to protect the wildlife on these islands! No one lives on these islands now except bird wardens and these buildings are about 600 years old. The chapel you can see here is on the site of St Cuthbert's oratory.
Here are some of the protected birds nesting on the Farne Islands. (If anyone knows what they are please do say.) On the boat trip around the islands one ofen sees grey seals and puffins. Last year, for the first time, an otter arrived on the islands! In the 1950s and 1960s the otter population was much diminished by pollution in the UK, but now we have literally cleaned up our act they are making a welcome return!

Here we are at the crossing to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. This is a tidal island, which is to say that the North Sea covers the causeway when the tide comes in so the island is only accessible at certain hours of the day. Lindisfarne is the Anglo Saxon name, but it is now referred to as Holy Island. The name changed following the devastating attacks on the monastery here by the Vikings in the late eighth century, because it was "baptized with the blood of holy men".
Lindisfarne was the home of Celtic Christianity and the source of many conversions in northern Britain. Even now many people travel here for retreats, as well as to do a little historical research or enjoy the wildlife. In this public garden we can see an example of a celtic cross.
We are looking out now from Holy Island; the ships grounded whilst the tide is out. The island is popular with tourists who come to visit the priory ruins, the castle and just take walks around the island.