galavanting through Northumberland more garden shots!

The gardens are just too big and too interesting to do in one post

In the walled garden the fruit trees were in full bloom too

and the borders were populated with tulips

the magnolias were past their best but found one near perfect bloom

the banks by the entrance were a carpet of baby blue eyes

and the water features well they speak for themselves

and on the way out we waved goodbye to the owl and the pussy cat in their pea green boat.

galavanting through Northumberland Alnwick Gardens part 2!

the cherry blossom was at its height

tree after tree laden with white

framing glipses of the owl and the pussy cat in their pea green boat

and covering the hillside like a foaming swirling sea

capturing every breath of wind

a beautiful place to rest weary legs 

and take in the beauty as you rest your weary soul

and from the bottom gazing up you spot the top of the tenantry column 

and Percy the Alnwick Lion proudly surveying the town beyond

galavanting through Northumberland, Alnwick Castle Gardens

the rose garden looked a tad bare but I will return to see it in full bloom

As you look up the hill you see the "gate house" to the gardens

This is no longer used to get in and out but for an entertainment space, when we were there part of the Bunny hunt games were inside it

I loved the Fairy sphere full of fairy pebbles

but theres always the dark side to be considered too!

the view from the top of the cascade is  one of space and spouting water!

which starts as a single jet and works its way down then...

the bottom cascade explodes to life, another reason to return, to shoot it from the bottom up!

From up here you get a view of the Castle peeping through the trees

and you just never know what you will find in the pond in the walled garden!

galavanting through Northumberland Newbiggin and Northumbriana

up on teh headland in Newbiggin by the sea stands a beautiful church

and out in the bay stands the sculpture of the copuple

as you return to the carpark there are few puffins resting on the posts looking out to sea

Northumbriana is a huge earth work statue created from an open cast site

and on the viewing platform up on her brow is a finger pointing to the sky!

along with a view of the open cast site that is still being dug

yip it was Easter so they were all parked up in neat rows and they look small, but photos can be very misleading!

galavanting through Northumberland Amble

we headed off along the pier to see if we could see the pirates

this is as close as we got, but on looking closer they were watching us from the masts

the locals must have been out checking them out too

looks like hes in a hurry to spread the news of the pirates return!

down in teh wee harbour we found a few Cuddy ducks 

or Eiders to most people

from the pier we spotted a curlew 

guddling in the shallows 

the closest I have ever been to one

galavanting through Northumberland Alnmouth and Warkworth

we didnt go down into the village of Alnmouth we instead stopped across the estuary to take in the views of the old church

and the Village on the hill, many childhood memories of the large house when it was a friary, and visiting the friars there

but look out there are still Pirates about.

a quick grabbed shot ot Warkworth castle as we pass though the village

we stopped by the river to see what birds were about

got a great view of the castle from the harbour in Amble

galavanting through Northumberland Bamburgh

onward up the coast to Bamburgh

the castle dominates the landscape from all directions

and has some interesting quirks

and nooks and crannies

one of the most iconic views is from the beach

where if you turn round and point the camera in the opposite direction you can see Lindisfarne castle

hmm that lighthouse looks familiar, think its its face that I recognise!

amazing how the camera can make things look different, foot prints in the sand look like they are on top of the sand

but are only a memory as they are washed away by the tide

and yes there is yet another fabulous beach to wander along

and out in the distance are the farne islands where Grace Darling rescued passengers of a ship grounded on the rocks in a storm