Edinburgh to Northumberland: A Perfect Day Trip to Bamburgh & Alnwick Castles

What if you could stand on the very lawn where Harry Potter learned to fly — and still be back in Edinburgh in time for dinner?

Just south of the city, across the Scottish border, lie two of Britain's greatest castles, and you can see them both in a single, unforgettable day. One is a thousand-year-old seat of Anglo-Saxon kings perched above a white-sand beach. The other is Hogwarts. Between them sits a contemporary garden built around a fountain — and a garden full of plants that can kill you.

If you love castles even half as much as I do, this is one of the best day trips you can take out of Edinburgh. Here's exactly how to do it.

How to Do This Trip from Edinburgh

I've been to Edinburgh a few times, and years ago I put together my own castle-hopping route through the Highlands - here are a few of my favorites. This Northumberland day trip had been sitting on my list for ages, and it absolutely lived up to and exceeded my expectations.

You have two ways to do it:

By guided tour. I booked through Highland Explorer Tours. The pick-up point is right in the heart of Old Town on the Royal Mile, which couldn't be more convenient. The tour ran around £70 per person — but note that this does not include entry to either castle. You book those tickets separately, so factor that into your budget. (I'll link everything below.)

By car. If you're comfortable driving on the left and renting a car, self-driving gives you the one thing the tour can't: time. I loved the convenience of having everything planned for me, but if I went on this trip again, i'd book a car and take my time. If you're from Europe or North America, driving on the left can be intimidating, but you do get used to it. I drove up into the highlands on my own and did ok. You'll probably hit a few curbs getting used to it, but it's easy enough to adjust.

Either way, the day starts early. We pulled out of Edinburgh just after 8am and spent the first hour and a half rolling through the Scottish Lowlands and across the English border into Northumberland.

Bamburgh Castle

Tickets

Adult: £19.95

Child: £10.00

Child 0-4: Free

The first stop is Bamburgh, a small village on the northeast coast of England. Rising above it, on a great crag of volcanic rock, stands Bamburgh Castle — and this place was a seat of power long before England was even England.

In the fifth and sixth centuries this was the royal capital of Northumbria, the stronghold of Anglo-Saxon kings. Standing at the foot of the castle, you're looking at more than a thousand years of history layered into the stone. Vikings raided this coast. Armies besieged these ramparts. And during the Wars of the Roses, Bamburgh earned a grim claim to fame: it became the first castle in England ever to fall to gunfire.

What you see today owes a lot to the Victorians — the industrialist William Armstrong poured a fortune into its restoration in the nineteenth century — but the silhouette is timeless. It looks exactly like the castle you drew as a kid. Fans of The Last Kingdom will recognise it instantly, too: Bamburgh stood in for the fortress of Bebbanburg, and they have some of the show's costumes on exhibit inside.

Don't Skip the Beach

Here's what makes Bamburgh genuinely special, and so much more epic than its famous neighbour: the setting. Just steps below the castle is Bamburgh Beach, a glorious sweep of white sand backed by grassy dunes and regularly voted one of the best beaches in the UK. Walk out onto it and you get the most dramatic views of the castle from every angle.

Most people book this trip for Alnwick, but I'd argue Bamburgh is the more picturesque of the two. The catch: on a coach tour, you only get about an hour here, and I really wish it had been longer. If you have your own car, give yourself extra time here — or try gently talking your tour guide into a longer stop. It's worth it.

Alnwick Castle

Tickets

Adult: £22.00

Child: £11.60

Child 0-4: Free

From the coast, the tour heads inland to the handsome market town of Alnwick — and to a castle you probably already know, even if you've never set foot in it, Alnwick Castle. You're also very likely mispronouncing its name. The English adore a silent consonant, and here they've buried two: it's pronounced "Annick" - the L and the W are silent and will definitely throw you off.

A couple of things make Alnwick remarkable before you even get to the magic. It's the second-largest inhabited castle in England after Windsor, and for more than seven hundred years it has belonged to a single family: the Percys, the Dukes of Northumberland, who still live here today. This isn't a ruin or a museum frozen behind a velvet rope — it's a home. A vast, lived-in, medieval home with a family still at its heart.

Yes, This Is Hogwarts

But let's be honest about why you're here. Alnwick is Hogwarts. The first two Harry Potter films were shot on these grounds, and the great grassy outer bailey is where Harry took his very first flying lesson — the exact spot where Madam Hooch taught a nervous first-year to mount a broomstick.

And on most days, you can do it too. Broomstick training lessons take place on that very same lawn and are free with castle admission — but you'll need to book a timeslot when you arrive, and they fill up fast, so head there first.

Harry Potter is only the beginning. Alnwick has stood in for dozens of productions drawn to its classic medieval design — from Downton Abbey to Robin Hood, Elizabeth, Dungeons & Dragons, and more.

The history runs just as deep. Built in 1096, Alnwick was raised to guard the border and was besieged twice by William the Lion, King of Scotland, in 1172 and 1174. In the early fourteenth century, Henry Percy took the castle over and spent forty years turning it into a mighty border fortress, adding towers and a hidden back gate.

Make Time to Explore

Between the film history, the living family, and the sheer medieval grandeur, Alnwick rewards you for lingering — so don't rush it. Just outside the castle grounds you can take archery lessons for a few pounds (I did, though I sadly didn't manage to film it). There's plenty more to wander into, and you'll want the time.

The Alnwick Garden: Beauty and a Little Danger

Tickets

Adult: £18.80

Child: Free

Right beside the castle is something completely different, and completely unmissable if you love an English garden.

The Alnwick Garden was the vision of one woman: Jane Percy, the current Duchess of Northumberland, who transformed a derelict plot into one of the most extraordinary contemporary gardens in the world. At its centre is the Grand Cascade, a tumbling tiered fountain framed by a tranquil cherry orchard and quiet ornamental walks.

The highlight for me was the traditional English Rose Garden. I've wandered through a fair few rose gardens, and this was hands-down the most fragrant and magical of any I've visited. If I hadn't been on a scheduled tour, I'd happily have spent the whole day in it.

Then there's the Poison Garden — a walled plot filled entirely with plants that can kill you, from hemlock to deadly nightshade. You can only enter with a guide, and you're warned, in no uncertain terms, not to touch a single thing.

The garden also hosts afternoon tea, and keeps a calendar of seasonal and themed events throughout the year (they've run everything from summer high teas to evening specials). If your timing lines up, it's a lovely way to slow the day down — check their events page before you go to see what's on during your visit.

Know Before You Go

A few quick things I'd tell a friend planning this trip:

• Book castle entry separately. The tour fare doesn't cover admission to Bamburgh or Alnwick. Buy those tickets ahead and check current prices, as they change seasonally.

• Broomstick lessons book up fast. Free with admission, but timed — sort yours out the moment you arrive at Alnwick.

• Bamburgh is the rushed stop on a coach tour. If you can self-drive, weight your day toward the coast.

• Dress for the coast. Bamburgh Beach is gorgeous but exposed; the northeast wind has opinions.

• Wear comfortable shoes. Between two castles and a sprawling garden, you'll cover serious ground.

  
  

One Perfect Day

That wraps up a day trip to Northumberland: two castles, one beach, and a garden that can quietly kill you. Honestly? That sounds like my kind of holiday.

If you're planning more time in the city, check out some of my other Edinburgh posts linked below — I cover everything from boutique shopping to cozy bookshops and afternoon tea at The Witchery.

What's your favourite castle in the UK? Tell me in the comments — I'm always looking for the next one!