It will be no surprise to those who love Northumberland that Bamburgh Castle has been voted Landmark of the Year in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards 2015/2016.

The castle stands majestically on an outcrop, overlooking the coastline famous for its windswept beauty.

There has been a fort standing in this spot since 547AD – at that time it was known as Din Guarie. Following its invasion by the Anglo-Saxons, it gained the first recognisable version of its name –Bebbanburgh – from Bebba, wife of Æðelfriþ.

The fortification was destroyed by the Vikings in 993. The Normans built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the current building. The new castle was occupied by Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria, during a revolt he led against William II. After his capture, his wife eventually gave up the castle to the reigning monarch of England.

Over the years, the castle was raided by the Scots and defended in key battles, though became the first castle to be defeated by artillery, during the War of the Roses at the end of a nine month siege.

For 400 years, the Forster family of Northumberland governed the castle until ownership was granted to Sir John Forster. The castle stayed in the Forster family until it was sold to pay the debts of bankrupt Sir William Forster.

The castle changed hands over the years and began to deteriorate. During the 18th and 19th centuries its various owners began restoration work which was eventually finished by the Victorian Industrialist William Armstrong, who also built Cragside (not far away, near Rothbury), the first house to be powered by hydroelectricity.

Bamburgh Castle makes a fantastic day out. For history lovers, a walk through its halls and grounds is a must-see. For those who prefer the outdoors, take in a dramatic view of the castle from the expansive sweep of Bamburgh beach while you are strolling, rock-pooling or paddling. We love to visit Bamburgh from Homildon – it’s only half an hour’s drive to the beach, and you can even make a day trip and visit Lindisfarne too – tides permitting of course! There are great walks from Bamburgh and your doggy pals will love the wide open beaches.

The Guardian recently listed Bamburgh as one of the UK’s top five beaches. They summed it up far better than we ever could:

“Northumberland has several gorgeous expanses of sand backed by wonderful play areas, also known as dunes, but Bamburgh is the pick of the lot. Brooding over it is one of England’s finest castles, an impressive ring of towers and crenellations around a Norman keep. It’s a handy back-up for days when the weather turns nasty. Nearby are the Farne Islands, accessible via boat trips from Seahouses, a three-mile walk south, mostly along the sands. Surfers love the place, as do dog walkers, horse riders, anglers and kite fliers. There is so much space that one thing you will never find is crowds.”

There truly is something for everyone at Bamburgh and this gem is well-deserving of its top spot as Landmark of the Year.

Image by Michael Hanselmann @ http://www.michaelhanselmann.de/bilder.htm (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

A short circular walk allowing you to get out on the moors for a brief stretch.

• Start: Homildon Cottage
• Finish: Homildon Cottage
• Time: 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes
• Distance: 3 miles

If you’ve got something tasty cooking in the AGA and want to stretch your legs before settling down to eat, this walk is relatively unchallenging though with some gentle uphill sections to get your appetite going. For runners, this would make a nice 5k-ish loop on nice, clear, grassy tracks.

The walk can be done in either direction; this description is of the anticlockwise walk.

Turn right to skirt the edge of Humbleton Hill

Turn right out of the cottage gate and go through the gate into the National Park. In a few metres you will reach a gate on your right leading into a farm field. Pass through the gate and over a style to continue along the grassy track as it contours around the right side of the hill.

Follow the track as it bends left around the hill, before leading uphill between Humbleton Hill on your left and a grassy knoll to the right. Continue uphill on the straight track.

You will pass a footpath to your left leading to the summit of Humbleton Hill. Ignore this, unless you want to detour.

Continue following the clear track until you reach a T-junction where St Cuthbert’s Way crosses your path. Turn left along the Way and follow it until it begins to head downhill. You will reach a fenced field to your left and then a junction of paths near the overturned van. To the right is the path to Commonburn House and ahead the bridleway to Wooler. We must turn left on the footpath passing the van, leading downhill through a gate.

You will join the track that leads you back down, past farm fields and Humbleton Hill to your left, to Homildon Cottage.

Humbleton Hill Circular walk route – OS Maps

To view the route on an interactive map, visit OS Maps:

STEP 1: Search our postcode, NE71 6SU	STEP 2: Select “Routes” at the top, then “Discover routes” on the left
If you do not have one already, you will need to set up an account at this stage.
STEP 3: Click the green circle with a number	STEP 4: Click the green circle with a number over Homildon Cottage’s location
STEP 5: In the dialog you can scroll between the routes

If you prefer a paper map, the best choice is the The Cheviot Hills, Jedburgh & Wooler (OS Explorer OL16). Alternatively if you prefer the Landranger maps, the sheet needed is Berwick-upon-Tweed (OS Landranger Map 75)

Perhaps a lesser-known event in the runner or long distance walker’s calendar, the Chevy Chase fell race organised by Wooler Running Club deserves to be up there with the most popular UK endurance trail races.

A 20-mile trail route , the Chevy Chase is an unsigned navigation challenge as well as the chance to take in some of the most breath-taking (perhaps in more ways than one!) scenery of the Northumberland National Park.

Starting from the Youth Hostel in Wooler, there is only a short section on tarmac with an otherwise unrestrained freedom of the hills. So long as chasers pass each of the checkpoints in the correct order, they may choose their own route along the footpaths, sheep paths and rough fell of the surrounding countryside. Entrants will ascend both the Cheviot and Hedgehope Hill over the course of the race, via the landmarks of Broadstruther and Langlee crags. In fact, the event involves a climb of some 1,200 metres over the course [PDF].

Interviewed in 2008,Claire Bagness from Wooler Running Club said:

“You just cover this huge area of land because it takes in Cheviot and Hedgehope. There are people who have done it for 25 years who keep coming back. It’s just that exhilaration of having overcome the challenge. There are steep uphills and then the exhilaration of coming down and the battle to finish at the end.”

The race is open to both walkers and runners so all can take part. But be aware – though the race is run in July, the weather in the Cheviots can turn in a moment, so go prepared!

2015’s Chevy Chase is taking place this Saturday, 4 July. It’s too late to enter for this year, but spare some encouragement for any entrants you see passing. There’s no doubt they will be earning their cake and sandwiches at the finishing line! Or why not get a group together and put the training in for 2016? Teamwork to find your way, hours spent in beautiful scenery and the satisfaction of a tough challenge completed can surely not be beaten.

As this “fly over” from Google Earth reveals, it’s a truly stunning course: