Harry Potter? Indiana Jones? Art? History? Beaches? Wildlife? Adventure? Yes, we’ve got it all!
Castles
They’re old, they’re dramatic and they make a brilliant day out for all the family. If you have any wizard fans in the family then you should know that Alnwick Castle featured in some of the Harry Potter movies! Bamburgh Castle meanwhile has recently been used in the filming of the latest of the Indiana Jones franchise, so visiting this epic castle has the added frisson of maybe bumping into Harrison Ford! Dunstanburgh and Warkworth are right on the coast, so make for an excellent dual purpose day out, and Chillingham Castle has the added draw of its beautiful cattle.
Beaches
The Northumberland Coastline is spectacular with amazing wide beaches, massive sand dunes, great surfing and exciting wildlife. We can’t guarantee the weather though, and wet suits might be appreciated by the faint hearted!
Wildlife
There are lots of activities for kids organised by The Northumberland Wildlife Trust, from shelter building, to mini-beast safaris, pond dipping and bat walks. You should also check out boat trips to the Farne Islands and Coquet Island where you can see seals, dolphins and puffins, or why not keep it simple and just take a walk along the beach (any beach, they’re all amazing) and count how many birds, jelly fish and shells you can spot.
History
Find out what it was like to be a miner at the Woodhorn Museum, walk Hadrian’s Wall and imagine being a Roman soldier, tour the castles to get a sense of a life lived in almost constant fear, or go to jail in Hexham! You could also plan a trip across the causeway to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne – fun for the kids to drive ‘across the sea’ to the island, but make sure you know when the tide comes in so you don’t get stranded there!
Art
There are some really fun art trails around Kielder Water, and lots of galleries to visit and be inspired by – find out more in our blog here. If your kids draw or paint while they’re here, we’d love to see their work – just tag us on Instagram @tankyhotel
Adventure
You could suggest paddle boarding, canoeing, learning to surf, walking, cycling or Go Ape depending on their (and your) mood. Or, for something a bit less frenetic, there’s a really amazing Bird of Prey centre in Kielder Water, a fantastic farm day out at Whitehouse Farm or you can see a snow leopard and much more at the Northumberland Zoo.
Enjoy!
