Jo’s Monday walk : A tale of three castles- 1. Warkworth

Standing tall and proud, looking down the hill on its village, Warkworth Castle in Northumberland is a thing of beauty.  Romantically situated on a loop of the River Coquet, Warkworth has a lovely riverside walk, with a surprise in store.  The perfect setting for an anniversary weekend.  Too long since we’d visited the combination of castles and beaches that tell this county’s story, though it’s only an hour and a half drive from home.

Grand though it is, the castle at Warkworth has indeterminate beginnings.  A settlement existed here right back to 8th century, but the motte and bailey (an artificial mound surrounded by a fortified enclosure) and first stone buildings are generally credited to Henry, son of King David 1st of Scotland, after he became Earl of Northumberland in 1139.  The castle is first documented in a charter between 1157 and 1164, when it was granted by English king Henry II to Roger fitz Richard.  It is entirely possible that this Henry was responsible for the castle being built, one of a number intended to secure his position in the north.  In any case, the mighty keep was not added till around 1400.  The lengthy story of the Percy family and their influence in this area can be read on the link above.

The tower is in the shape of a Greek cross, the four wings arranged over three storeys around a central light well.  Stepping inside, the building appears solid and sombre, the ground floor being used largely for storage and service.  Glancing at the floor plan, I bypassed the mighty chimney place, drawn to the lovely views beyond the window.  The coast is just a mile away, along the sinuous curve of the river.

The first floor comprised kitchen, buttery, great hall, great chamber and chapel.  The chapel had an upper level where the earl could worship in private.  The varying size and ornamentation of the windows indicate the importance of the rooms they light.  Prominent within the grounds, the Lion Tower, with flamboyant heraldry, once gave access to a further grand residence.  The Curtain Wall surrounding the bailey and the Carrickfergus Tower date from 13th century.

My guide book had given details of a circular walk, taking in riverside and beach.  It also mentioned a hermitage.  The path drops invitingly down to an idyllic riverside setting.  Looking back, the castle, sitting atop the trees.  All that was needed was fair maiden and a knight in shining armour.

We followed the path until it opened out.  And then, the strangest thing!  Across the river there was just visible a building, built into the rock face.  With a splash of oars, a friendly face appeared.  The ferryman, all set to row us across the 40 foot span of river.  How strange to hire your very own hermit to say a prayer for you.  The Percy family had wealth aplenty to do so.

It gave me goosebumps.  I was glad to see the smiling ferryman, with his next cargo.  Back over the river a track headed uphill, in what we hoped was the direction of the coast.  I was happy to see the sea across a cornfield, and do a little spying over fences, as the trail led us back to the village.

The door of St. Lawrence’s Church was a wide open invitation for a few moments serenity, sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows.

The heart of the village is small and pleasingly intimate.  Weathered stone and tubs of riotous colour a happy blend, encircled by the ever present river.  A gateway heralds the 14th century fortified bridge, beyond which a narrow lane leads to the beach.

Families trek to and fro in the still, warm air, the lighthouse on Coquet Island just visible across the expanse of sea from the river mouth.

At my feet, a mingle of unfamiliar shells and pebbles. The beach is emptying as we walk along, clouds gathering.  A few hundred yards ahead we find the path that leads up through the dunes and beside a golf course.  The sign on the bell dangling beneath the bridge makes me smile, the evidence of danger visible as a golfer hunts in the rough.

Our adventure is almost over now, as we rejoin the path back to the village and, much later, a well deserved reward.

I know that Paula won’t have time to read all of this, but it does fit rather nicely with her Traces of the Past.  Go and linger by the water with her, then follow the link to the English Heritage site for more of the fascinating history, and details of how to get to Warkworth.  A joint ticket can be purchased for the Castle and Hermitage.  My next two walks will continue to feature Northumberland castles, but I hope you won’t be bored.

Many thanks to all of you who labour so patiently beside me.  I just wish I could share the cake!  Never mind, it’s kettle on time.  There are walks to share.  Join me any time here on Jo’s Monday walk.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Excited to start us off with Debbie and a place I visited and loved, many years ago!

A walk worth its salt

Suzanne gives us a privileged first glimpse of her new environment :

A wetland walk

Janet was cycling and walking this week, with a happy other half :

Monday walk (cycle)… Moraine Hills State Park

Swedish platter, anyone?  You never know what you’re going to get with Jackie!

A Smorgasbord of Sights

Irene has some beautiful close-ups of the Sandhill Crane :

Three in One

And Eunice invites us on another lovely countryside ramble :

A walk on Smithills Moor and a bit of local history

I’m also sharing a wonderful, spiritual experience with Cheryl and Basil :

Walking from Darkness towards Light in Borobudur

And ‘whoop! whoop! whoop!’  Becky’s back!  Join us in the beautiful Algarve countryside :

A splendid walk in the hills

Cathy won’t have started walking yet, but soon!  Meanwhile, let’s grab a quesadilla :

The Mesa Arch Trail & Shafer Canyon Overlook, topped off with a treat from Quesadilla Mobilla

I made it!  Glad you could keep up with me.  See you all next week?  Wishing you a good one!

133 comments

    1. English Heritage admission is expensive, Jonno, but they do a wonderful job on our castles and ancient monuments. This coast is littered with them! Warkworth, not so famous, but in a fabulous spot. 🙂 🙂 Thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  2. I sure hope you find some castles in Portugal, Jo! 🙂 It seems you have a never-ending stream of beauties there in England; I never tire of seeing them, especially on the blue-sky days shown here.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Living in this part of the world there is no shortage, Alice. Unfortunately it seems we were a bloodthirsty lot, always fighting with someone. 😦 We’d have been far better enjoying the view 🙂 🙂 Many thanks to you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. We go to Italy later in the month. Fly to Milan than taking the train across to Rimini with a lot of stops in between. Bologna, Parma, Modena, Ferrara and then finally back to Milan.

        Like

  6. How lovely to revisit the castle and village again with you. We pretty much did what you did though too late for the boat to the Hermitage. We didn’t bother walking to the beach either as we were heading to Alnmouth. A beautiful part of the country and it featured on our ‘location, location, location’ list of where to move to! Hope you enjoyed your sunny walk this morning, we are back in the cloud. Again!

    Like

    Reply

    1. We went to Alnmouth, for old times sake, on our last morning, Jude- in light drizzle. 😦 😦 We stayed in a pub there when James was a tot. The Hermitage was an experience. D’you remember seeing it on the Robson Green series on Northumberland? I felt like a celeb 🙂 🙂 We were down at Great Ayton this morning with the group and it was pleasant. Wet stuff heading our way! Laptop limping along? I have much catch up to do! This one took me ages, not helped by watching Rafa last night. I can’t believe I’ve had to subscribe to Amazon Prime to do so!

      Like

      Reply

      1. Laptop reporting Hard Disk Failure again, so I am giving up and buying a replacement. Might take this in for a new disk at some point, but that will depend on the cost. Spent all weekend updating and re-installing some software so that was a complete waste of time!

        Like

      3. I know. Why can’t things last more than a few years? Practically the only thing I use it for is editing photos and then the Internet and blogging! Oh, well. Guess my birthday present is sorted for this year.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. It’s always nice to read of somewhere new, to me that is, and this castle is certainly one I’d never heard of before. But how lovely it is, made even more so by your stunning photography. I envy you that talent, to be able to ‘see’ the picture. Apart from a shaky hand when taking photos I seem to have an inability to see the picture in front of me and often get stuff in there that shouldn’t be. In my mind’s eye I see a beautiful scene but what turns out is anything but! Have you ever thought of collecting your walks into a book and publishing? I’m sure it would sell. In book form, the walks, combined with your photographs, would be a welcome addition to anyone hiking or even just visiting the area.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I do have to crop and edit, Mari. Technology has come a long way and I can almost keep up. Besides which you’ve had many years of producing beautiful articles. Not your fault that things are getting a little blurry round the edges now. 🙂 🙂 Northumberland is beautiful, and surprisingly undeveloped in the circumstances. Thank you so much for the lovely suggestion. At the end of this month I will be taking a break from blogging and I might just give that some thought.

      Like

      Reply
  11. Pingback: Salt of the earth – Travel with Intent
  16. Pingback: A walk in Vigeland Sculpture Park – mazeepuran (माझे e-पुराण)

    1. I’d forgotten all about the Hermitage till I got there, Tish, but Robson Green featured it on his Northumberland programme, a couple of series ago. I felt in quite exalted company. 🙂 🙂 Almost as good as having you along!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  19. Pingback: A walk on Smithills Moor and a bit of local history – Life In The Mouse House

  20. I got lost in Warkworth Castle a few years ago – kept going round in circles and arriving back at the wine cellar, couldn’t find the way out and thought I might be destined to die in there! 🙂 I missed the Hermitage though, didn’t know about it until I’d got back home 😦 Warkworth itself is lovely, as are many of the towns and villages along that stretch of coast, I’m thinking that another visit in that direction is long overdue.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I know what you mean. A few people were wandering in and out scratching their heads 🙂 🙂 Fortunately there were enough people to keep each other right. This was a glorious day, but the weather was set to change on us. But not enough to spoil my weekend. 🙂 Many thanks for the link, Eunice.

      Like

      Reply

      1. So it’s not just me that got lost then 🙂 🙂 The weather has changed again here this morning, after three really nice days it’s back to heavy drizzly rain again 😦

        Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.