Northumberland - the northernmost county in England. I have spent very little time in the county but am assured that it is one of the most beautiful in England. The coastline is magnificent with sandy beaches. Offshore are Lindisfarne, also known as Holy island, where a monastery was established in 635, and the Farne Islands, where, in 1838, "In the true spirit of the lifeboat service, Grace Horsely Darling risked her life to rescue others from certain death in a terrible storm", thereby becoming a national celebrity who is today part of the official history syllabus.
Perhaps the star of the coastline is Bamburgh Castle. Spanning nine acres of land on its rocky plateau high above the Northumberland coastline, Bamburgh is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country.
Inland we have the Cheviot Hills and Kielder Forest but this week's picture is of Hadrian's Wall. The wall is a World Heritage Site and marks the limit of Roman rule in Britain, although the Roman army did venture briefly into Scotland. The wall, built about AD100, was a defence against the Picts and Scots. Here we see the remains of a fort on Hadrian's Wall near Housesteads, picture courtesy of Mark A. Wilson.
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