The Village of Bamburgh is the ancient capital of Northumbria and the cradle of the regions history, famous for the magnificent castle that dominates the coastline.

The village of Bamburgh is the last resting place of Northumbrias most famous heroine, Grace Darling. She was born in 1815.The daughter of the keeper of the longstone lighthouse on the Farne Islands. On the night of 7 September 1838, in a severe storm, a steamship bound for Dundee with thirty nine passengers was swept onto the rocks of Big Harcar, one of the outer Farnes. Grace and her father rowed a boat through the howling gale and lashing rain to the scene of the wreck, and succeeded in rescuing nine passengers. She was claimed by tuberculosis in 1842 and was buried in Bamburgh churchyard, opposite the museum that commemorates this young womens bravery.

The Castle is probably the finest castle in England. It is perched on a basalt outcrop on the very edge of the North Sea at Bamburgh. It commands stunning views of the Farne Islands, Holy Island and land ward to the Cheviot Hills.

Lord Crewe in the 1750s and more recently by the first Lord Armstrong have extensively restored the castle, first at the end of the nineteenth century. The castle continues to be the home of the Ida, the Saxon monarch and founder of the dynasty of Northumbria kings, first built a castle here in the fifth century. In the years that followed the settlement was named Bebbanburgh after Bebba, the wife of Idas grandson.

King Oswald a convert to Christianity spent some of his early years in exile on the Scottish Island of Iona. When he regained the Northumbria throne, he sent to the monastery there for monks to spread the gospel throughout his lands. In AD635, Aidan and Oswald built the kingdoms first church in Bamburgh, probably on the site of the present church, which was built between 1170 and 1230.

In later centuries it fell into despair, Lord Crewe, the last of the Prince Bishops of Durham, bought the castle in 1704, creating a charity school for girls there. But the Trustees fell into financial difficulties. William bought it as a private residence in 1894 first. Restored to its former proud state, the castle has remained the familys home since then.

The weather in this region is typical of the British weather. In summer it is good and winter cold and wet.

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Douglas Scottworks and writes for Car Rentals The Car Hire Specialist. and is a free lance writer for The Holiday Rental Site