History is all around us at Easington Farmhouse, from the grand Georgian architecture of the farmhouse to the drama of the coastal views dotted with castles.

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is reached by a causeway passable at low tide (click here for safe crossing times). This small piece of land is the site from which Christianity spread through the whole of Britain.

The remains of a monastery, founded in 634 by Aiden, a bishop from the Scottish Island of Iona are open to visitors as is the winery where the ancient drink of mead is still produced - and available to sample!

In 793 raids on Lindisfarne began by Viking raiders. This was the beginning of the Anglo Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. The immigration continued over the following years, until it was noted that by 876, the Anglo Saxons dominated the region and, “Shared out the lands of the Northumbrians” between themselves.

From these times approaching the medieval period, Northumberland was populated mainly by small groups of houses and villages which went out of existence as quickly as they were established due to a constant state of warfare and feuding within these “Debatable lands”.

It is the period of these troubled times which gives Northumberland some of it's greatest historical treasures in the form of more castles and fortified houses than any other English county.

Particularly impressive is the castle at Bamburgh. Built on an outcrop of hard rock, Bamburgh is an imposing medieval castle built upon the commanding position of an earlier Anglo Saxon one.

Today the castle welcomes visitors from around the world who come to enjoy the magic and romance of this special place. It's links to Arthurian legend, by the belief that it was once the home of Lancelot as well as it's own dragon legend, only help to fascinate and intrigue.