The main thing that brought us to York was the National Railway Museum. Since he was about four years old, our eldest had a bit of a train obsession, and specifically wanted to go to this museum to see the Mallard. We were a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to expectations — if his interest in trains hasn't fully waned, it's certainly been divided across many other topics. ("Dad, can we discuss the sacking of Troy?"). But we needn't have worried. He was beyond happy to be in a giant room full of locomotives, seeing them up close,

Until a few weeks ago, we'd never really heard much about Fountains Abbey. But the guidebook avows it to be one of Yorkshire's can't-miss stops, and we've made it a bit of a point to collect UNESCO world heritage sites on the trip, so the countryside beckoned. It's an enormous place and must have been breathtaking in its heyday. After the dissolution of the. monasteries by Henry VIII, it fell to wrack and ruin, but enough remains to give you an idea of the incredible scale of the place. (Both of us are reading the Wolf Hall trilogy right now,

While we're in Northumberland, we're staying in the village of Warkworth. It's a cute little place on the River Coquet, with a proper castle and just a 20-minute walk from the beach. We are, alas, spending a bit more time in Warkworth than we imagined, as different members of the family deal with some ailments. But if we have to stay close to home, at least we've got a lovely setting for it. The inner courtyard of Warkworth Castle. Admiring the view out of Warkworth The River Coquet winds its way through Warkworth. Watching the waves roll in on Warkworth Beach. The waves roll

Health status didn't quite allow for a full itinerary around Alnwick, but we did get a chance to visit its most impressive second-hand bookshop. Located in a former train station, Barter Books is incredibly quirky and charming, with endless rows of books, cozy fireplaces, and a charming cafe. You can also see the original 'Keep Calm and Carry On' WWII poster that was uncovered in the shop in 2000, and subsequently became an international phenomenon. To enter of the city centre at Alnwick, you still need to pass through the old city gates. Alnwick Castle — viewed only from the

Lindisfarne is a magical location. It is an island for about 10 hours a day, when the tide is high and it is cut off from the mainland. There is a castle and an ancient priory on the site, plus a little village with shops and pubs and cafes. Meanwhile, the Farne Islands is a collection of rocks off the Northumberland coast. There are 28 of them at low tide, and as few as 14 when the tides run high. They are famous as breeding grounds for all manner of nesting birds, as well as being home to a large

The town of Berwick-Upon-Tweed is the most northerly town in England, and thus a location for all sorts of shenanigans over the years between the English and Scots. It thus has some excellent Elizabethan fortifications that made for a perfect lunchtime break spot for our drive from Edinburgh down to Northumberland. We're pleased to repot that there were no signs of any concern about armed Scottish Nationalist post-Brexit uprisings. Manning the cannons, just in case