h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

is surely the english county with the most castles! from wee little bastles (no, that's not a spelling mistake, they're fortified farmhouses) to huge edifices, from derelict ruins standing forlorn in the corner of a field to still-inhabited, from not that old really (like lindisfarne, or even more impressive, bamburgh) to very old indeed (prehistoric hill forts in the cheviots), the long history of conflict in the region has left a wide variety of fascinating places scattered around the beautiful countryside. english heritage has 9 under their wing, and national trust have another 2, but there are more in private ownership for you to discover - such as ford castle, with its fascinating model village (no, not as in model trains - as in saltaire. it was an attempt by the landowner to build "the perfect village" for his tenants, complete with trompe l'oeil). the northumberland national park authority are also responsible for several little-known monuments (they have a website).

i notice that alnwick and dunstanburgh have already been mentioned. i think my personal fave is warkworth - there's a lot of actual living space left in the castle to explore as well as some ruined bits to clamber over, then you have the added bonuses of a hermitage in caves on the riverside, a pretty little village and one of northumberland's gorgeous beaches, all golden sands and dunes - and best of all, hardly any people!