Warkworth, River Coquet and Mill Walk Wood

Warkworth is situated on the last bend of the river before it reaches the sea, slipping quietly around the town in a horseshoe loop. The River Coquet begins as a sparkling Cheviot Hills stream hurrying down between remote hills of Upper Coquet Dale; at Warkworth it is broad and placid on its last meandering stage before entering the North Sea at the coastal town of Amble.

The remains of Warkworth Castle are particularly attractive when viewed from the river. Like most castles, it has been extended and altered over the years — beginning as an early Norman motte and bailey (though the site itself was probably fortified even earlier in Saxon times), the later building is in the style of a tower house laid out in a square, elaborated with tower-like projections at the centre of each face. Interiors were also elaborate with a complex pattern of rooms, passages, staircases, and an unusually large number of windows.

The castle belonged to King Edward III, who gave it to Lord Percy of Alnwick in 1331. The Percy family (Earls of Northumberland) kept Warkworth as their home while retaining their fortress at Alnwick, but when they fell from favour and left Northumberland the castle declined. Part of the family history was dramatised by Shakespeare in 'Henry IV Part Two' (where three scenes are set in the castle as Percy and his son Harry Hotspur plot to set Henry Bolingbroke on the throne, before Hotspur plots against him when he became too autocratic).

The castle is now in ruins, but the keep has been restored and there are still large areas of fine medieval masonry (owned today by the Duke of Northumberland and maintained by English Heritage, with its velvety green mound covered in daffodils in spring).

Below the castle's steep banks there is a landing stage where boats can be hired, and paths continue along the edge of woods before emerging into a more open aspect opposite Warkworth Hermitage on the far bank. Carved into the sandstone cliff is a vaulted chapel with a stone altar and a sacristy (a room for vestments and sacred vessels). The hermit's life would have been spartan, though there was at least a large fireplace and bread ovens in the living quarters (the last hermit to live here was George Lancaster, chaplain to the Sixth Earl of Northumberland in the 16th century).

Warkworth village is lovely: from the castle, a wide street slopes steeply down through the heart of the settlement to the marketplace, lined with Georgian and Victorian buildings featuring coloured window boxes, tubs, and hanging baskets. At the end of Bridge Street, the river flows under a medieval bridge and a modern 1960s bridge; the 14th-century bridge with two bold and graceful arches replaced an even earlier stone bridge, featuring a defensive tower and bearing the Percy coat of arms.

The riverside path from the medieval bridge leads past Norman St Lawrence's Church, which stands on a Saxon foundation and whose stained glass depicts Saint Hilda, Abbess of Whitby. As with the castle and town houses, the church is proudly kept and well maintained, showing how proud the people of Warkworth are of their lovely town.

My wife Lil and I thoroughly enjoyed our walk — which would more appropriately be called a leisurely stroll — blessed with a lovely warm spring day and pleasant people met along the way. On the riverside walk we were besieged by an extended family of ducks who must be well looked after by local folk and visitors alike, expecting our attention. It was a tremendous time we had in Warkworth, which we finished off by exploring the castle.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.