Every Tuesday and Wednesday starting April 2nd until 23rd October
Winning Silver for ‘Guided Tour of the Year’ in the North East Tourism Awards last year gave us the inspiration to provide a walking tour of Alnwick. For the award, our Tour Guide, Rob was judged on his Harry Potter tour of Alnwick Castle where the first 2 movies were filmed. He had to condense a 7 hour tour into 40 minutes on the day the judges came to meet him at the castle. A 7 hour tour included transport to and from Newcastle, an on-location film tour, broomstick training, time for lunch and free time to look around the Castle shop as well as a tour around the State Rooms. This was then followed by a visit to Barter Books, one of Europe’s largest second-hand bookshops in the town. The tour ended at the town’s Market Square at Taste of Northumbria, a popular shop selling lots of locally produced alcohol and other local produce. Our customers always appreciated free samples of warming Gin, Rum or Lindisfarne Mead.
Rob at Barter Books, a Victorian railway station converted into one of the largest second-hand bookshops
So successful were these trips, we decided to offer them as a walking tour instead of providing transport. Why not make the tour available to everyone instead of restricting it to visitors from Newcastle? Even though the tour is Harry Potter themed and Rob dresses as ‘Ron Weasley’ (being a redhead like the film character), you really don’t need to be a fan of ‘witchcraft and wizardry’ to enjoy this experience. Rob is naturally entertaining and fun but still manages to be informative, providing historical facts about the castle and other attractions in the town. So don’t worry if Harry Potter is not your bag.
Rob can also tailor the tour to suit his audience on the day. For instance, if there are more children on the tour who are Harry Potter fanatics, he can adapt it so that they don’t go away feeling disappointed. Equally, he can also provide more history to satisfy those who prefer to be a little more educated. We are conscious that, outside of the school holidays, there will be less children visiting the area and will therefore adapt the tour accordingly.
For our walking tour, we have added a few more attractions in Alnwick to enhance the tour experience and feel there will be something for everyone to enjoy. If you’re visiting Alnwick and would like to be shown around by someone who is young, fun and informative, you won’t be disappointed!
Our tour ends here for samples of your favourite tipple
March 24th, 2019
