Castle In Bothal, Northumberland
A castle and stately home in the village of Bothal near the River Wansbeck, between Morpeth and Ashington.
I have seen this castle a lot while out cycling (before making the leg burning climb up Bothal Bank), but didn't know much about it, or had a good look.
Parking in the village and walking down past the church, you can get as far as the courtyard and the arch. We didn't sneak through the arch as it's a private residence and there was people setting up for wedding photography, so we just took a few quick snaps from the outside.
So we headed back to the road to try and get some photos of it from afar with it's old walls. Just round the corner we spotted a gate into a field which gave fab views of the castle, so we sneaked in there.
What3Words for the gate are: ///standards.automatic.until, but it was very visible from the road.
From here you can get some great snaps of the full castle.
Bothal Castle is a grade I listed building, with its origins beginning around 1095. At that point the castle was a hall house and many years later in 1343, the hall was transformed into the castle it is today by Sir Robert Bertram. It was restored in the 19th century, and is the private residence of the Cavendish-Bentinck family and it is not accessible to the public.
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What three words
obstruct.gangs.receiving
Lat / Long
55.172448, -1.625165
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From the parking head towards the church and keeping the church on your left you will see the castle at the end of the lane. The castle is private, (I think they hire out to weddings) but you can have a peek in the courtyard and around the exterior. If you feel sneaky, have a quick wander through the arch.
What three words
create.mildest.handsets
Lat / Long
55.174038, -1.625638
Some parking spaces near the church or on the roadside near the houses. Try not to park in front of someone's house though :)
Contributed by Simon Hawkins
Thanks for checking out this place on the Fabulous North! I do enjoy a wander out in to the countryside trying to find hidden gems that not many people know about. You can't beat a rogue Pele tower up a remote hill or a mysterious stone circle or a stunning waterfall secluded in a forest.
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