Steeped in thousands of years of history, romance and tradition, the old kingdom of Northumbria is secluded and mysterious with breathtaking landscapes and dramatic ruins. English Heritage provides plenty of days out worth talking about across this beautiful region.

With a savage and fearful past, the breathtaking Northumbrian coast is peppered with the once magnificent castles of Dunstanburgh, Warkworth and Tynemouth.

Further north, visitors can learn about our military past at Berwick-upon-Tweed Barracks, while across the North Sea on Holy Island is Lindisfarne Priory, still a site of pilgramage as the original burial place of St Cuthbert.

After a day out in North Northumberland, travel south and explore the Roman Frontier, where Hadrian's Wall slices through 73 miles of stunning countryside, and stands testament to a bloody and restless history. Visit the Roman forts of Housesteads and Chesters, where Hadrian's soldiers lived while defending England's northern frontier.

For a more civilised affair, there's something for everyone at Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens. Explore a spectacular medieval castle, a Greek Revival 19th-century mansion and thirty acres of stunning Grade I gardens linking the two.

English Heritage exists to protect and promote England's spectacular historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood. For more details of English Heritage sites across the country, please visit their website.