Alnwick Castle

We visited Alnwick Castle today. This was what I was most anticipating for the area. Alnwick Castle is the second largest occupied castle in the UK, second only to Windsor.

The state rooms weren’t much to see. There was a wonderfully opulent display, but sadly not very much of it. For those in the states, if this is your kind of thing, see the Biltmore House in Ashville, North Carolina instead. It’s the same sort of affair as the state rooms here, but much more to see. I can say for the Alnwick Castle staterooms, however, that the view out of the windows is very nice.

Which brings us to the outside. This is a working castle (well, except for the military part) and kept in good order. So instead of looking at a bunch of ruins and trying to imagine what it was like to be in a castle, there you are. Some may not like this, considering it touristy, but I don’t agree. A thing doesn’t have to be fallen apart to be good history. This castle’s history just isn’t over yet. As to the bits of it that are for tourists, yes, but once again, so what. The castle was always more than military in nature. The lord always operated his business ventures from there (and the medieval lords were, primarily, businessmen). It just happens that tourism is currently one of those ventures.

A note for anyone thinking of visiting up here. That the shops close around 5:30 every day can put a pinch in your plans if you’re accustomed to American shops that frequently are open until 8 or so. Plan your day so that any shopping, haircuts, and such are done early so that you don’t have to pop out of something like the castle to get that last thing at the druggist.