Alnwick Alnwick Alnwicka, Alnwicka nick nack noo!

 You have to be of a certain age to know:

1. Alnwick is pronounced Annick

2 The title references a song from the Singing Nun, way back in 1963 - All very tenuous I know, but you try a think of something humorous about Alnwick!

On the way from Durham to Alnwick we stopped at the very imposing Angel of the North, constructed by Anthony Gormley in 1998. Gormley also made the enigmatic Another Place - a load of identical statues spread out across Crosby beach, near Liverpool.

That is Ann underneath it!

Alnwick Rugby club should be studied by all sports clubs around the country. They have some spare ground available and have turned it into somewhere for (mainly but not exclusively) motor homes to park up for a night or two. There were at least 50 vans there, all paying £10 per night (£15 if you wanted a mains supply). That is some serious income, especially as sport is curtailed at the moment.

This includes access to the club's toilets and showers, and the clubhouse bar is open every night as well.


We thought about visiting Alnwick Castle, but the hoops you had to jump through were just tiresome. You had to book online, and were given a ten minute slot to arrive. Come too soon and you weren't allowed into the carpark, come too late and you lost your slot - without refund! Sod that.

Instead we used Friday as an admin day, getting jobs done that had been waiting for a while. 

Next stop on the list was Hexham Racecourse, but as we were passing Hadrian's Wall on the way we called in at Chesters Fort, a Roman Cavalry defence outpost. This had to be booked online in advance also, but you were given an hours grace from your booked arrival time.

Eeee bah gum, the wind were right nippy there!



Hexham looked like a pleasant country town as we passed through on the way to the racecourse, which is quite a way from the town. The town is down in a valley, but the racecourse is much higher up on a plateau overlooking the town one one side, and rolling hillsides on the other. It is quite attractive, with good amenities.



We are parked right beside the track, but there is not a meet on until Tuesday. A pity because that would have been interesting, even though it will not be open to the public. In the meantime there is still quite a vicious wind blowing!




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