Ok, that picture above probably ranks as the worst photo I’ve ever taken, but it was the best I could do as we were racing north through England to get to Edinburgh before the Scottish National Gallery closed.

Alnwick Castle is huge, and is one of the largest intact castles in England. It protected northern England from Scotland.

While it has since been renovated, Alnwick was a real castle, not just some Gothic Revival fantasy. The duke’s rooms and some of the surrounding castle were the site of filming of Hogwarts Castle.

The inner bailey is gigantic as well, and the walls stretch off into the distance.

The central keep is the residence, as far as I could tell from the outside; it was closed to the public, and I only went in for a second to use the restroom.

While the wall doesn’t look circumferential here, it actually sweeps down the hill and to the right.

The town of Alnwick is also quaint, with a nice downtown to walk around.