After the success of last year’s Taste of the North event in Alnwick’s Market Square, the town is gearing up for a welcome repeat performance over the weekend of the 24th/25th June. There will be lots of local produce on offer, as well as street food, charity stalls and crafts, and plenty of local entertainment.

Ashington Fayre Day is taking place on Sunday 25th June, with live music, funfair rides, market stalls, street entertainment, face-painting and a rock climbing wall.

If you’ve ever wondered how wool is made, you can take a fun tractor trailer ride from Wallington Hall to nearby Broomhouse Farm to see a demonstration of sheep shearing and get clued up on the wool-making process. And while you’re there, you can visit the pigs, goats and new-born calves.

Celebrate ‘Blooming Gardens’ at Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens on the 25th June, where you can take a garden tour, enjoy a brass band performance and get hands-on with the family trail and planting activities.

Meerkats, wallabies and ring tail lemurs are just some of the exotic creatures you can meet at Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens. (Open at weekends and during the school holidays.) You can get up close and personal with a wide variety of animals, then wander through the gardens and visit the tea rooms or picnic areas. There’s even a zip wire if you’re feeling adventurous!

If you love visiting artisan workshops and galleries, Kirkharle Courtyard, Kirkwhelpington (the birthplace of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown) could be right up your street. The courtyard provides a unique shopping experience set in the relaxed atmosphere of an historic farm setting. The Kirkharle Coffee Shop with its array of home-made delicacies, is on hand should you feel the need to rest your bones after all that shopping!

Imposing Bamburgh Castle is open to visitors all year round and is known as one of the finest castles in the country. Immerse yourself in dark tales of rebellion and bloodshed, spellbinding myths and stories of ghosts who love the castle so much, they never want to leave! The spectacular views over the coastline are also well worth making time for.