Dunstanburgh Castle

The easy, but bracing, coastal walk north from Craster leads to the eerie skeleton of one of Northumberland's most atmospheric castles. Dunstanburgh's apparent invincible site on a basalt crag, rearing up more than 100feet from the sea did not make it immune from damage suffered during the Wars of the Roses. Little is left now, but the jagged remains of the curtain wall and towers and the huge round bastion of the gatehouse furnish plentiful inspiration for a romantic imagination.
The sound of waves crashing on the rocks below adds an appropriate booming background. The Castle Point is an important wildlife habitat, so look out for the flashes of white offshore as gannets dive and white eider ducks bobbing about on the waves. The castle is open all year but check for winter opening.

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