Alnwick is in the county of Northumberland, north of Newcastle. Here’s a zoomable map.
That whole area is really pretty, dotted with other castles, and and not crowded with tourists, but it’s a long way north. You might not have time to fit it in with all the suggestions people have made in the south.
I presume your family have got trips lined up to Manchester and Liverpool? The Albert Dock waterfront in Liverpool is worth a trip – get your picture taken in front of the Liver Building and see the Beatles exhibition. Chester is nearby too and is a very pretty black-and-white half-timbered town founded by the Romans. I’d recommend it.
I think Highgate Cemetery is well worth checking out. If you’re a fan of The Beatles, get your pic taken walking across Abbey Road to the EMI studios, and go to Liverpool and do a Beatles tour.
If you’re into scenic landscapes & hiking or bicycling, the Lake District, as someone mentioned above, is a must.
I gather it’s become more touristed than when I was there several times in the 1970s, so this may not be the best time of year for the area.
And if you go up to the Lakes & you’re into things neolithic, don’t miss a visit to Castlerigg Stone Circle outside of Keswick, near the northern end of the Lake District.
30 years ago I could have recommended some great pubs - I was a big fan of Real Ale - but my online friends in the UK tell me that so much has changed since then, you’re better off buying the latest CAMRA guide (assuming that you like beer).
You MUST have lunch at the famous pub “YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE” (built ca 1298, "renovated " in 1662. Ask to sit in Dr. Samuel Johnson’s chair (they will let you, if you ask nicely). It’s on Fleet street, a short jaunt from Tower Bridge.
The food is rather bland, but a good assortment of mild and bitter ales.
I also liked the IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM-good exhibits!
For you LONDON Dopers…what’s the big deal about the crypts in the church of st. Clement’s Dane? Spooky place!
Yes, there are several pubs called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, so make sure you get the right one. To look inside you’d think 1662 was the date it was last cleaned, but it’s certainly an atmospheric place, as lots of the pubs in that part of town are. Actually it was rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666.
I can’t say much about the crypt of St Clement Dane church, but it has a statue of Dr Johnson outside and if you recall the nursery rhyme:
“Oranges and lemons”
Say the bells of St. Clement’s…
that’s the church it was talking about, and the church bells still play that tune.
While I’m here, I ought to emphasise that the Abbey Road studios Necromancer mentioned are in London. I’m always getting tourists in Liverpool asking me where they can get their picture taken on the zebra crossing and they’re disappointed to discover it’s not there, especially if they were in London the previous week.
Plenty of good suggestions on where to visit.
I’d just like to say that nobody on earth can say what our weather is going to be like from one minute to the next, let alone in the next month. BUT, rain will be involved.
To get to Alnwick Castle, you can take the train to Alnmouth (terminus=Edinburgh). we tried, but the doors wouldn’t open at Alnmouth, which we took as a sign that magic was afoot.