Here is a quick guide to the main towns and places to visit locally but the area is so rich in places to go, sights to see and things to do that it can only be a small snapshot. 

The nearest town is :-

Rothbury, 7 miles away. It a small town set on the banks of the River Coquet. The population is approx 2,000

Rothbury is a large village surrounded by the stunning backdrops of Cragside and the Simonside Hills. Sitting on the river Coquet, you will find an abundance of walks and wildlife within the Rothbury area.
From small independent shops to the lively and friendly atmosphere in the local pubs, Rothbury welcomes you with open arms and leaves you vowing to return before long.
Although it feels like it is tucked away, on the outskirts of Northumberland's National Park, Rothbury makes up part of the wider Coquet Valley and can either be used as a stop off as you explore the wider vicinity or choose to spend the whole day here. Rothbury is also a popular area for motorbikes, and on a sunny bank holiday weekend, this picturesque village really comes to life. 

 Shopping

Most of the shops in Rothbury are in the High Street and Bridge Street. Apart from the  (Co-Op) store and Boots the chemist they are all small independent shops. There are several shops selling local art and crafts and the Coquetdale Art Gallery has lots of local artists and crafters work to see and for sale. 

The Co-op is open from 7.00 am until 10.00pm every day.

The major supermarkets - Sainsburys, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons all have online shopping and will deliver for a very small fee.

The nearest bigger towns are Alnwick and Morpeth. These are where you will find outlets of the big national supermarkets and a greater range of shops..

 Alnwick (pronounced Anik) 8.5 miles to the East on the river Aln.  Population, 8.000

A medieval market town. It still retains many of its cobbled streets, narrow alleys and fine stone buildings which now house a range of specialist shops and family businesses as well as some of what once totalled over 50 inns.

Visitors can still enjoy the atmosphere of a thriving medieval market town in Alnwick's lovely Market Place, also the centre for local events including Alnwick International Music Festival, local and continental markets and the Farmers Market which is held on the last Friday of each month.

St. Michael's Church situated near the Castle on Bailiffgate is the Anglican parish church for Alnwick. The church was first built in Saxon times and later rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Northumberland Hall in the Alnwick Market Place is the venue for craft fairs, coffee mornings and various shows, other town attractions include the Playhouse Theatre, Bondgate Gallery, Hardy's Visitor Centre, and the Willowburn Leisure Centre with its children's pool, health suite and gym.

Based in what was the Victorian Railway Station for Alnwick and now a magnificent listed building, Barter Books is one of the largest second hand book shops in England, with over 350,000 books to choose from in an atmosphere of cosy peace & tranquility. Not to be missed are the fantastic murals above your head as you go in and whilst browsing you can sample the the 'Station Buffet' . Barter Books is also now known as the home of the famous "Keep Calm And Carry On" poster .

Bailiffgate Museum & Gallery, Bailiffgate is the ideal first-stop for anyone visiting the Alnwick area. Discover the rich history and culture of this special region and there are regular events for all the family. A trip to Bailiffgate is guaranteed to spark your imagination and get you and your family excited about exploring Northumberland.

Aln Valley Railway, at the Lionheart Station next to the A1, has an exhibition centre, shop and cafe. Visitors can enjoy train rides to Alnmouth on the coast, replacing a service first opened in 1850 and lost in the 1960's. There are also many events taking place here throughout the year.

The most famous Alnwick attraction is the Castle, It's Gardens and the new Lilidori

and 

Morpeth 18 miles to the South on the river Wansbeck.  Population 14,000

It has very stylish, upmarket shopping and amenities. The Town has a long and interesting history dating back to the construction of a Norman motte and bailey Castle in 1095.

The Sanderson Arcade is the jewel in Morpeth's shopping crown, it has been improved very sympathetically with the rest of the Town and fits in well with the 'old market' style setting. Morpeth has excellent transport links and lots to see and do, there's the 13th Century Chantry that houses the Bagpipe Museum and Arts Gallery and Carlisle Park, home of the Turner Garden. Morpeth also is the home of the annual Morpeth Gathering, a wonderful event that includes crafts, street performances, barn dances and writing. The event is a celebration of Northumbrian traditions and becomes more popular with locals and visitors each year.

Because the area was the long fought over border between England and Scotland there are many fortified buildings. 

The biggest are Castles, followed by Pele towers and then Bastles. 

Castles With over 70 castle sites in Northumberland, there is plenty for you to explore. The best map of them can be found here. They range from very large still occupied ones such as Alnwick, Berwick and Chillingham Castles to small ruins such as Edlingham or Etal. 

Pele Towers Pele towers were fortified houses built along both sides of the English and Scottish borders, mostly in settlements which did not have a castle. An English Act of Parliament in 1455, required the towers to have an iron basket on top of the tower to provide a warning signal of smoke or fire signal when under attack. Typically the pele towers were the homes of the lairds and landlords of the area, but the towers were big enough to provide a refuge for everyone in the village during a border raid. Some were associated with a church (known as a 'Vicar's Pele'). Today many of the surviving pele towers have been converted into modern private residences.  

An interesting one to visit is Preston Tower which is signposted off the A1 near Chathill, North of Alnwick. It was built in 1392 when warfare was commonplace. In 1415, Preston Tower existed as one of 78 Pele Towers in the county. Preston Tower's seven foot wide outer walls were very successful in thwarting attackers. The picturesque settings of Preston Tower make it an ideal location for a picnic or stroll along one of its many walking trails. Amidst its solitary location, beautiful scenery including gardens and chestnut trees abound. You may possibly catch a glimpse of a red squirrel in one of its last strongholds in England as most have been driven out by the grey squirrel. 

The interior of the tower may also be explored. Its ground floor contains a guardroom and prison while the first floor includes a late medieval furnished bedroom and living room. The second floor contains the most interesting artifacts. As an example, the Flodden Room houses a description of the Battle of Flodden Field, as well as extracts from Border Histories and Border Ballads. Additionally, you can view inner workings of a clock, which is displayed on both outer-walls of the tower. Internals of the timepiece include a mechanism similar to the one within Big Ben located in London. The clock was installed in 1864 upon restoration of the tower's rear walls. The clock bell located in one of the turrets, which strikes hourly, weighs approximately 1100 pounds. BEWARE - the clock is very loud so it is NOT recommended to be near it when it strikes!

Bastles. These were built to withstand the border reivers. There are over 200 still throughout Northumberland. The nearest is Woodhouse Bastle, near Holystone Grange, NE65 7AN. The houses have extremely thick stone walls (about 1 metre thick), with the ground floor devoted to stable space for the most valuable animals, and a vaulted stone or flat timber floor between it and the first floor. The family's living quarters were on the floor above the ground, and during the times before the suppression of the reivers, were only reachable by a ladder which was pulled up from the inside at night. The windows were small or even only arrow slits.  

 There are more detailed pages with more THINGS TO DO , and PLACES TO EAT 

Beaches

The nearest beach is Alnmouth which is 12.5 miles or 20 minutes away.  There are several great beaches to explore.  The coastal drive is worth doing from Alnmouth head North to Boulmer then on to Craster,  Seahouse and Bamburgh. Each place has it's own charm and reason for visiting.  A map and descriptions can be found at https://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/north-east-england/northumberland/top-10-beaches