England's Northernmost County Boasts Scenic Landscapes, Castles, And Shops Right On Scotland's Border

England is bursting with attractions. From the underrated art and shopping of Manchester all the way to the big sights and sounds of London, it's a nation of bucket-list draws as diverse as Buckingham Palace and Tintagel, an enigmatic Cornish town with pasties and Arthurian history. For nature lovers and culture buffs alike, there's one county in the far north of England ­— as far north as it's possible to go before you hop over into Scotland, in fact — that offers mighty medieval fortresses, landscapes you'll never forget, and a touch of local shopping for good measure. Welcome to Northumberland!

That might all sound as if it's a world far off the beaten path, but this part of England isn't at all difficult to reach. Jet into Newcastle International Airport to land no more than a few minutes' drive from the southern borders of the county. Or combine your jaunt here with a visit to one of the best sightseeing walks in Europe by heading to Edinburgh and driving south from there — it a little over an hour's journey to the northern border with Northumberland from the Scottish capital.

However you decide to travel, you'll be greeted by a 1,935-square-mile county, where, according to the Northumberland County Council, a whopping 97% of the land is classed as rural. That's plenty of space to fit in vast swathes of untouched countryside, including the waterfall-carved volcanic domes of the Cheviot Hills and the 410-square-mile Northumberland National Park, with its seemingly endless moorlands and heather-covered ridges.

There are few places in England better for castle spotting than Northumberland. With over 70 individual castles, according to Visit Northumberland, this county has more than any other in England. There's variety, too. One day you could be walking under the high walls of Warkworth Castle, a riverside fortress that once defended the realm during the Wars for Scottish Independence. The next you could be hiking a coastal causeway across to Lindisfarne Castle, a onetime garrison on the North Sea and, later, a prestigious country home.

Bamburgh Castle is perhaps the most spectacular in the region. It looms high above the oat-topped dunes of Bamburgh Beach, a collection of stone keeps and fortress walls that dates back to the age of the Anglo-Saxons. It's recently been made famous as the inspiration behind the hit Netflix series "The Last Kingdom." Visitors can uncover the story of the drama's central character, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, along with ghost stories and tales of sieges made with gunpowder.

Alnwick Castle is another stand-out. It offers nearly a millennium of history, having been the ancestral home of the noble Percy family since the end of the Norman era. Come to wander opulent state rooms, and see if you can spot filming locations used in the "Harry Potter" movies! There are also gardens, a gift shop, and an on-site café.

It's not all colossal fortresses dating back thousands of years and wild moorlands that seem to go on forever in Northumberland. There's also shopping aplenty. The county counts a dozen historic market towns that still have regular weekly markets where you can shop for local goodies, foodstuffs, crafts, and a whole load more.

Some have been going for hundreds of years. Take Morpeth Market, which was made an official trading space by King John way back in the year 1200. It continues to entice shoppers to the town's main square on Wednesday mornings. On Saturdays, Hexham Farmers Market is the place to go for local fruit and veg — all producers selling there are from within 50 miles of the town itself.

Even when it's not market day, there's lots to tempt shoppers in Northumberland's charming village centers. Head to Alnwick to get lost in the tight-knit alleys that weave together the main retail streets, where you'll find everything from artisan bakers to florists to bespoke saddle crafters. Also don't forget that the vast shopping malls of Newcastle upon Tyne – Eldon Square with its countless brand outlets the Metrocentre with its 270 stores — are located within easy reach, just to the south of Northumberland.