This is a travelogue by Wakefield amateur filmmakers Doug and Norah Brear of Northumberland made in 1979.  They show some of the castles and visit Holy Island, the Farne Islands, Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman Fort at Housesteads and watch ducklings on the coast. Title – A Taste of Northumbria The film begins showing a map of Northumberland before giving a montage of some of the castles on the coast, including Alnwick, Dunstanburgh, Bamburgh, and Aydon Castle, and also evidence of Second World...

This is a travelogue by Wakefield amateur filmmakers Doug and Norah Brear of Northumberland made in 1979.  They show some of the castles and visit Holy Island, the Farne Islands, Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman Fort at Housesteads and watch ducklings on the coast. Title – A Taste of Northumbria The film begins showing a map of Northumberland before giving a montage of some of the castles on the coast, including Alnwick, Dunstanburgh, Bamburgh, and Aydon Castle, and also evidence of Second World War concrete defences.  They then visit Holy Island, showing one of the women walking up the steps.  They look over the island from the top of the castle, and show the insides of many of the rooms, providing a brief history.  Outside they show the Tide Tables and a sign warning of the dangers of the tide, showing how rapidly the tide can come in.    They next take a boat, the Sula, out to the Farne Islands, passing many seals on the way.  They disembark and there are many nice close ups of the puffins, cormorants, guillemots, razorbills, shags and seagulls, as well as views of the birds on the cliff.  They head back, focusing on the skipper of the boat, passing some small fishing boats. They next visit Hadrian’s Wall and spend some time looking around the ruins of the Roman barracks at Housestead, commenting on the purple flowers growing between the stones, and speculating that they may have been brought over by the Romans.  They finish back on the coast, where Eider ducklings are going into the North Sea for the first time, riding rough waves before returning to the safety of the rocks.  Two of the women rescue some Shelduck chicks from the dangers of the rocks, and the film ends again showing the map of Northumberland. Title – A Taste of Northumbria