Enchanting village with a Harry Potter castle and beautiful gardens
- UK Hidden Gems
- Dec 7, 2025
- 2 min read
Stepping into this village feels like walking into a real life fairytale, with its enchanting castle drawing visitors and film fans from across the UK and beyond.
Hidden away in Northumberland, far from the coast, sits this charming village, pronounced Anick.
In this peaceful town stands a spellbinding castle that is full of history and may look very familiar to anyone who has watched a certain famous film series.
Alnwick Castle appeared in the Harry Potter films as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with its grounds used for some of the series’ most memorable scenes.
Fans can explore both inside and outside, and even try a broomstick lesson on the very spot where Harry, Ron and Hermione first learnt to fly in their first year at Hogwarts.
Another unforgettable moment filmed here is the scene where the flying car crashes into the Inner Bailey. Harry’s important Quidditch practice scenes were also filmed in the castle’s Outer Bailey.
But Alnwick Castle is far more than a filming location. It is the second largest inhabited castle in the UK and has been home to the Percy family for more than 900 years.
The Grade I listed building is thought to have been first built in 1096 as a wooden fort to protect the Northumberland border before being rebuilt in stone over the centuries.
Adding to the village’s charm is Alnwick Garden, a beautiful natural space filled with wildlife and plants not found anywhere else in the UK.
The garden’s website says “no two days in the garden are ever the same”, showing how it changes with the seasons while still keeping its historic character.
Created in 2001 by the Duchess of Northumberland, the garden includes an amazing range of roses, with more than 200 English shrub roses and climbers.
In total, visitors can enjoy up to 4,000 different plant species, including the world’s largest collection of Japanese Taihaku cherry blossoms.
The grounds also feature the famous Poison Garden, which contains up to 100 dangerous, intoxicating and narcotic plants.
For safety, visitors are not allowed to touch, smell or taste anything, and the garden is kept secure behind black iron gates.
Remember - LeaveNoTrace!
As with anywhere outdoors, kindly keep these areas pristine and wild by taking all trash with you. The amount of complaints we have seen since the pandemic is crazy. It's really not that hard to take your rubbish with you!
Litter tends to spread, so if you see any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the hidden gem, it will help keep the area tidy.
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