It is no secret that I am a fan of Harry Potter, so when asked if I wanted to go to Hogwarts…
Let’s just say I was the first out the door.
Alnwick Castle is located about an hour and 20min bus ride from Newcastle in Alnwick, UK. It is currently the home of the Percy family – do not ask for an explanation because even after 9 months in this country, I do not understand the royal family system – who are semi-royalty of Northumberland.
The Castle is well known for the filming site of Hogwarts from the first two Harry Potter movies, particularly the ‘flying lessons’ scene where Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter duke it out on broomsticks.
We arrived at the castle around noon, and though it was a bit rainy, my inner-child was having a heart attack.
We looked at the event schedule and saw that there was supposed to be a ‘Meet Harry Potter lookalikes’ in one of the sections of the castle. Guess where we went first?
It was geared towards little kids but it was still fun to watch! My friend was called to the front and introduced as Ron Weasley’s cousin because she had red hair. ‘Harry’ even asked her how Ron was doing, since he had not seen him in a while. HA
After that, we went on a Harry Potter tour, where they pointed out sections of the castle used for the scenes from the movies and talked about some of the blunders Warner Bros had during the filming process. (in order: Flying Lessons Scene; Entrance to the Forbidden Forrest; ‘Gryffindor’ Tower; the Courtyard where the Whopping Willow was; Entrance to Hogwarts; Cafe where Emma, Dan, and Rupert went to school during filming)
We went on a more historical tour after, because obviously, the castle is 700 years old and has more history beyond Harry. Then, as our final act of the day, we went to the Broomstick Flying Lesson! We didn’t participate due to the fact that it’s geared for kids, but it was just so much fun to watch. And we were allowed to pose with the brooms after.
Seriously, one of the best days ever.
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10:33
I love your featured photo! haha
10:56
thanks so much! haha took multiple attempts!
11:32
I agree with Parinda haha. I’ve been there once, disappointed we didn’t take photos like that now.
12:36
You can always get a random broom and try it! haha
15:47
This is such a great post!! I always wondered what castle a majority of those scenes were filmed at, thank you so much for the explanation. So coool!!!
15:57
thanks! it was a great day
15:54
Awesome picture, very creative and clever!!!
15:58
thank you! all credits go to the Harry Potter actor at the castle, he suggested it lol
00:43
Great post Simone! How long were you there for? Seems like a great day trip.
09:34
We arrived at the castle a little bit before 12pm and we stayed until about 5pm. But yes, it makes a great day trip if you are nearby.