The secret kingdom: Where gorgeous historic towns meet ancient castles

You cannot help but visualise what Viking raids would have looked like here more than 1200 years ago. Longboats on the horizon and axe-wielding silhouettes emerging from the waves. The rock-strewn and vivid green coastline of Lindisfarne island, off the Northumbrian coast in England, is littered with antiquity and echoes of the past. Also known as Holy Island, its now crumbling priory is where 7th-century Irish monks would establish one of Britain's most influential Christian epicentres. In the summer of 793 CE, marauding Northmen violently attacked these shores with devastating impact, both physically and psychologically.

Today, the only affliction is a biting southern wind. Seagulls call whimsically overhead as I saunter past gift shops and tea rooms on the main street. Between the smell of freshly baked scones and dark clouds overhead, I stop by Pilgrim Coffee House for a midmorning treat. I'm met by a crackling fireplace and the hubbub of rosy-cheeked hikers just as the first flecks of rain fall outside. A bemused patron lets out a deep sigh and calls to the waitress, "Can we get another pot of tea, love? We're gan nowhere for the time being."

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My relationship with Northumberland, where I grew up, has always been somewhat unconventional. It bored me as a child, frustrated me as a teen and left me wanting to discover the world as a young adult. Life is slow in this forgotten corner of England, where craggy fields dotted with sheep and windswept beaches are around every corner. Locals are as fiercely proud of their heritage as they are sociable. Stop and ask directions and you could likely end up sipping tea with a friend for life. Sandwiched between Scotland to the north and Newcastle upon Tyne to the south, the county has a stoic identity intertwined with raw splendour.

The following day I head to the market town of Warkworth. As I drive in over its golden sandstone bridge, I'm reminded of the meandering River Coquet beneath. More than a pleasant sight, in centuries gone by this waterway would be a natural obstacle to looting border reiver bands along the English-Scottish border - a boundary which could and frequently did change overnight. The main square comes into view along a narrow street barely wide enough for two cars, and an explosion of daffodils fills my eyes. At this time of year, they appear in every damp piece of grass they can. A mud-splattered Land Rover chugs by revealing Warkworth Castle's elevated position over the township. Its hills, too, are a chorus of yellow and a place I would devote hours to rolling down in my youth. The crumbling stones look unchanged, not that I paid them much attention back then. I decide to climb its steep embankment in an act of nostalgia and soak in the view back down towards the market square. I conjure up how Warkworth might have looked for the castle inhabitants centuries before, complete with rattling horse carts, and crowds buying and selling all sorts of provincial goods - amid plumes of daffodils, of course.

"I've got a Columbian single-origin we just roasted last night. Would you like to give that a go?" are the words I'm not expecting to hear at Scott's Deli Cafe in nearby Alnmouth. It seems coffee culture has seeped into the English countryside. I indulge in a mini-Basque cheesecake while taking in the shelves of more than 40 locally produced gourmand goods and artisanal spirits before sipping some of the best coffee I've ever had in the UK. The village is famous for being the rendezvous point between the River Aln and the North Sea, framed by a vast expanse of golden sand when the tide is out - while waves gently kiss the dunes on its return. If you time your walk right, this is a place where you can have kilometres of beach all to yourself. Scheduling was never my thing, but on this bright spring afternoon, my only company is the sentry-like lighthouse of nearby Coquet Island, gleaming defiantly in meek sunshine.

The footpath between the fishing villages of Craster and Low Newton-by-the-Sea is one of the country's finest coastline trails. It's part of the King Charles III England Coast Path. I wander through tussock grass past the hilltop ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, a 14th-century fortress built for an earl who knew too much about the then-king of England: aptly placed far enough from London, yet outside troublesome Scotland. A smile creeps across my face, taking in the black basalt cliffs plunging into the sea, framing this illustrious outcrop. I'd spend many hours fishing here when I was a child, watching packs of bright-eyed walkers trudging past, gawping in astonishment. I finally understand why.

The weather has sprung an incredible display on Embleton Beach the next morning. The sea couldn't be any stiller. And with no wind, it's times like these when pastoral corners of the British Isles truly sing. It's a vacuum-like surreal moment when a sunrise could legitimately persuade someone they might be on the Mediterranean. Peach-coloured sand squeaking beneath my boots. I'm snapped back to reality as I notice three figures bobbing just off the shore. "Alex! Are you coming in for a dip!?" one of them shouts. I cannot believe my ears or eyes; three of my high school friends are having their weekly cold immersion dip. One of them even has a woolly hat on. Lucky for me, I don't have my swimmers with me.

Getting there: Airlines such as KLM and Malaysia Airlines offer two-stop flights - often via London - to Newcastle upon Tyne from most major Australian cities. Emirates and Qantas service a one-stop option that can often get you there under 24 hours.

Staying there: Accommodation varies from humble stone-built farm cottages to lavish countryside hotels. The Joiners Arms at High Newton by the Sea offers luxury B&B for £155 per night ($295). The Tempus, a 33-room boutique hotel, is part of a range of lodgings available at Charlton Hall Estate, where dinner, bed and breakfast starts at £180 per night. joiners-arms.com; thetempus.co.uk

Where to eat: The Greys Inn, Embleton, offers visitors a chance to sample honest Northumbrian fayre, while Scott's Cafe Deli's fresh-baked pies and coffee are second to none. thegreysinn.uk; scottsofalnmouth.com

What to do: Put yourself on top-of-the-range e-bikes and immerse yourself in Northumberland's bridleways and country lanes. Most importantly, be sure to see as many castles as you can. goelectrichire.co.uk

Explore more: visitnorthumberland.com

The writer travelled at his own expense.