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	County Town: Morpeth County Population: 300,000 (estimate)
	Northumberland is a sparsely populated county situated at the very northern tip of England, consisting of a large coastal plain in the south, the isolated and wild Cheviot Hills run along the Scottish Border to the north, and the Pennine Hills lie to the west. The coastal plain is broken by the Whin Sill rock formation that extends inland and along the coast east of Alnwick to the Farne Islands. To the northwest of the Farne Islands is Holy Island, also called Lindisfarne, which is linked to the mainland by a causeway at low tide. A large part of the county's coastline has been designated as Heritage Coast because of its beautiful unspoilt golden beaches and numerous coastal castles. Dunstanburgh Castle is an example of one of the many castles that dominate the local landscape, having been built on a high outcrop of the Whin Sill.
	Hadrian's Wall, which runs from east to west through the very south of the county, once marked the northern boundary of Roman England, and extensive parkland, moors and forest cover the area between Hadrian's Wall and the Cheviots, including the Northumberland National Park, the Border Forest Park, and Kielder Water and Forest.
	Following the end of the Roman occupation of England, fighting began between local tribes, and Scots and Picts raided the county from across the border. This warfare continued through to the end of the 16th century. Many castles and defensive peel towers were built during this period, including Bamburgh Castle (shown below), the seat of the Kings of Northumbria, which was begun in 547.
	Northumberland is a beautiful, some would say, barren county, and throughout the ages its economy has been supported by sheep farming. Steeped in history, dotted with lovely market towns, picturesque villages, ancient castles and a magnificent coastline, Northumberland has remained a largely unspoilt county.
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