3 Best Places to Shop in The Northeast, England

This extraordinary secondhand bookshop, set within Alnwick's former Victorian railway station, is a must-visit for bookworms, architecture lovers, and train geeks alike. Shelves galore groan with a mix of mainstream, niche, and antiquarian books, and visitors will enjoy the open fires in winter, the comfy sofas and armchairs, the kids' corner, the excellent café, and the little toy train rattling along a track overhead. Barter Books was also responsible for the whole "Keep Calm and Carry On" craze, as the owners discovered the old World War II posters while converting the old station.

The specialty here is a pendant copy of the gold-and-silver cross of St. Cuthbert.

The food and bric-a-brac stalls in this indoor Victorian arcade are open Monday through Saturday. There's an outdoor market on Saturdays, too. An excellent farmers' market is held in Market Place on the third Thursday of every month.