Magical weekend break in Northumberland
I love checking out the gorgeous properties from the specialist company "Crabtree and Crabtree" - based in the Scottish Borders, so not far from home for me, they state that they know every property and also every mile of the riverbanks, hillsides, beaches, towns and villages of the Scottish Borders and Northumberland.
I know that the quality of the holiday cottage (or grand house when you have reason to celebrate with your extended family!) will be excellent, and every last detail will be taken care of.
For this November break, I chose "The Smithy" at Turvelaws Farmhouse, within walking distance of the pretty market town of Wooler, close to the Northumberland National Park. We arrived on Friday afternoon with flurries of snow and the imposing Cheviot hill overlooking the town covered in white.
A fantastic log fire was soon blazing away as City Boy re-discovered his boy scout skills and the steak pie we had brought with us was in the oven. The cottage had underfloor heating and as soon as I sat in the high backed chair by the fire (with a start-of-holiday glass of fizz) I was totally relaxed!
On Saturday the dog was delighted to find that the owners had thoughtfully placed a right of way opposite the entrance to the farmhouse - Wooler is 400m in one direction, or there is a lovely walk along the river in the other direction. Great for early morning / last thing at night walks. During the day we drove about twenty five minutes south to the National Trust property of Cragside. In the winter months the gardens are open on Fri / Sat and Sun - we had a great few hours exploring the grounds and (nearly) getting lost in the Labyrinth. I was glad to get back to the café for a hot chocolate!
On Sunday we walked to Wooler and enjoyed the hospitality of the Tankerville Arms Hotel after a walk on St Cuthbert's Way which passes through the town. The long distance walk from Melrose to Lindesfarne is one of the most beautiful, varied and enjoyable in the UK. And afterwards, we had the cosy warmth of the Smithy to return to which was just bliss.
All in all, we returned to work having had a lovely break - just the thing to take us into the winter months proper...