Rothbury

Rothbury Play Park Cragside The cottage is in a quiet street just off Front St in the centre town of Rothbury with its own off road parking.

Known as the ‘capital of Coquetdale’, this scenic market town bustles with welcoming pubs, cafés, art and craft galleries, traditional independent shops, a bank, a children’s play park, riverside picnic area, cycle hire, a library, church, golf course, public toilets and a bus service is available.
It is a great springboard for adventures in walking, cycling and more.

There are also nearby leisure facilities such as golf, fishing, bike hire, tennis and guided walks, as well as self guided walks from easy riverside ones to challenging Cheviot climbs. We have a range of books and maps in the cottage to help you.

The National Trust has a number of properties nearby including the fabulous Cragside estate, the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectric power plus a rhododendron labyrinth www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside as well as Wallington Hall famous for its dolls houses. Both have excellent woodland play areas.

Alnwick

Alnwick Castle Alnwick Garden The historic town of Alnwick is 12 miles away, offering great amenities and some beautiful buildings to discover including Alnwick Castle, where Harry Potter learned to fly his broomstick and you can too! It was used as Hogwarts in the films www.alnwickcastle.com.

Next door is the amazing Alnwick Garden - as they say - where else could you marvel at the sight of a meerkat riding a camel in front of a 120 water jet Grand Cascade before taking lunch at one of the largest wooden treehouses in the world, nestled 18 meters above the ground? Only at The Alnwick Garden www.alnwickgarden.com

Alnwick is also home to Barter Books, the largest second-hand book shop in the UK located in a Victorian Railway station, originally opened in 1887.
It was here that in 2000, an original WW2 “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster was discovered which has since turned into an International design phenomenon. It also has model trains running around the walls! Good for a Rainy day.

Northumberland's Coastline

Bamburgh Castle Holy Island Northumberland’s fabulous beaches and castles are a short drive away as are Holy Island / Lindesfarne and the Farne Islands.

Wildlife is the main draw on the Farne Islands, which are most famous for puffins and seals plus many other species, including shags, kittiwakes, razorbills, eider ducks and guillemots. You’ll see different things depending on what time of year you visit. Some is NT and they have a calendar showing what’s the best time of year for different species www.nationaltrust.org.uk/farne-islands/features/wildlife-calendar

Northumberland's Parks

Dark Skies at Keilder And we are right on the edge of the Northumberland National Park with Dark Skies at Kielder and great walks in the Cheviot Hills. Northumberland National Park is the least populated National Park in the UK. With its clear air, clean waters and dark skies, it is also one of England most tranquil locations. Northumberland National Park forms part of the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park. Unveiled in December 2013 and at 572 square miles (1,483 square kilometres) it is also Europe’s largest area of protected night sky. Thanks to its pristine skies it was awarded gold tier designation by the International Dark Sky Association, making it officially the best place in England for people to go to enjoy the heavens.

Hadrian's Wall and other sites of interest

Hadrian's Wall We are 35 miles from Housesteads Fort, one of the key locations on Hadrian’s Wall and the most complete Roman Fort in Britain. It is operated by English Heritage who have lots of properties in Northumberland : many sites on Hadrian’s Wall as well as Brinkburn Priory, just outside Rothbury, Lindesfarne Priory in Holy Island, and a range of castles such as Warkworth, Dunstanburgh and Belsay Hall. www.english-heritage.org.uk