Sunday 19 May 2013

So many great reasons to holiday in Northumberland!

When I was a little girl I used to create a holiday scrapbook, how sad!! I would collect postcards, draw pictures and write about my favourite places... So here I am again... many years on creating another scrapbook in a new format!

Escape the airport chaos, load up the car and take a holiday in the beautiful county of Northumberland. It's so easy, no passport, no days waiting at the airport, lost luggage or sunstroke!

This is our second holiday in Northumberland, it's such a great county, full of diverse countryside, from beautiful deserted beaches and castles

...to fabulous hills and streams inland.

We have had of course a variety of types of weather, but nothing ever stops us getting out. We just wrap up warm and blow the cobwebs away even in the mist! I do love walking and get a sense of achievement from completing a long walk but have been known to have the odd tantrum when there has been a steep climb!

One of the main reasons we have been taking holidays in the UK is so we can include our two Border Terriers Tolly and Winston, they have such a great time it makes us enjoy our hols even more enjoyable.

I'm really picky when it comes to booking a holiday cottage , I want to stay somewhere that I love. I suppose being in the interior trade my surroundings are important to me, especially when on holiday. So I tend to spend hours trawling the Internet finding the perfect holiday cottage. It really is worth spending time researching the area too.

The Bothy

I've noticed you don't always pay more for good taste. My family now tend to ask me to find their holiday cottages, I'm getting a reputation for finding some real gems. Up here in Northumberland I would highly recommend www.wild-plum.co.uk . Corrine Joicey has renovated three beautiful properties, you can book through the Crabtree and Crabtree website which has a great selection of cottages in the Borders of England and Scotland. We have stayed The Smithy ( last year) and The Bothy (this year) .

The Bothy is a fabulous holiday cottage situated in the Bowmont Valley. Tolly and Winston are thrilled that they have some friends in the field in front to torment.

The house is so well equipped with a huge kitchen sitting area with a wonderful woodburner so it's toasty warm. It has two bedrooms, one which doubles up as a family room with its own tv and children's toys.

This year we visited Barter Books in Alnwick, a fantastic find. We sampled tea and cake in the Old Waiting Room where there was a roaring fire.

Heatherslaw Mill was an interesting trip, we saw the workings of the mill in great detail, plus I managed to buy some flour for my bread making.

A trip along the coast to Bamburgh is a must , especially for the sausage rolls at the butchers!

The beach here is so wonderful, the dogs had a beano,

Eleanor's Byre is a lovely barn and coffee shop further down the coast towards Dunstanburgh.

We always enjoy a trip over the causeway, depending upon the tide to Holy Island, it's great for walking and the little village is so sweet.

There is so much to see and do here, I know we will be back!

We have been lucky enough to take a 10 day break and have really recharged the batteries!I've even managed to finish my quilt which is a huge achievement!

I hope you get chance to take a break too, ifyou do take a look at Northumberland, it's fabulous!

Please blog your holidays too, I love seeing new places to explore!

Debs x