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Proud to be part of The Illuminating of Hadrian's Wall 2010

Standing tall with the flare



The Helicopter flying over us videoing the spectacular



David holding his flare



Vicky and David ready with candle and flare



Being taught how to operate the flares



Being taught how to assemble the gas burners



The assembled gas burner when lit



Proud to be part of a fantastic event!

I was recently extremely fortunate to be chosen as an illuminator for the extravaganza along Hadrian's Wall. Wow it was a brilliant day.

For the section of the Wall I was to be involved with I was told to go to the muster point at Lanercost Priory for 1.00pm. We were given soup and a sandwich, asked to fill in our health and safety forms and given our reflective waistcoats, name tags and times for lighting up. Then we were given detailed instructions on putting together and dismantling the gas burners, shown how to light the flares and the candles. I teamed up with an old friend David Gosling, who incidently has an unusual job, he restores old sign posts . We were given 1 flare and 1 candle. Then we made our way to our position on the Wall, which was at Hayton Gate just up a lane from Lanercost Priory. Most people had to go on a bus and be dropped off at various points along the Wall but ours was close enough to walk to. So off we went. I decided to be in charge of the candle as the flares were a bit more scary! Our lighting up time was 6.25pm. We nearly halted ALL proceedings at 6.15pm when we both realised we did not have any matches! Panic ensued but with seconds to spare a lighter was found so at precisely that time I lit my candle and proudly held it high. My friend was instructed to set the flare off when he heard the helicopter, which was going to be flying along the route of the wall filming the whole event. We are actually visible on the video approximately 23 seconds through, you can just make out 3 picnic tables and David with his flare and me in my pale blue coat holding my candle.

Oh what an night - Brilliant!

Cottages with no "T.V"

Looking through the ways in which people find our website i came across searches for cottages with no TV. There can't be many quality cottages left like this as most owners consider it essential.But sometimes you get cottages in remote and isolated areas where there is no reception.

We have stayed in the College Valley and never missed the "box".

Hadrian's Wall and people who love it

So many visitors to the North East head off to the coast and the sandy beaches of Bamburgh and Seahouses. Lovely as that part of the world is they do miss out on some of the more quiet and historic areas of Cumbria and Northumberland. We have already posted extensively about the College Valley which is hidden in the Cheviot Hills and we will, over the next few months be highlighting Hadrian's Wall. You might already have noticed that we have been showcasing Danny Brannigan's pictures on the home page movie but with the forthcoming illuminations on 13th March it is probably time that we talked about other local people who through their work reach out to people far away from here and introduce them to the "Wall".

Joan Thirlaway lives in Gilsland and her website "after the rain" shows a large selection of Wall pictures which you can also purchase. Her blog is here

Enjoy!

Dog friendly cottages in Northumberland

Just written a new page on dog friendly cottages in Northumberland.
Some good photos and comments. Hope that you like this.

Howick Hall and snowdrops

The much loved snowdrop walks at Howick Hall Gardens near Longhoughton will begin early in February. Rated by BBC Gardener’s World magazine as one of the top five coastal gardens in the country, Howick boasts one of the best collections of woodland snowdrops in the North of England. Head gardener Robert Jamieson is anticipating a good show for visitors this month, despite the very wet winter months. He said “We have several varieties of Galanthus, the largest drifts of which are the Galanthus nivalis – the common single snowdrop, but there are also doubles and the Northumberland Yellow, Galanthus nivalis “Sandersii Group”.
Later in the month Sweet Box, Sarcococca confusa will be fragrant in the Acer glade as will Viburnum x bodnantense Pink Dawn with its small tubular pink flowers.

The snowdrops will be followed from late March by hosts of pre-war planted daffodils for which this garden is famous.

The gardens and the Earl Grey Tearoom are open from February 7 from 12 – 4pm, and will be open Saturday, Sundays and Wednesdays until April 1, after which they will be open every day from 12 – 6 pm. For more information visit: Howick Hall
Howick Spring Festival Flyer pdf


Why not book a break in The Old School in Howick Village and get a free pass to Howick Hall Gardens.

We have been looking for ways to try and illustrate the beautiful photographs taken by Danny Brannigan along Hadrians Wall. One of the options is to embed the images as a slide show and this is one for his photographs of Steel rigg.




We hope that you like the pictures.

Military road, Hadrian's Wall

Built by General George Wade in 1745 at the time of Jacobite rebellion, the military road offers a more civilised route between Newcastle and Carlisle. Whilst the heavy traffic ploughs along the A69 below you can drive sedately through this beautiful countryside.

During the summer there is the AD 122 bus service along the military road with drivers who are well aware of the history and will talk about it.The bus connects to railway stations at Carlisle and Newcastle and you can take bikes on both bus and train.
So the next time you are driving alongside the Wall between Hexham and Carlise please remember some of the history.

Bamburgh, the church of St Aidan

This scan is from the front of a pamphlet from 1948 which talks about St Aidan's church in Bamburgh.

To quote:

" The Church of St Aidan is one of the largest ...and finest...in the county"

The pamphlet then talks about

The Tower...is ascended by a stone staircase around a square newel ( only other example of this being the Pele Tower at Welton).It rises 2 stages higher than the church...the 1st stage being used as a belfy and the 2nd for the peal of bells.

Then it covers the Nave and north aisle.

Then the transepts

It then discusses possible traces of the original Norman church and ends up with a description of the 13th century chancel.

More to come in future blogs on Bamburgh.

Cottages in Belford, Northumberland

Belford is a village in North Northumberland, half way between Alnwick and Berwick upon Tweed.

Belford Hall is the main property in the area and is a Grade 1 listed building, although it has now been converted into residential apartments. The village is ideally situated to either reach the Northumberland Coast or to head west towards Wooler and the Cheviot hills.

Northumbria byways are able to offer beautiful holiday cottages either in or close to Belford.

Ludlow cottage in the centre of Belford.

Cuthbert cottage

and the Hayloft above the coffee shop!

So if you would like to make Belford a base for exploring Northumberland then please give us a call.

Northern Heritage

Every year we look forward to receiving the new mail order catalogue from Northern Heritage.

It's usually the books but sometimes the DVDs which we find so appealing. This is a great way to investigate the out of the facts about Northumberland which you normally wouldn't come across.

Some we hope to buy over the months ahead, for example this book of old photographs or Redesdale and surrounding areas

http://www.northern-heritage.co.uk/product.php?id=100818&cid=2

Others such as this classic on Castles and Pele towers we already have

http://www.northern-heritage.co.uk/product.php?id=100808&cid=2

So why not pop over to their website and have a look around?

Cottage in Amble, Northumberland

Amble has been referred to as "The Friendliest Port". The town has Roman origins but was developed as a coal port at the mouth of the River Coquet in the 18th century. The harbour is now shared by traditional fishing boats and a modern Marina, full of colourful yachts and other sailing craft. There are several flourishing boating clubs including yachting, sailing and canoeing. During the summer boats sail regularly from the harbour to the RSPB bird sanctuary at Coquet Island.

Here at Northumbria byways we are able to offer the following holiday cottages either in or close to Amble

Lobster Pot at Low Hauxley

Chantilly, also near Low Hauxley

Southmede in nearby Warkworth

and Watermill cottage at North Charlton

So if you would like to explore the Northumberland coast why not give us a call and book one of these beautiful cottages.

"Cottage for 2 with a bath and fire"

Cottage for two with a bath and fire....what a simple requirement. But sometimes it can be hard to actually find the right place. Our visitors seem to think that Coldburn cottage in the College Valley is the best answer.Remote, isolated and with panoramic views this is a simple but quality cottage with a lot to offer.

Self catering northumberland, "no neighbours"

One of the things which always amazes us is the wide variety of ways which people use search engines to find our cottages
For instance we've been looking at some of the entrance keywords for the College Valley and have come across many instances of searches for
"Self catering northumberland, no neighbours"
Well the College Valley isn't short of isolated houses or indeed remote cottages.

Cottages in Rothbury

Rothbury, known as the 'Gateway to the Northumberland National Park' and is a perfect base to explore the heather topped expanses of the Simonside and Cheviot Hills.

The picturesque village of Rothbury can trace its origins back to 1100, whilst an early Saxon cross can be found in All Saints Church dating back to 800AD.

The evidence of Bronze Age settlements, hill forts and cup and ring marks have been discovered throughout surrounding hills. On the outskirts of this ancient market town is Cragside Estate.

Recently the town has been in the news with some unusually high floods.

Northumbria byways are fortunate to be able to offer many cottages both in the town and nearby. These include

The Masters Lodge

Riverside Lodge

Wellstrand house

Westfield cottage and Wreighburn cottage both at Thropton

A little further afield in the historic village of Elsdon there is also

Townfoot cottage

Near to Rothbury are the villages of Thropton,Elsdon and Alwinton.

So if you would like to explore this beautiful area of Northumberland then please just give us a call.

Cottages near to Kirknewton,Wooler

Kirknewton is a small village north of Wooler and halfway to the Scottish Border. It lies at the heart of Glendale , a valley formed by the confluence of the River Glen and Bowmont Water.

The area is rich in history, from the prehistoric displays at Maelmin , through the battlefield at Flodden , border reiver times and into the 19th century with the Collingwood oaks...there is plenty to see here.

There are some lovely holiday cottages to chose from, for instance

Those in the College Valley

and then

The Lodge

Croft Cottage

and

Mindrum Mill

So if you would like to explore this wonderful area of Northumberland then please give us a call.

Cottages in Wooler,Northumberland

Wooler is an important market town situated just to the east of the Cheviot hills and south of the border with Scotland.It looks eastward across the valley of the Till and is a thriving centre with shops and accommodation. Popular with walkers and the many tourists who come to stay in North Northumberland it provides an ideal centre for exploring this beautiful area of Northumberland.

Northumbria byways have many cottages both in and close to Wooler including

The Bothy

Akeld hill view

Croft cottage

The College Valley

and

the Garden flat

So if you would like to explore this beautiful area of Northumberland why not give us a call?

Belsay in Northumberland

Belsay village in Northumberland is situated on the A696 to the north west of Ponteland.
Belsay castle is a 14th century medieval castle which is both a scheduled ancient monument and a grade 1 listed building.When Belsay Hall was built the Castle was no longer used for accommodation and it is now administered by English Heritage.
Belsay Hall is a 19th century country mansion and also a grade 1 listed building.It was built by Sir Charles Monck.

Belsay Hall




and Belsay Castle

Useful links

Wikipedia for Belsay
and same for the Hall and the Castle



Northumbria byways have

Lake cottage...part of the Belsay estate
as well as South Hall cottage

Thropton in Northumberland

Thropton is a small village about two miles to the west of Rothbury.It sits alongside the River Coquet. where it is joined by the Wreigh burn. It has a post office which sells fresh fruit, vegetables and basic provisions. Then there are two pubs, the Cross Keys and the Three Wheat Heads which is a 300 year old coaching inn.
Thropton is the terminus for the 516 bus route which covers Newcastle to Morpeth and on to Rothbury.

Northumbria byways can offer these properties either in or close to Thropton

Westfield Cottage

Keepers Cottage

Wreighburn cottage

and Grandma's cottage


Close to thropton are Elsdon , Otterburn and Alwinton.

Cornhill on Tweed

Cornhill on tweed is a village in Northumberland. It is just 1 mile to the east of Coldstream. Its original name was Cornell. The River Tweed is about one mile from the village and here there is an eighteenth century bridge with five arches spanning the river.

Strangely Cornhill used to be part of County Durham but in 1844 an Act of Parliament transferred it to Northumberland.

The Anglican Church is dedicated to Saint Helen , the mother of Constantine the Great.

Northumbria byways has Keeper cottage close to the Village.