Out And About

At Crookhouse, we are ideally located to explore Northumberland and the Cheviot Hills whether for a weekend break or an extended holiday

Walking

From relaxing strolls to adventurous trails, Northumberland is ideal for either and everything in between. Fabulous walks from the doorstep range from leisurely rambles along the Bowmont Water and surrounding farmland to 600 miles of designated hill and moorland routes in the Cheviot Hills. There is also lovely walking along the nearby beaches, Bamburgh being our favourite spot with an array of fish and chip shops nearby in Seahouses.

Check out: www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/things-to-do/get-active-outdoors/walking/walking-routes

Cycling

Being largely rural, Northumberland is a cyclist’s heaven. There are plenty quiet country lanes, coastal pathways or if you’re feeling more energetic there are 600miles of marked routes up in the hills. The Cheviots offer some of the best mountain biking in the country, the Pennine Cycleway and the Reivers Cycle Route both run through the National Park. Away from the mountains the coast and castles and the sea to sea routes are very popular.

Check out: www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/things-to-do/get-active-outdoors/cycling

or: www.c2cplanner.com

Riding

The vast Northumberland Beaches, Ancient Castles and sandy Islands makes the perfect location for a spot of horse riding. Horses are welcome at Crookhouse and stabling is available. The local bridle paths provide access to some of the most beautiful and unspoilt areas of Northumberland. The stables at Kimmerston just down the road also offer riding in the Cheviot Hills as well as rides on the spectacular sandy beaches on nearby Holy Island. If you need any further information please contact our team.

Fishing

For on the doorstep fishing, Bowmont river which runs below Crookhouse is a good source for trout fishing. There is low key fishing on the River Glen which runs further up through the estate. For more serious fishing, the cottage is only a fifteen drive from the River Till one of the area’s best kept secrets with an impressive sea trout run each spring. The lower and bottom beats of the legendary River Tweed are also within easy driving distance.The river tweed offers 97 miles of very high-quality salmon fishing, the Tweed is famous in Scotland and it runs through both Berwick Upon Tweed and Kelso.

Check out: www.tweedguide.com

Shooting

Bisley shooting ground at Braidwood is an immense experience for beginners or for the more experienced shots. The ground offers clay shooting lessons (including children age 10+), a rifle range and a virtual simulator experience. No licence or insurance needed.

Check out: Bisley at Braidwood, Selkirk, Scottish Borders TD7 4QD

www.bisleyshooting.co.uk/our-grounds/bisley-at-braidwood

Golf

Golf fans are no less well provided for with golf courses nearby, a couple of the specialist ones are:

Rothbury golf course which joins the Northumberland national park. Rothbury has 18-hole course and welcomes visitors all year round.

www.rothburygolfclub.com

The Roxburgh golf club is located at the award-winning Roxburgh Hotel near Kelso. Designed by Dave Thomas, the internationally renowned golf course architect, the course is set in 200 acres of rolling parkland on the banks of the river Teviot. Visitors are welcome all year round.

www.roxburghe-golf.com/en/home

Islands and Beaches

Some of the cleanest and emptiest beaches in England can be found on Northumberland’s spectacular Heritage Coastline. There are over 30 beaches in Northumberland with a popular coastal path that stretches 62 miles from Cresswell to Berwick. One of our favourite spots is Bamburgh Beach, with miles of pristine sand nestled behind huge sand dunes. At low tide take a trip across the causeway to the mystical Holy Island of Lindisfarne or take a boat to the Farne Islands to see the resident colonies of Grey Seals and an impressive array of birdlife including Puffins.

Bamburgh Castle

Those nearby the cottage include dramatic Bamburgh, perched high on its rocky outcrop, sits right on the edge of the north east coast reaching 150ft high. In 1095 it became the property of the British Monarch. Financial difficulties led to the castle deteriorating and was brought by the Armstrong family in the Victorian times who refurbished it, the family still own the castle today.

www.bamburghcastle.com

Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle is the Duke of Northumberland’s residence and is the second largest inhabited castle behind Windsor Castle. The castle has also doubled up as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. It receives over 800,000 visitors per year. Alnwick Gardens are worth a visit in the summer.

www.alnwickcastle.com

Chillingham Castle

Chillingham Castle- “Britain’s most haunted castle”. Owned by the same family since 1200s, it played a huge part in the battles between Scotland and England. The dungeons and torture chamber including a stretching rack, bed of nails, spiked chair and viewing room still exist today. It has one of the highest levels of paranormal activity and ghost tours are very popular. Chillingham is home to the worlds only wild cattle herd.

www.chillingham-castle.com

Local Amenities

The estate is seven miles from the small town of Wooler which offers a good range of independent shops including excellent butchers, a very good delicatessen, several pubs and cafes, the Milan Restaurant and a very popular Milk bar (our favourite) set on the A697 serving delicious local homemade ice cream and meals. Cornhill on Tweed is eight miles from the estate and offers an excellent village shop selling pies and local goodies and the Collingwood Arms which has a bar and restaurant specialising in dishes prepared using the wealth of local produce on offer. More extensive shopping including a good range of independent shops, pubs and restaurants are available at Berwick Upon Tweed 16 miles away or 18 miles away is Kelso which has a lovely cobbled town filled with boutique shops and “Britain’s friendliest racecourse”.

Further afield, the magnificent cities Edinburgh and Newcastle are only about an hour (in opposite directions) by car or 45 minutes on the train from nearby Berwick-upon-Tweed.

www.kelso-races.co.uk

Eating And Drinking

Northumberland is guilty for its vast array of country pubs where speciality local food is the star. The coast offers delicious fresh seafood and Holy Island is a must for pub lunch. In Wooler our local town we are lucky to have an Italian restaurant The Milan, The No.1 hotel serving Spanish Tapas and more casually during the day the Milk Bar offers delicious local Doddingtons ice-cream, smoothies aswell as light meals.

Special Pubs to mention:

The Red Lion- Milfied

The Collingwood Arms – Cornhill

The Border Hotel- Yetholm

The Tankerville Arms- Wooler

The Apple Inn- Lucker

The Black Bull- Lowick

Check out: www.northumberlandeats.co.uk