we just got back from a week staying at the Hawthorne Cottage, part of the Scotchcoulthard Self Catering Cottages. It was myself and my husband, my sister in law and our friend Mel. We decided to take my sister in law away in honour of her 60th birthday and we thought a week in the country with nothing important to do other than eat, read, sleep and take in the local landscape and history.
When we first got to the house after the drive from Nottinghamshire, we followed he directions sent to me by Susan and Andy which were easy to follow and brought us to the very long rocky driveway. There was no one there when we arrived so we noticed that the door to the cottage was unlocked and we were instantly greeted by Sadie the Jack Russell and Meg, Heidi and Finn all Labradors. When we opened the door and started to head in there was someone there, the housekeeper/friend of the family and she said we were fine to go in. When we did we were met with a proper lovely cottage that had all the makings of "you are in the country now". There was a lovely lemon cake waiting for us and we quickly put the kettle on and went to explore the upstairs (as well as a guided tour of the downstairs by 3 of the lovely dogs ). Upstairs are 3 bedrooms all with en-suites, 2 with double beds and one with 2 twin beds. My husband and I took the room all the way to the left which had a stone wall and a very high ceiling with gorgeous beams and all of these rooms had views that were incredible. you could see so far when there was no cloud. We had to walk through the room with the twin beds to get to ours but the walls are so thick that it just doesn't matter and this is no big deal at all.
The bed in our room at least was amazing and so incredible comfortable, not only the mattress but the pillows and the duvet just wrapped you perfectly and when you turn the lights off to go to bed, there is not one ounce of light anywhere and the silence is just beautiful. what a great nights sleep we all had. Not only is there no light pollution up there, there is no noise at all, the only thing you hear is the cows and the sheep and the occasional member of your family snoring haha.. The en-suites were lovely although the water pressure is non-existent but that is because the water comes from a tank and is not on the grid. our shower literally had dribbles coming out but my sister in laws was better and actually had water coming out of the shower so we used hers. That being said, all of the bathrooms were super clean and the towels were big and soft and plenty of them!!!
The downstairs was really nice and comfortable and homely. We literally spend all evening after dinner and just sat and read and talked and although there is a big modern TV, it only went on when the England Women's semi final was on and that was it. Never missed it, we didn't need it. My only comment with the cozy front room are the toss pillows on one of the couches could be replaced. They were a bit tattered and I think just would need 2 new ones. There is also NO internet while you are there. Every now and again my phone would ping with a message but 99.9% absolutely nothing.. BUT you don't need or miss it when you have those views around you. Just sitting and looking outside with one of the dogs with you was pure perfection. Better than anything I could see on the internet. The landscape is stunning so worthy of all your attention.
The kitchen looks like a proper country kitchen with all the modern cooking items you need. We cooked dinner a couple of times and had our breakfast there and it was just like cooking at home. you had everything you needed and is a comfortable place to just sit and chat, which we did with endless cups of tea.
This location is a perfect spot for checking out what this part of Northumberland has to offer. You are not far at all from all the Roman Heritage sites such as Vindolanda and Houseteads which are both pretty cool as well as day trips to Newcastle, Durham, Hexam, Alnmouth and Carlisle. All of which we did. There are also plenty of things to see in the area as this part of the world is steeped in history. The landscape around as well is just pure beauty. We all just wanted to go somewhere where we could just chill and enjoy and this did not disappoint at all.#
My only complaint of these lovely self catering cottages is the pool. What a bonus and treat to have an indoor pool on your doorstep, literally. Although, it is a good size the pool itself could really use a very good scrub and the lining needs to be fixed. There was some stuff floating, which looked like a huge clump of dog hair and some other stuff but there was no net to fish it out which we would have done. There is a great games room and kitchen area all attached to this pool area and again, what a great bonus this is but it needs some TLC. We only went the once as I wasn't really wanting to go back in.
All in all, this place is really fantastic, we even had the RAF practicing overhead one of the mornings. It was loud and thrilling to watch them come over. It was like a private show and we were told that they often do practice. Was quite cool.
I already miss Sadie, what a cutie and all of them actually, so sweet and loving and just want some attention and a biscuit and they are happy. they get to wander freely and they will come to your door and wait for you...
A definite place to stay if you plan on a trip up this way. Well worth it and I would love to go back.
