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last minute change of Easter plans and we're having 4 nights in Rothbury in a few weeks. Me, the boss, 2 boys (14 and 10), no bikes. We know Northumberland well and will be having usual beers at The Ship Inn and walking on Embleton beach, sandwiches in Craster, lunch in The Joiners Arms etc as normal (we normally stay near Morpeth).
Never been in Rothbury before though, what is good on our doorstep ? Cragside House looks worth a visit, what else ?
Thanks
Cragside is interesting https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside Armstrong had a lasting impression on the world, walk up around simonside, Alnwick gardens maybe?
paging Drac to the forum
Coffee/lunch at Tomlinson's in Rothbury. Steak and black pudding pies from the Rothbury Bakery. Despair at lack of bike given nice bits of trail above the town, further up the valley, and the proximity of Thrunton 😈
Need an excuse to take bikes? Family ride to Wallington Hall - free entry if you arrive by bike.
Thanks. Been to Alnwick gardens a few times, always interesting, though pricey...
Well the other thing is to get a long boat and invade
Drive up to Alwinton and walk either up the valley or up to Windy Gyle. Beautiful on a beautiful day, grim on a bad day so pick your weather. You could go all day with only seeing a handful of other people.
^^^ nice one, will add to list, thanks
paging Drac to the forum
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Cragside as you say. You can walk there pretty easliy and if you're clever into the grounds for free.
Ashat is right head up the Coquet Valley and then wish you had your bike.
Simonside for easy forest walks
Carriage Drive above Rothbury for nice views then down in to Rothbury for beers at the tap house.
Beaches go without saying.
Bailiff Gate museum in Alnwick is suppoed to be good, I've never been even though I can walk there is 10 minutes.
Sadly my Alnwick casltle pass has photo ID on it so can't help you there.
Kirkly Hall not too far away for a little Zoo and farm experience.
Ultimately it's rural Northumberland so it's hills, beaches and casltes no pesky theme parks.
Bailiff Gate museum in Alnwick is suppoed to be good, I've never been even though I can walk there is 10 minutes.
Lol I walked past it everyday for 6 years and never went in 🙂
Kirkly Hall not too far away for a little Zoo and farm experience.
Careful of the young farmers there
cheers all 🙂
iainc - Member
cheers all
I can't believe all those times you stayed at Beacon Hill & yet never did Cragside!
As Drac said "Carriage Drive above Rothbury for nice views then down in to Rothbury for beers at the tap house"
Its quite steep at first but some great views, just realised it was the last place I went for a walk with my mother in 2015.
She died yesterday 🙁
yeah, we were thinking that too 🙂 definitely do it this time. We saw a cancellation last night for Beaconhill, but silly money, but it spurred us to get onto air b'n'b and find somewhere in area. Need our Northumberland fix, not been there since last July...I can't believe all those times you stayed at Beacon Hill & yet never did Cragside!
Sorry to hear your sad news 🙁
Another vote for Cragside here. The cafe is really good too, or was last time I was there.
Will be there again myself end of April sans bikes giving my 84yo Dad a guided tour of Northumbria as he's never been and always wanted to. I can't wait to go back there.
Walk up to Simonside
Drive up Coquetdale and go for a leg stretch but visit the Barrowburn tea-room. Best ginger stem cake I've ever had !!! Nom nom nom
The last time we were there the Italian restaurant in the Coquetvale Hotel was very nice
The tearoom sadly closed last year as they retired.
Drac - Moderator
The tearoom sadly closed last year as they retired.
No !!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, Barrowburn tearoom was a sad loss indeed 🙁
What's the cafe/tearoom on the road down to the bridge? That's the only one I've been in in recent years.
Remember camping at some weird campsite in the Coquet valley, it was in the grounds of a house that looked like it was occupied by the Addams Family! We managed to turn up with tent, sleeping mats but no sleeping bags. Doh!
In Rothbury? Thomlinson's you'll need a mortgage.
Clennell Hall, many family wedding reception was held there.
Haha, I'm literally in Rothbury right now and was thinking the same thing. Both Tomlinsons and Coquet cycles can rent / deliver bikes locally. Cragside and Wallington both cool, Alnwick very close - with another good castle in Warkworth close by. Planning a family ride for tomorrow - the by accident, can't believe I found somewhere that rents bike by accident kind of ride 🙂 You can try to be really cheeky and drag them to Kielder for maintained / signposted trails if they are not experienced mtb'ers. 🙂
Good call with Wallington.
Lee...
You forgot about Thrunton. Lisa calls that Center parcs 🙂no pesky theme parks
Death
I was at Wallington a few weeks back, there was a sign about some new 6km(?) signed cycle trail exploring previous unseen parts of the estate.....no idea what this is all about, think it was family/casual cycle orientated but I couldn't see any new paths and we went all the way up to the hide etc. I doubt they would let bikes on the main paths round the house
[url= https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events/62ca0644-83b3-4923-bc48-89cdf6ebd4d6/pages/details ]https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events/62ca0644-83b3-4923-bc48-89cdf6ebd4d6/pages/details[/url]
Interesting dlr.
After your sandwiches at Craster walk the clifftop to Dunstanburgh Castle.
I like Warkworth - another ruined castle.....
As Drac said - it's hills, beaches & castles unless you go south to Durham Cathedral which is truly epic but at easter there will be multiple services and hordes of visitors.
Vindolanda or Housteads on the roman wall.
No trip to god's own country is complete without going to holy island and bamburgh but yet more castles - and beaches.
Need an excuse to take bikes? Family ride to Wallington Hall - free entry if you arrive by bike.
Not any more sadly - they've stopped that policy, which is a pity.
All good stuff mentioned so far so not much to add, was lucky enough to walk Craster to Low Newton a week or so ago, in glorious sunshine.
This is a great walk along the wall family freindly for older kids.
[url=htt https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hadrians-wall-and-housesteads-fort/trails/housesteads-to-steel-rigg-circular-walkp:// ]Sycomore gap walk[/url]
I actually prefer doing the whole walk on the wall, go out to steel rig then go back the same way along the route of the wall, rather than the circular route above, but that is good as well. It cam be slippy in wet weather and it is a bit up and down.
You could also visit south of Hexam, to the allendale area, this is even quieter and try bits of issacs tea trail.
[url= https://www.northumberlandlife.org/teatrail/Page1.asp ]Issacs tea trail[/url]
Some good new suggestions, thanks
Quite enjoy an occasional wander through Hulne Park in Alnwick too...
Alwinton walks are great but be sure to be weather prepared, it's fairly remote!
Perhaps from Rothbury have a drive out to Elsdon so the kids can see Winter's Gibbet. A tad macabre but you know ...
Chillingham Castle ... again let the kids discover the tales of doom...
"Wild Camp" in a storm drain, hiding from Gazza and the long arm of the law.
Good call for The Gibbet.
Best on a bleak northumbrian day for 'atmosphere'; grey skies, wind and rain.
A great few days, cold but dry. Cragside was very good, can't believe we've been going to the area for years and missed it. Craster seafood lunch, followed by walk via Dunstanburgh to Low Newton for a pint and back was the best walk of many. Thanks for all the ideas.
Some popular dogging sites around there