The house is really lovely. It is in a small village, 9 miles north of Morpeth (we had thought it was in Morpeth itself). Well-furnished, with a lovely open fire, and central heating. All mod-cons in kitchen, you will want for nil. Modern microwave and cooker. Lots of cutlery and glasses etc. TVs in all bedrooms, nice size rooms, and also nice beds and sheets. Nice decorative touches, so very homely. Great Wi-Fi, and TV in lounge had an in-built DVD player. Lots of wardrobe space, hangers provided. Nice lamps everywhere. Carpeted from stairs upwards, wood downstairs. Dog towels are left out, so clearly good if you have dogs! Dining room is really warm and cosy - upstairs is cooler. Parking easy on the street. Combination lock affords easy entry, no keys to lose!
The village itself had not much to do. The river walk is not that special, though will probably suit dog walkers, though be wary of the trail motorcycle bikers. The village bridges are pretty, there is a small shop there. The pub we didn't visit, but looks popular, very busy on Sunday lunch as judged by the amount of cars parked on the road outside, and the welcome basket from the deli across the river by the owners [a steak pie, and a veggie one, plus some bread and cakes] is amazing - however, we went for breakfast and it was fully booked, so be warned. So you will probably have to drive everywhere, which is no issue, as it is so close to the A1, that we saw everything from Berwick-upon-Tweed/Lindisfarne, to Newcastle/Gateshead, to Hadrian's Wall. Rothbury was a pleasant surprise, non-touristy lovely small town/large village - the Simonside hills nearby are great for walking, a great walking route by the car park there. Morpeth was a bit of a let-down for us compared to some of the other towns we saw, such as Warkworth, so glad in a way the house was not in Morpeth! There is amazingly a bus route outside the house on the main road that goes through the village that goes to Newcastle and Berwick and many other places if you don't fancy driving. There is too much to do in the area for a week, we are going to come back to the area next year!
The owners were very communicative and helpful, made you feel at home, though of course you don't meet them. A real pleasure to stay here, we felt instantly restful when we walked in! Thanks!
