For me, the real magic of Alnwick — the Northumbrian market town best known for its medieval castle featuring high gothic architecture immortalised in the Harry Potter movies — lies nine miles west at Glanton Pyke. This blissfully secluded 22-acre Georgian estate may be lesser-known, but it’s a salve to soothe overloaded and stressedout senses. Arriving late from London (it is equally well-connected to Edinburgh and Newcastle airport), we quickly settle into Stable Cottage — a Grade II-listed, picture-postcard stone and slate hideaway, with its own private garden and the kind of classically comfy English decor, designed by Johnston Parke Interiors, that you can really sink into. The linens are crisp, the wood-burning stove fully stoked and the palette serene, making it a perfectly cocooning hideaway.
Before getting too comfortable, we headed out to catch a glimpse of the staggering views as the sun lowers over Whittingham Vale and Thrunton Woods. Enchanted, what struck me was just how peaceful it is here. The following morning, after a sizeable breakfast, we went back out to immerse ourselves in the bounties of the estate gardens. There was an entertaining half hour exploring the beech hedge maze and kitchen garden with its impressive greenhouses and lily-pad pond, before finding the flower meadows and ancient woodlands. Days here could easily be spent in peaceful contemplation of nature — but this is prime walking country, and we had much ground to cover.
