It’s England’s least-populated county, with all the space and freedom that implies, yet Northumberland is often ignored as people zip through heading for Scotland or places further south. An outrage! Here, in the most north-easterly part of England, you will find sweeps of near-empty beaches, a veritable phalanx of castles and grand country piles, Hadrian’s eponymous wall and enough outdoor adventures to exhaust the most energetic.
Wildlife-lovers can enjoy a hike through Kielder Forest, one of the few remaining strongholds of red squirrels in the UK, while the county also offers some of the most spectacular dark skies – you can even book a stargazing session at the Kielder Observatory.
Northumberland’s attractions are wide-ranging and, when it comes to booking a stay, there are beds to match. From romantic beachy hideaways and posh country estates to jolly village inns and chic townhouse numbers, here are some of the best in show.
The best hotels in Northumberland are:
- Best country house hotel: Matfen Hall
- Best hotel for foodies: Restaurant Hjem at The Hadrian Hotel
- Best hotel for family breaks: The Bamburgh Castle Inn
- Best hotel for beachy romantics: The Joiners Arms
- Best hotel for boutique chic: The Cookie Jar
- Best hotel for outdoorsy types and stargazers: The Pheasant Inn
- Best hotel for stylish country escapes: Lord Crewe Arms
- Best hotel for afternoon tea with views: Walwick Hall
- Best hotel for seaside fun with style: Beadnell Towers
- Best hotel for hot-spot buzz: The Beaumont
Best country house hotel: Matfen Hall
Neighbourhood: Matfen, near Corbridge
This film-set-perfect Gothic mansion – all towering chimneys and vast mullioned windows – has been given a startlingly modern makeover that still retains its historic grandeur. Richly patterned Chesterfields and bold statement wallpapers sit alongside a sweeping staircase, double-height hall and book-lined dining room. It’s fine-dining in the latter or more casual in the Orangery. Bedrooms are either contemporary-classic or contemporary-grand, the latter with full-on white marble bathrooms. With golf course, spa, pool, hi-tech gym and woodland trails, forget the car until it’s time to leave.
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Best hotel for foodies: The Hadrian Hotel
Neighbourhood: Wall, near Hexham
Only a mile south of Hadrian’s Wall, this 18th-century former coaching inn makes a good base for Roman adventures. But you might instead be here to sample Alex Nietosvuori’s Michelin-starred food at Restaurant Hjem – perhaps lamb tartare with dense caramelised onions, or carrot sorbet with fennel – served in the small, Scandi-light dining room where the kitchen is centre-stage. Swedish-born Alex worked in some of Scandinavia’s cutting-edge restaurants before moving here in 2019 with his Northumbrian-born partner, Ally Thompson, who plays the super-efficient, super-friendly front-of-house. The 11 rooms are simple, light and fresh, the best come with wide valley views. Wake up to one of Alex’s fabulously cooked breakfasts, then stride out on the Wall.
Price: Doubles from £440, B&B plus dinner
Best hotel for family breaks: The Bamburgh Castle Inn
Neighbourhood: Seahouses
Overlooking the harbour in this small but jolly seaside resort, and with views to the Farne Islands, this family- and dog-friendly hotel arguably has one of the finest positions on the Northumbrian coast. Many rooms look directly out to sea, as does the long bar-dining-room and terrace, and there are boat trips, beaches and seasidey entertainments all within walking distance. Spread over a maze of corridors and steps, bedrooms are bright and no-nonsense, with tartan carpets and framed vintage railway posters. The all-day menu is a crowd-pleaser, with the Sunday lunch carvery, in particular, a local hero.
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Best hotel for beachy romantics: The Joiners Arms
Neighbourhood: High Newton-by-the-Sea, near Alnwick
It may look a modest sort of pub in a very ordinary small village, 10 minutes from Low Newton’s pretty curved beach, but step inside and things warm up. Red-velvet stools, oversized floral lampshades, leather banquettes and scrubbed tables sit against exposed-stone and timbered walls, creating a sort of funky ski chalet look. Upstairs, the five bedrooms are boudoir-sexy, with deep-pile carpets, bold colours and a flirty theme – perhaps exotic-Asian, rustic-French-chic or Highland country house. Three have in-room baths on a plinth (and beside a mirror). Four further rooms, rustic-chic in style with two for families, are in a building adjacent to the pub, plus there’s a shepherd’s hut with hot tub. Above-average pub staples hit the spot after a day’s windsurfing or coastal walk.
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Best hotel for boutique chic: The Cookie Jar
Neighbourhood: Alnwick
In a former convent, tucked up a quiet street minutes from the entrance to Alnwick Castle, this stylishly quirky hotel is anything but quiet and reserved. More country house than townhouse, with stripped-wood floors, leather armchairs and padded headboards, it blazes with a dazzling blue-and-white colour scheme – in geometric-patterned fabrics, deep-hued walls, and artful collections of pottery and glassware. The 11 bedrooms continue the colours, with an uncluttered style that mixes vintage and modern. The vast Chapel Suite would have the nuns agog with its copper bath beneath stained glass windows. Food is modern British and there’s a sheltered decked garden.
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Best hotel for outdoorsy types and stargazers: The Pheasant Inn
Neighbourhood: Kielder Forest Park
Keep going north and west in Northumberland, towards the Scottish border, and the skies grow magical. Finally you reach Kielder Forest Park, and the vast expanse of Kielder Water, one of Europe’s largest Dark Sky Parks. One mile from the water’s edge, the family-run Pheasant Inn offers a warm and welcome bed if you’ve ventured out to one of the late-night events at the futuristic-looking Kielder Observatory. The bar, snug and dining room are archetypal country inn: low-beamed ceilings and exposed-stone walls, gleaming horse brasses and sepia photographs, jolly tartan carpets and shiny wooden tables. Home-cooked food is a mix of pub staples and smarter options – the slow-roast Northumbrian lamb a revelation – while the eight bedrooms, in converted farm buildings next door, are neat and cottagey. Courtyard rooms have the most character; first floor rooms have the finest views.
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Best hotel for stylish country escapes: Lord Crewe Arms
Neighbourhood: Blanchland
Perched on the Northumberland/County Durham border, Blanchland is such a gorgeously soft and honeyed estate village, it almost hurts the eyes. Holding court in the middle, next to the church, opposite the square and stepping distance from the river, this ancient hostelry – the former Abbot’s lodging of a 12th-century priory – is steeped in history but has been skilfully updated with a modern country-manor look. Pale-washed floorboards, modern art and tartan cushions are set against stone-flagged floors, vast fireplaces and deep mullioned windows. Bedrooms – most in separate cottages around the corner or in a former pub across the square – have a smart but relaxed country-house feel, mixing antiques with rustic furniture, country-prints and milky colours. Modern British food is punchy and unpretentious, and there’s a choice of dining rooms – the cosiest warmed with fires.
Price: Doubles from £164
Best hotel for afternoon tea with views: Walwick Hall
Neighbourhood: Walwick, near Hexham
This pocket-sized Georgian country house makes up for its modest size and grounds with sweeping views and serious glamour. Statement wallpapers and designer sofas feature in the spacious ground-floor rooms, with spectacular views over the Tyne valley. Choose here or the terrace for afternoon tea and you’ll not want to move. If you’re able to rouse yourself, there’s a pool in a glass-walled pavilion, and Hadrian’s Wall on the doorstep. Bedrooms cosset with Aubusson carpets, country-print wallpapers and freestanding baths in marble bathrooms.
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Best hotel for seaside fun with style: Beadnell Towers
Neighbourhood: Beadnell
A breezy 10-minute walk from one of Northumberland’s prettiest beaches, this dog- and family-friendly hotel injects sassy style into the typical seaside hotel. Interiors of the Georgian building are bright with William Morris wallpapers, parquet flooring, collections of maritime paraphernalia and an open-plan bar and restaurant that thinks nothing of mixing mustard-yellow seating and oversized lampshades with exposed-stone walls. Menus highlight local seafood. Townhouse-smart bedrooms with polished floorboards might have beams, a copper bath or a telescope for scanning the horizon.
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Best hotel for hot-spot buzz: The Beaumont
Neighbourhood: Hexham
Overlooking Hexham’s colourful gardens and metres from the 12th-century abbey, The Beaumont is the market town’s unofficial meeting spot. Locals and visitors gravitate to its friendly, open-plan bar and restaurant – spilling out onto the pavement in fine weather – for a coffee, a meeting, to read the newspaper, or for a spot of food from the modern British menu. A Victorian townhouse, its rooms – some in a modern annexe – are bright, with feature wallpapers and colourful armchairs, the best with abbey views or a rooftop terrace.
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