A Northumberland farm cottage has been named one of the best charity holiday stays in the UK.
Codley Gate Farm Cottage on Hadrian's Wall is owned by the Vindolanda Charitable Trust and sits in the shadow of the Roman Fort of the trust's name, with proceeds from renting out the accommodation going towards excavations on the site. It has been named by Guardian Travel alongside apartments in Edinburgh's Royal College of Surgeons and whisky barrel pods in the Scottish Highlands as the best holiday accommodation owned by charities.
Billed as "brilliantly positioned for visiting several locations on Hadrian's Wall" as well as Vindolanda, the Roman Army Museum, Housesteads Fort, Sycamore Gap, and Cawfields Quarry are all within walking or cycling distance. Back on the site of the farm, there's the only Roman milestone still in its original position in Britain.
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Though Codley Gate Cottage was recommended in the article, there is another property on site also owned by the trust, the slightly bigger Codley Gatehouse, which sleeps eight as opposed to the farm cottage's six. Those who stay at either property get free entry to both Vindolanda Roman Fort and the Roman Army Museum.
Dr Andrew Birley, Vindolanda Trust Chief Executive, said: "Having this property is a great asset for the Trust and it also means that people can still come and live within 100 metres of Vindolanda’s Roman fort. The farm and cottages have a historic links to the landscape and the history of the site, and the barns were built using fallen Roman stones taken from the fort over 300 years ago, so when guests stay in the cottage or farm, they are living inside the history of Vindolanda and Hadrian’s Wall."
All of the income that the Vindolanda Trust raises through stays at the cottage and gatehouse goes back into research and archaeology across its sites, such as the Magna Fort which is to be excavated for the first time in 2023 in a lottery-backed project. Dr Birley continued: "Our guests make a direct contribution to this work.
"Codley Gate cottage and farmhouse guests can freely visit the Vindolanda Trusts sites and museums while they stay. Many come up to the fort and museum to view the excavations, some have joined the excavations and choose to immerse themselves in the history and archaeology by also staying at Codley Gate."
To read the full list of the best charity holiday stays in the UK, click here. For more information on Vindolanda and its accommodation, visit the website.
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