Cast your minds back to March 2020 and the first Covid lockdown being announced.
Anything deemed non-essential was temporarily closed, meaning many of us missed out on visiting the restaurants and cafes that we love. In the months and years since, things have gradually opened up again and the chances are you'll have been able to return to your favourite eatery.
But not if one of them was a Northumberland Country Park café! Incredibly, indoor dining has been closed in the cafes managed by Northumberland County Council for more than two years.
Read more: Seven picnic spots in Northumberland to visit during the Easter Holidays
But all that changes tomorrow, Saturday April 9, as visitors will once again be able to return to three of those cafes for drinks and light refreshments. The cafes are at Bolam Lake Country Park, near Belsay; Plessey Woods near Bedlington; and Druridge Bay, just south of the Northumberland Coast AONB and an early stop off on the county's Coastal Route.
All three cafes, along with Tyne Riverside Country Park at Low Prudhoe, have been completely closed or open just for takeaways, with the latter opening with an in-house council team and offering takeaway food only.
Ruth Thompson, trading officer who covers all four cafes in the Country Parks, said: "As a team we're so excited to be able to serve people indoors again. It's been a difficult couple of years for everyone and this feels like another step towards normality.
"We've upgraded our facilities and taken over the running at Tyne Riverside Park Café and we're really looking forward to people coming to our parks over the Easter holidays and joining us once again for some lovely refreshments."
Councillor John Riddle, Cabinet Member for Local Services, said: "It’s great we’re able to offer indoor seating again at our country park cafes in time for the Easter holidays. With the great British weather sitting outside isn’t always a pleasant experience and we know how popular are cafes are for the thousands of visitors who come to our country parks every year.
"We’d still ask people to take sensible precautions when visiting the cafes and continuing to practice good hand hygiene but we’re looking forward to serving all our visitors at our beautiful parks."
For more information on Northumberland country parks and visitor centres, such as opening times, click here.
Which is your favourite country park to visit in Northumberland? Let us know in the comments below!
