What to See & Do

This part of Northumberland is a fascinating area to visit.

(You might also like to take a look at What's On in the Borders to find out about interesting local events during your stay at the Coach House)

(See also our page on Birdwatching in Northumberland)

Northumberland is an area of wide-open spaces and blue skies, breezy but, being one of the driest areas in Britain, hardly ever rainy and with many attractions. Historic Berwick-upon-Tweed and the spectacular Northumberland Heritage Coast, with the splendid Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh Castles, are all accessible with the Cheviot Hills just to the south. Visit Pot-a-doodle Do near Berwick for a fun day out making pots and crafts, open all year.

For walkers, the Saint Cuthbert's Way passes near here, Kirk Yetholm has a famous Gypsy centre, and in the Border mill towns cashmere and other woollies can be had for less than half the price charged in city shops.

We are very close to the site of the Battle of Flodden Field, where in 1513 Henry VIII's armies slaughtered the King of Scotland and 10,000 of his followers: the very last mediaeval battle with knights wearing armour, and swords and arrows the principal weapons.
Each August, during the Coldstream Civic Week, there is a tremendously emotive spectacle commemorating the battle, with 200 horsemen bearing down at a canter after being led by the Coldstream Guards across the old bridge at Coldstream. A piper plays that tragic lament for the fallen, "The Flower of the Forest".

Up to the end of the 16th Century, this was the land of the Border Reivers, in which individuals, families and armies, both Scottish and English, fought out bitter feuds for control of the Borderlands.
Just across the border are Scotland's ancient abbey towns, Jedburgh, Melrose, Kelso, and Dryburgh, near to which is the Wallace Monument - dedicated to William Wallace, of 'Braveheart' fame.

A trip, via causeway at low tide, to Holy Island, with it's stunning Lindisfarne Castle, is simply not to be missed - check tide tables beforehand!
You can take a boat trip to the Farne Islands, a nature reserve with grey seals and a vast range of sea birds, or to Bass Rock on which nest 10% of the world's population of North Atlantic Gannets.

Because of our increasing network of local friends we can offer you a day's trail hunting, private fishing, or for the less active a leisurely stroll round a lovely garden, rarely open to the public! An extension of the Pennine Way and the Ravenber Path now run adjacent to our land and follow the Rivers Till and Tweed to the sea at Berwick.

At the Kimmerston Riding Centre you can enjoy horse riding bare-back on Holy Island in the bracing North Sea and trekking through some of the most dramatic countryside imaginable.
Why not try a flight at Borders Gliding Club? Fly with an experienced instructor and view the beautiful Northumberland landscape from 2000ft.

For golfers, Bamburgh Castle Golf Club is one of the most beautiful in Britain and Hirsel Golf Club at Coldstream is one of the most challenging.

Enjoy more photographs of Northumberland by Graeme Peacock

	The Border Reivers	Lindisfarne	weather
Northumberland National Park	Berwick OnLine 2000	History of Northumberland	The National Trust