Beacon Hill Farm Cottages, Northumberland

A stay at Kestrel Cottage

A few weeks ago I spent the most perfect evening catching up with the girls in Kestrel Cottage which is situated on the award winning Beacon Hill Farm in the heart of Northumberland. We all had such a wonderful stay and I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Arrival

We relied on our trusty Sat Nav to take us to our destination. We found Beacon Hill Farm without any problem. It is in a very remote area of Northumberland which means uninterrupted Countryside views. Perfect.

We were sent detailed arrival instructions prior to our stay and were instructed that Chris would meet us at our cottage. As we pulled up outside he was there to personally greet us which was nice. We were given a guided tour of our impressive cottage then Chris lit our wood burning stove for us and asked if he could pop back in half an hour once we had settled in.

Right on cue, Chris knocked on our door 30 minutes later and explained that all guests are invited to climb aboard his golf buggy and are given a private tour of the farm on their first day. We didn't expect this and it was definitely a lovely touch which gives you the chance to ask any questions about your stay. The farm is beautiful with never-ending countryside views and it's own private lake and woodland. I was excited to hear about plans to build their own shepherd's huts on part of the unused farm land. Everyone knows I love a bit of glamping and I think Beacon Hill Farm will be a fantastic location for this. 

During our golf buggy tour we noticed lots of outdoor leisure facilities including an adventure playground for children, a tennis court, croquet lawn, cricket pitch, football pitch.......pretty much everything and more you could ask for from a luxury family holiday. We were very impressed.

Our tour ended at the spa (more about that later) and we were shown around the amazing facilities before Chris left us to enjoy our stay.

The Cottage

All of the 15 holiday cottages at Beacon Hill Farm have been awarded a Gold award by Visit Britain which puts them top of the list nationally for self catering cottages. The award recognises Gold standard quality and customer service so expect nothing but the best! 

We were booked to stay in the stone-built Kestrel cottage (sleeps 6) which has been adapted to meet a mobility M2 accesibility grading for disabled guests (the cottage includes ramp access, widened doors and accessible bathroom amongst other features). 

I just LOVED our private garden terrace with wonderful views. Although it was chilly during our stay I could not resist an al-fresco coffee with a magazine. There is an abundance of wildlife around the farm and it is wonderful to sit and watch the birds (or maybe I'm getting old!). Really though, we all lead such busy lives and being able to sit in the countryside with nothing but the noise of birds tweeting is like some sort of heaven!

Our living room was warm and cozy with it's own wood burning stove and lots of mod-cons including iphone docking stations, wifi and digital tv. Again though the best part of this room was the absolutely gorgeous views through the oversized windows.

There are three bedrooms and three bathrooms in Kestrel cottage which made it perfect for a group of girls. I grabbed the master suite and have to say it was one of the best night's sleep I have ever enjoyed.

Luxury Self Catering

Although you are only a few miles from the A1, you really feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere and Beacon Hill Farm have really ensured you have everything you need for your stay. We were greeted with a complimentary bottle of wine and a few local products on arrival (always nice!) and a fully stocked hospitality tray.

There are a few options for dining including restaurant food delivered to your cottage, pre-ordered local food, dinner party catering, supermarket deliveries and tapas in a box. Beacon Hill really do go above and beyond don't they! There are lots of fantastic restaurants and pubs to enjoy in Northumberland should you want to eat out (there are also lots of personal recommendations in your cottage welcome pack) and taxis can be arranged if needed.

We weren't sure what time we were going to eat so had decided to prepare afternoon tea between us - everyone brought one component and we found the cottage kitchen to be more than equipped for our needs. There was even a dishwasher so we didn't need to worry about the washing up.

A wonderful Countryside retreat

I honestly don't know how you could fail to relax at Beacon Hill Farm.

The Gym, Spa and Pool

One of the big advantages of staying at Beacon Hill Farm is that you get unlimited access to top class spa facilities from 7am-9pm 7 days a week included in your stay at no additional cost. There is a pool, steam room, Canadian redwood sauna, gorgeous laconium therapy room, jacuzzi, gym (which is being completely refurbished in time for Easter), orangery, garden room and beauty salon. The spa is just the most relaxing place to be and most of the rooms feature gorgeous views. You can help yourself to unlimited tea, coffee and water too which is nice. 

The spa is next door to a well equipped games room featuring pool tables, air hockey, table football and more. This is perfect for stressed out mum and dads who can let their teens chill here for a bit whilst they sneak off to the spa. It should be mentioned that children are welcome to use the spa (swimming lessons are even offered) however the layout of the spa means that adults can still relax in the over 16's areas separately so if you are after some child-free time this shouldn't be a problem.

We enjoyed the spa so much that I blogged separately about our visit here:- Beacon Hill Farm Spa 

Things to Do

There is one thing I am certain of, you will never be bored at Beacon Hill Farm! There is a comprehensive local guide full of recommendations of where to visit in every cottage and there is always plenty to see and do in Northumberland. Staying on the farm though, here are just a few of the activities you can enjoy:-

• Private fishing on Meg's lake
• 40 acres of private woodland to explore (it is the sort of place where you are encouraged to build fires and cook sausages outdoors)
• Bird watching with over 90 species of bird being spotted on the farm
• Pamper days at Beacon Hill Spa
• Adventure playground
• Indoor games room
• Outdoor park and sports pitches
• A Harry Potter trail through the woods
• Lake Swimming in the Summer
• Cycling

Or maybe like me, you just like to curl up in front of the fire with a good book (from which there are plenty to choose from).

I can hand on heart say I have never stayed anywhere quite like Beacon Hill Farm. Alun and Chris really do go above and beyond and definitely deserve their gold award. Every little detail of your stay has been taken care of and thought about meaning that all you have to worry about is relaxing and enjoying yourself. My only regret is that I didn't take our children - I know they would have loved all of the freedom and outdoor space that the farm offers. This is a good excuse to book up again soon though I think!

We were provided with a complimentary stay for the purpose of this review. Don't just take our word for it though, check out Beacon Hill Farm's 5 star reviews and certificate of excellence on tripadvisor.

http://www.beaconhill.co.uk/

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