Seeing in 2023 in Northumberland

The New Year was coming in fast and we hadn’t really discussed if we were going to do anything or not. In the past we have done things a bit different to the parties, don’t get me wrong, I love a good party and seeing friends but for New Years its all a bit much for us.

The New Years Eve that stands out in my memory the most has to be the wild camp we undertook up on the Langdale Pikes in the Lake District. Looking down over Grasmere at midnight with the fireworks below us was pretty magical although the wind did pick up in the early hours and we thought the tent, including us, was going to blow away ! But we were lucky and it was a very mild night. Maybe next year we will do this with Coben.

So we were thinking of going away to the Lakes in the van and finding a good spot high up somewhere. Mika, our dog, is terrified of fireworks so the further from them the better for her. However we decided to look into hotels /pubs in the Northumberland area and this is where we ended up. After looking about we settled on the town of Wooler – the gateway to the Cheviot Hills and a short drive to the beautiful Northumberland Coast. We booked a two night stay to allow us to explore the area.

We took the car to save on fuel costs but fitting Coben’s necessities in along with a German Shepherd dog took some strategic packing in our small corsa. With everything packed and still feeling like we didn’t have everything we needed we set off.

We decided to stop off in Alnwick on the way up, this is where the famous Harry Potter was filmed, definitely a must visit if you have older children who have seen the film. There is also the poisonous plant garden which we visited a few years ago. We found it truly fascinating, suitable for adults and kids alike it will certainly open your eyes. Accompanied by a guide you will hear stories of how these plants have been used for deadly deeds in the past but also how sad innocent incidents have occurred through lack of knowledge of these plants.

We didn’t visit the above this time, however we did visit the famous Alnwick bookstore, Barter Books, which claims to be one of Britain’s biggest secondhand bookstore. It is housed in an old victorian station complete with a model railway running across the tops of the bookcases which Coben loved! Whether you like books or not it is definitely a place to visit if your in the area.

After a wander around Barter books we walked up into the town. There is a lovely arched gateway to the main street where there is a variety of shops, cafes and pubs. We came across many quirky, cosy, interesting looking pubs that we have noted to visit next time we are stopping in the area. We grabbed some lunch in the form of a hog roast sausage roll and Northumberland scotch egg – the sausage roll was certainly filling and we saved the Scotch egg for our walk the following day.

We then headed up to Wooler and found our hotel/pub and checked in. As time was knocking on we wandered into town and sampled a few drinks from the local pubs before heading back for a meal.

Then arrived New Years Eve morning, after looking at the O.S map we identified a hill just outside Wooler named Humbleton Hill and found that we could create a circular walk whuch was roughly 4.5 miles long. So after a good breakfast we packed a few bits, drove 2 minutes up the road to a parking spot (avoiding a bit of a walk along a road), loaded Coben in to his carrier and set off. The wind had got a bit wild the night before which resulted in a few trees down at the beginning of the trail which had to be climbed over. Once we were over the trees there was a short, steep climb through the woodland which levelled out and then entered farmland, from here it was a gentle climb before reaching the foot of Humbleton Hill, at this point Coben had fallen asleep.

This section was the steepest and was a good workout with Coben on my back but it was worth it for the views at the top – 360 degree views of the Cheviot Hills and over to the coast. After a short breather we continued and followed the rest of the route back across a fell and back down through the woodland. There were some picnic benches at the car park and this is where we broke out the Northumbrian scotch egg which proved very tasty and filling, definitely recommended if you visit Northumberland.

We managed to avoid the rain up to now but then it started, but we didn’t worry about that and headed to the milkshake bar named Doddington Dairy Milk Bar in Wooler which served up some tasty milkshakes. After our milkshakes we drove upto Maelmin Henge and Trail which is great for a short walk. This site was where a royal township existed near the modern day village of Milfield in Anglo-Saxon times. Today it is the site of a series of reconstructions of local archaeological structures. These enable visitors to experience the scale of the originals which have been lost to time. A very interesting site and perfect for Coben to stretch his little legs, even he found the information boards interesting.

From Maelmin we visited some little villages and came across Etal Castle which was unfortunately closed so we took a little walk around the village and the outside of the castle. During the summer there is a miniature railway which runs between here and the neighbouring village of Heatherslaw, another place to visit next time up this way for sure.

Time was getting on so we headed back to our hotel for our meal and a few drinks in the bar before heading out for a late evening walk, then retreating to our bedroom, one of the restrictions of having a baby but out came scrabble and UNO and before we knew it we were entering 2023.

So Happy New Year, we hope you all have a great new year ahead of you.

We started it off by heading to the coast, we found a lovely little village called Newton by the Sea where we parked up and headed down onto the beach. It was quiet considering it was New Year’s Day and we enjoyed a good hour walking on the beach. Mika loves beaches and had a great run around and met a few other dogs. It was coming up to dinner time now so we started slowly heading back home, grabbing some food on the way.

That finished our weekend away for the New Year , we hope that this post has give you some inspiration to get out and explore somewhere different the next time you can get away, even if it’s for the day.

‘Just Get outside ‘ You’ll always be glad you did and You’ll feel better for it. We guarantee it.