Christian Holiday Cottage, Northumberland National Park

Christian Holiday Cottage, Northumberland National Park — On the Edge of Coquetdale

This Christian holiday cottage, Northumberland National Park, sits just over a mile from Rothbury, a small Coquetdale town with one of the most remarkable Anglo-Saxon treasures in the whole of England hidden inside its parish church. All Saints’ Church, Grade II* listed, stands on a site of Christian worship going back to around 800 AD, and its font is set on the shaft of an Anglo-Saxon cross of that date, carved with a scene widely regarded as the earliest surviving depiction of the Ascension of Christ in this country — the disciples gazing upward as Christ rises above them, carved more than a thousand years before Rose Cottage’s own front door was built. Further fragments of the same cross, uncovered during the church’s Victorian restoration, are now kept in the Great North Museum in Newcastle, but the piece that matters most — the font itself — has never left.

The rest of the church tells a more recent story. It was largely rebuilt in 1850 with the industrialist Lord Armstrong of nearby Cragside as its principal benefactor, and he is buried in the churchyard across the street. Inside, a finely carved Victorian pulpit, given in 1901, depicts Bernard Gilpin — known as the “Apostle of the North” for his sixteenth-century mission work across the border country — alongside Saints Columba, Paulinus, Hilda and Aidan, a reminder of just how many different missionaries shaped Christianity in this part of England.

Cragside itself, mentioned above as a National Trust property less than five minutes’ drive away, was Lord Armstrong’s own creation and a good deal more than a country house. In 1880 it became the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectric power, using lakes he had dammed on the estate to drive a turbine and light his rooms — a piece of Victorian engineering as remarkable, in its own way, as the Anglo-Saxon carving down the road in Rothbury. Today the house and its rock gardens draw well over 150,000 visitors a year, most of them entirely unaware that Cragside’s real legacy runs from Victorian hydroelectric wizardry all the way back to a carved stone font in the parish church its own creator helped to restore.

Northumberland’s dark skies, already mentioned above, are officially recognised: the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, covering the National Park and Kielder Forest, was awarded Gold Tier status — the highest available — by Dark Sky International in 2013, making it the largest area of protected night sky in Europe. On a clear night, guests at Rose Cottage need only step into the back garden to see it for themselves, and Kielder Observatory, one of the largest public astronomy facilities in Northern Europe, runs regular stargazing events within the same Dark Sky Park for anyone wanting an expert-led evening under the stars.

Rose Cottage makes the most of all this without asking guests to travel far: Thropton’s shop, pub and footpaths are all within a few minutes, Rothbury and its ancient font are under two miles away, and Cragside, Alnwick and the coast are all within easy reach for a day out. Between the Saxon cross, the Victorian engineering and the modern Dark Sky designation, this small corner of Coquetdale has been quietly remarkable for well over a thousand years.

Rose Cottage is perfect for:

Couples or small groups of up to three, in a cosy two-bedroom cottage close to the National Park boundary
Guests interested in Northumbria’s Christian and Anglo-Saxon heritage, from Rothbury’s ancient font to Cragside’s Victorian church benefactor
Stargazers wanting genuinely dark skies, in one of the largest Gold Tier Dark Sky Parks in Europe
Walkers and cyclists, with open countryside just two minutes from the door
Owners of one small, well-behaved dog

Location

Rose Cottage, Thropton, Northumberland (Sleeps 3)

How to get there:

Rose Cottage is most easily accessed by car. Alternatively it is 33 miles from Newcastle International Airport and 15 miles from Acklington Railway Station.

Nearest Town:

Rothbury 1.5 miles

Alnwick 14 miles

Local Area

Thropton is a very pretty traditional, quiet Northumberland village which overlooks the stunning Simonside hills, part of the Northumberland National Park. The village has an excellent Spar shop with butcher and bakery counter. The Three Wheat Heads Inn is a 3 minute walk from the property and serves excellent food.

The pretty small town of Rothbury lies less than 2 miles away, and has a co-op supermarket and several independent food shops, pubs and restaurants. The larger town of Alnwick is 14 miles away and has a Sainsburys, Morrison, Aldi, Lidl, and an M&S Foodhall. It also boasts several pubs and restaurants serving delicious home made food.

Rose Cottage is ideally situated to enjoy walking or cycling in the beautiful Northumberland countryside. It is less than 1Km in a straight line to the edge of the Northumberland National Park. There are loads of footpaths to choose from locally, and you can walk from the door into open countryside in just two minutes.

You can also access Northumberland’s stunning coastline and huge sandy beaches in less than 35 minutes by car.

The world famous Alnwick Castle and Alnwick Garden are within easy reach and ‘Cragside’, a very popular National Trust property, is less than 5 minutes’ drive from the property.

The main attraction, though, is the stunning countryside which surrounds the whole area.

Facilities

The cosy living and dining area has a comfy leather sofa and a flat screen TV, and also a woodburning stove for those cold Northumberland winter nights.

Rose Cottage boasts a lovely kitchen which is fully equipped for self-catering staycations. The kitchen includes an oven, hob, microwave, kettle, toaster, fridge and separate freezer.

Rose Cottage has two beautiful bedrooms. The master bedroom has plenty of space to store and hang clothes and a comfortable king size bed, decked out in plush bedding and premium bed linens to ensure you have a great night’s sleep.

The second bedroom has a single bed with beautiful views across the Thropton rooftops and over to the moorland in the distance. While not as large as the master bedroom, it still offers a cosy night’s sleep, while you’ll be able to store your belongings in the built-in wardrobe.

The bathroom has a large walk-in shower, WC and wash basin, along with a heated towel rail, bathroom cabinet and shaving mirror.

A door from the kitchen opens out onto the small back garden where you can have a seat on the grassed area and enjoy the sounds of the countryside while you drink your morning coffee or evening drink.

Northumberland has some of the darkest skies in the country thanks to the lack of light pollution. Why not venture out into the surrounding countryside after dark and gaze up at the stars above? Who knows, you may even catch a glimpse of the beautiful Northern Lights.

Please note: we are unable to accept bookings for children under the age of 2.