Of the four longstanding terraced properties at the entrance to Northumberland’s Brinkburn Estate – best known for its 12th-century priory and gothic manor house – Blakey House is the best suited for pairs of couples, as well as for families with an older generation or two teens.
How come? Because both bedrooms are en-suite, guaranteeing ample independence. Both are superking chambers, whose beds can also be set as twin singles on request. Both sleeping quarters feature luxury linens, which combine with the pale-hued palette and spacious feel to generate a soothing, slumberous atmosphere. You’ll sleep well here. A rainfall shower in each en-suite helps too, rendering showers a long, sumptuous pleasure.
In the downstairs living room, a large charcoal-coloured sofa faces a Smart TV and, inside the surviving red-brick fireplace, a crackling log-burning stove. There’s a delicious amount of space here, amplified by the stylish mix of dark and white shades, while busy bookshelves lend an air of homeliness. It’s a place for film nights, game-playing or contented reading as music softly plays. To one side is the kitchen and a dinner table where everyone can gather to compare highlights of the day.
In the rear sun-trap garden, lawn dogs or kids can hare about the lawn as adults soak up the pastoral atmosphere. More seating is provided here, enabling meals in the fresh air, and there are views out over fields. At the house’s front is a pretty, potted-plant area.
Brinkburn Priory is a two-minute drive or ten-minute walk, secluded on a snaking, steep-sided bend of the River Coquet. Featuring distinctive witches’-hat towers, it was built in 1135 by Augustinian monks delighted at the seclusion of this wooded valley. Centuries later, the now-private residence was painted by Turner before seeing a gothic manor house added. Blakey is named after that manor’s old housemaid, Mary Blake.
With the Priory now an English Heritage property, you’ll need to pay (or be a member) to enter and admire its stained-glass windows or William Hill organ. Around the wider, wonderful Brinkburn estate, there’s a designated spot for wild swimmers and a gorgeous circular trail to walk along the Coquet. Access to that is offered by a meadow-crossing path from Blakey’s back garden.
Ready to explore further? Alnwick Castle and the pretty market town of Rothbury are close, while Coquetdale, the Coquet’s upper section, is a wonderfully wild expanse of open moorland and rocky outcrops extending into the Cheviot Hills and Northumberland National Park. You’re also within 15 miles of Alnmouth’s bay beach, and just an hour’s drive from Hadrian’s Wall.
ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATION
For guests looking to holiday together, this property can be booked alongside the other three cottages in the row, Bel House (sleeps 4), Cuthbert House (sleeps 4), and Mullins House (sleeps 4). Blakey & Cuthbert House can also be booked as a single unit sleeping 8. A further two properties, The Stables (sleeps 8) and Priory Cottage (sleeps 2), are located 0.5 miles away on the Estate. The Stables & Priory Cottage can be booked as a single unit sleeping 10.
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