Welcome to the real Northumberland: peaceful, bumpy, beautiful, faintly wild and full of fascinating history.
Mullins House is the last of four handsome old terraced cottages on the Coquet Valley’s ancient Brinkburn Estate, where monks once lived. Named after a former gamekeeper, it has an attractive, creeper-lined exterior and looks just as pleasing on the eye indoors.
Through a porch you enter into its sitting room. The wide copper-coloured sofa here faces a Smart TV and log-burning stove, with stylish bubble mirrors decorating one wall and a rug atop buffed floorboards. There’s a dining table, too, and then you’ll find the homely kitchen and its cream-coloured cabinetry, two-stool breakfast bar – ideal for casual coffee chats – and array of built-in appliances: a dishwasher, a fridge-freezer, a microwave and so forth.
Two super-king-size bedrooms await upstairs, with either able to be set up with twin beds if you need. Each is en-suite – one bathroom has a bathtub; both have rainfall showers – and each has mirrors to amplify the sense of restful space. Please note that hanging space is provided on the landing, rather than inside either sleeping quarter.
Accessible from the side (handy for mucky dogs) and a real sun-trap, the house’s back garden includes outside seating to allow for al-fresco dinners. It’s also makes a great place to read and relax amidst the scent of lavender, take in the views over the neighbouring paddock, or stargaze with a hot chocolate to hand.
Brinkburn Priory is a two-minute drive or ten-minute walk away deeper inside the estate, 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.
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 and William Hill organ. Around the wider, picturesque Brinkburn estate, there’s a designated spot for wild swimmers, and a gorgeous circular trail letting you walk along the Coquet. Access to that is offered by a meadow-crossing path from your rear 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, close to Kielder Water 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), Blakey House (sleeps 4), and Cuthbert 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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