Nook enjoys the best of both worlds. While part of a row that was rebuilt using the same sandstone and beams as the nearby chocolate-box houses, its more recent renovation into the owner's much-loved second home has allowed for modern appliances and a practical family-home layout.
Better still, Nook’s position means that it has by far the biggest garden of the row, with greenery flanking its three sides. As a consequence, there’s room for large lawns, a picnic-style dining table and chairs – charmingly lit by festoon lighting once evening falls – and a children’s swing. As a bonus, you can see across open countryside as far as Bamburgh Castle, beckoning in the distance.
Bi-fold doors, which can be pulled open on warm days, connect this expanse of outdoor space to the sitting room and its exposed ceiling rafter. Light can therefore flood in here; alternatively, pull the curtains, light the log-burning stove, switch on the 52" Smart TV and cosy up together on two sofas and an armchair.
A door connects to the rest of the ground floor, including a very well-equipped kitchen and its big dining table, a convenient shower room and the small office desk area ready if anyone needs to work during their stay.
Past an under-the-stairs chest packed with dressing-up clothes – one of many nooks paying tribute to the cottage’s name – are the three first-floor sleeping quarters. Complete with a giant, super-king bed and another Smart TV, the main room shares a family bathroom and its tub with the neighbouring bedroom containing two single beds, one of which is a raised gallery bed with half length bed rail for small children. The final chamber is an en-suite double. All three are like the whole home, cheerfully styled with country colours and seaside-themed decor.
Surrounding Swinhoe is a quiet little hamlet that’s a 30-minute walk – or three-minute drive – to the village of Beadnell. Beside that sprawls Beadnell Bay, two miles of glorious golden sand. Home to surfing, sailing or scuba diving providers, Beadnell also has two excellent pubs and a grocery shop.
A little further afield are Seahouses, from where guided boat trips chug off to the Farne Islands in search of dolphins, seals and seabird colonies, and Low Newton’s atmospheric Ship Inn or ruined Dunstanburgh Castle, between which the scenic Coast Path crosses beautiful dunes. Alternative options for days out include Holy Island, Alnwick Castle, which features in two of the Harry Potter films, and that beckoning fortress of Bamburgh, regally situated above its own beach.
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