s well as the wonderful unspoilt countryside, the spectacular Northumbrian coastline is only twenty miles away, with mile upon mile of open beaches to roam and explore.

The county is full of magnificent castles such as those at Alnwick, the ancestral home of the Duke of Northumberland, Dunstanburgh perched imposingly on its cliff top, Beautiful Warkworth on the lower banks of the River Coquet and Bamburgh, said to be one of the finest castles in England which may well be the original of Sir Lancelot's castle, The Joyous Guard.

The history of the area goes back to the Stone Age with a hillfort and enigmatic rock carvings known as "Cup & Ring" marks to be found at Lordenshaws, near Rothbury.

Hadrian's Wall is less than an hour's drive to the south, and within walking distance of The Granary, the ruins of Harbottle castle are the site of much bloody squabbling between the English and Scots during the times of the Border Reivers.

A Roman spring , known as "The Lady's Well", is only a mile away at Holystone.

And have we mentioned the historic market town of Alnwick, the breathtaking Farne Islands with their seabird and Grey Seal colonies. Then there's Holy Island, and the magnificent Cragside House which is just in Rothbury, the first house in the world to be lit by hydro electricity no less.......

The list goes on, and on and.... Well we're sure you get the idea!