There's a particular kind of northern winter that suits Northumberland so well: short days, hard frosts and skies that turn amber over the sea by mid-afternoon. It's the season for slow starts, log fires and a classic Sunday roast in Northumberland in one of its many pubs. Whether you're after a weekend under blankets in a country house hotel or a fireside pint once you've walked off the cold along the Northumberland coastline or across Hadrian's Wall, here's where the warmest welcomes in the county are found this winter.
Cosy hotel stays for a proper winter escape
For a weekend where the only real decision is spa or second coffee, these hotels do winter well.
Matfen Hall
Matfen Hall, near Corbridge, sits across 300 acres of parkland with four separate places to eat, from stone-baked pizzas at The Keepers to afternoon tea in The Drawing Room. Book into Matfen Hall's spa and golf estate for a morning on the 27-hole course before the thermal suite and treatment rooms take over for the afternoon.
Slaley Hall
Slaley Hall, a former Edwardian mansion near Hexham, pairs open fires in its lounges with a full spa and 36 holes of golf across the estate. It's built for a slow winter weekend: check into Slaley Hall's spa and golf resort, then do as little or as much as the weather allows, with things to do in Hexham just a short drive away if you fancy leaving the grounds.
Langley Castle Hotel
For something with more history in the walls, Langley Castle Hotel near Hexham is a genuine 14th-century castle, complete with log fires and battlement tours. Dinner at the Josephine Restaurant, then a nightcap by the fire, is about as good as a Northumberland winter evening gets.
Battlesteads
Battlesteads, in the village of Wark, does things a little differently. It's built around sustainability, and it runs its own dark sky observatory for guests who fancy ending the evening under genuinely dark skies rather than just a warm one. Stay at Battlesteads' eco hotel and observatory and pair a stargazing session with dinner made largely from ingredients grown a few steps from the kitchen. It sits close to Northumberland's Dark Sky Park, so it's worth building an evening of stargazing in Northumberland around your stay.
Fireside pubs worth the drive
Not every winter trip needs a suitcase. These are the pubs worth pulling your boots on for.
Twice Brewed Inn
Twice Brewed Inn, at Bardon Mill, brews its own ales on site and keeps a log fire going for walkers coming off Hadrian's Wall. Stay over and you're a short walk from the Twice Brewed Inn Observatory, one of the best-placed dark sky sites in the county for a clear winter night.
Rigg & Furrow
Rigg & Furrow, a working farmhouse brewery at Acklington, has been named among the best pubs in Britain, and its taproom is worth lingering in over a flight of fermentation-led beers rather than rushing back out into the cold.
The Boatside Inn
At Warden, near Hexham, The Boatside Inn sits above the River Tyne with a log fire, an AA Rosette kitchen and a genuine welcome for dogs after a riverside walk.
The Duke of Wellington Inn
In Stocksfield, The Duke of Wellington Inn serves traditional British cooking built around local, seasonal ingredients, and it's as dog-friendly as it is fire-warmed, useful to know if you're working through our guide to dog-friendly pubs in Northumberland this winter.
Make a weekend of it in Northumberland
Pair any of these with a night in one of our cosy cottages in Northumberland if you'd rather tend your own fire, or build a longer break around the county's pubs in Northumberland and our separate guide to the cosiest pubs in Northumberland for more fireside options beyond this list, perfect for any season. If you're planning to stay through to the New Year, our guide to New Year stays in Northumberland covers where to see the year out in equal comfort.
