Stars over Laverock Law Shepherd's Hut
Let Northumberland’s Gold-Tier rated, star-studded sky be your TV screen, its wildlife be your entertainment and its almost incomprehensible silence be your playlist. Go off the beaten track and experience Northumberland unplugged, where the only batteries you need to re-charge are your own. All it takes is three easy steps…
1) Disconnect
Put down your phone, forget about work and disconnect from your life at home. Head to one of the county’s remote accommodations where you are actively encouraged to get back to basics. Have a digital detox at Laverock Law Cottages, where their idyllic, remote location lets you go off the grid. Their reduced Wi-Fi access is the perfect excuse to swap scrolling through your phone for sitting on their tree platform and listening to the birdsong or building a campfire together then sitting around it with a blanket wrapped around your legs and a bottle of local beer in-hand.
Have a phone-free holiday by surrendering yours to Hesleyside Huts’ mobile phone boxes for the duration of your trip and reach for one of the books left by previous guests in their ‘Little Book Exchange’. Instead of watching Youtube videos while you’re soaking in the tub, watch the world go by from Huts in the Hills’ outdoor copper tub that sits on a wooden terrace overlooking Northumberland National Park’s sweeping landscape. Escape to Langley Dam Glamping and cook your tea over open fire pits then watch the fiery sunset fall over the idyllic lake from your glamping pod’s terrace.
2) Switch Off
Switch off with a spa day in an old, Georgian-style hotel in the remote countryside. Walwick Hall’s pavilion pool and hot tub look out onto the idyllic walled garden and out towards the Tyne Valley, and soaking in Doxford Hall’s pool can be followed up with a relaxing cuppa by a crackling open fire in one of the hotel lounges. Absorb the nature from the comfort of a warming Jacuzzi at Kielder Waterside, where the starry sky will take your breath away and constellations can be seen with the naked eye on a clear night.
Surround yourself with the calming scent of the county’s budding spring flowers and wander through rhododendron-filled Cragside Gardens, past the fluttering cherry blossoms at The Alnwick Garden, the swaying daffodils outside Warkworth Castle or the elegant snowdrops at Etal Castle. ‘Walk to Wellbeing’ with a guided National Park walk and immerse yourself in the breath-taking National Park landscape as you breathe in the clean, countryside air. Focus your thoughts on a new skill and visit The Sill for pottery making, spoon carving or rustic stool making in one of their many events and workshops.
3) Re-connect
Re-connect with each other, yourself and the world around you by submerging yourself in the nature of Northumberland. After the removal of everyday nature words from a widely used children’s dictionary, such as "acorn", "bluebell", "kingfisher" and "wren", author Robert Macfarlane and illustrator Jackie Morris felt it important to bring those words back to life. Their book, The Lost Words, does exactly that, and inspired The Sill’s Lost Words Exhibition that celebrates the creatures and plants that we share the world with. Head along for magical performances, events and exhibitions to re-connect with the world around you.
Visit Kielder Water & Forest Park, the largest working forest in England, where little signs dotted throughout the forest encourage you to walk over the springy moss barefoot and feel the spongey-ness between your toes. Grab a pair of binoculars and sit in one of the many nature hides in the forest and wait patiently for Ospreys, Goshawks or Roe deer that appear at various times of the year. Venture into the National Park with Northern Wilds and go wild food foraging, then taste your picks afterwards in their food wagon where they turn the day’s harvest into a wild food feast. Stay in the heart of nature overnight in one of Northumberland's bothies and spend the evening watching "the bothy TV"...
Sit back and relax below Northumberland’s Dark Sky Park at one of the county’s Dark Sky Discovery Sites and let shooting stars and constellations be your entertainment for the evening. Or, discover more about the galaxy with one of the county’s observatories, such as Kielder or Battlesteads, and let an expert help you connect with the fascinating world that we live in.