Stablewood Coastal Cottages

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

Read our comprehensive review of this listing printed in our bi-monthly magazine.

Name: Bullfinch Cottage, Stablewood Coastal Cottages
Reviewer: Steve and Nia Bridgewater

Having fallen in love with Northumberland on a previous visit to England’s most northerly county a return visit was high on our agenda. The county is chock full of interesting things to do and places to see but for some inexplicable reason seems to be overlooked by many people. While much of Britain’s dog friendly accommodation is located in remote but beautiful barn conversions or restored quaint cottages, we opted for something a little more sociable on this visit. Founded by the Johnson family the complex of stylish self-catering cottages is spread across two sites at Budle Bay and the village of Lucker; both are in the stunning coastal areas near Bamburgh and surrounded by areas of outstanding natural beauty. 

All of the holiday cottages are dog friendly and while there’s a charge of £30 for the first dog it costs just £45 for two. Each property is generally limited to a maximum of two dogs, but they can allow more. 

While Budle Bay has its own private beach we opted for a slice of village life in Lucker, staying in one of the recently refurbished steadings. Named after wild birds (Avocet, Chiff Chaff, Goldfinch, etc.) we were allocated the three-bedroomed Bullfinch Cottage. Decorated in a show-home style with clean, fresh decor and stylish furniture, Bullfinch Cottage has a large sitting room with leather sofas and a log burner. There’s also a large, well-appointed kitchen and dining area making for a comfortable living space. 

The kitchen also included a welcome ‘doggy bag’ of treats, poo bags and even a tennis ball. The enclosed garden looks out over St Hilda’s Church and features a masonry barbecue and garden furniture that makes it a great outdoor space for get-togethers. It wasn’t barbecue weather during our visit, which was a shame because for an additional fee a large hot tub was also an option. That said, two mischievous dogs and a hot tub was probably a recipe for carnage.

Alongside the steadings complex the newly complete (in 2021) Southfield Farm Cottages comprise of Ash, Elm, Oak and Yew Cottages, which sit next to the award-winning Apple Inn gastropub and opposite the School House country kitchen. Both are owned by the Stablewood group and are dog friendly. 

The School House was recently refurbished and now describes itself as having “something for everyone, from teacher’s pets and prefects to class clowns and slackers,” with a fresh seasonal menu made from locally sourced ingredients. It’s also licensed so you can partake in a glass of bubbles or a cheeky cocktail while you eat. It also serves breakfast from 08.30 so although we were staying in ‘self-catering’ accommodation Bullfinch Cottage’s kitchen got minimal use. 

The Apple Inn has won numerous awards and accolades for its food and drink. It also serves locally produced tipples including its own Lucker Gold ale, and St Hilda’s from the Alnwick Brewery. Taking the ‘buy local’ ethos to another level, the inn also sells Alnwick Rum as well as Lindisfarne and Holy Island gins. As for the food, it’s probably one of the best Sunday roasts I’ve eaten in many a year – all under the watchful eye of a pair of poodles. 

You can also stay at the Apple Inn, which has two rooms in the pub itself as well as four recently introduced Shepherd’s Huts. The wooden huts feature woodburning stoves as well as a warm and cosy living and dining area, with ensuite shower room and king-size bed, all designed to comfortably accommodate two adults, and a dog. 

It’s not unusual for country cottages to have good quality pubs and restaurants within walking distance but the properties in Lucker have a far more unusual asset, which comes in the form of the Beau Monde spa. Each guest at the cottages receives a complimentary one-hour pass for the swimming pool or fitness suite.

Lucker is just five miles from the beautiful beach at Bamburgh. Howie and Franklin are in their element on a deserted beach and the expanses of sand at the foot of Bamburgh Castle are ideal for high-speed chases. Being so close to the cottage meant we were able to visit the beach twice a day and the boys soon learned their way over the dunes from the car park. The stunning Bamburgh Castle is perched on a high rocky outcrop sprawling across nine acres of land looking out at the North Sea. There’s also the Grace Darling Museum to visit where you can learn about this amazing lady who rescued survivors from a steamship that ran aground in 1838.

Northumberland is blessed with its fair share of castles and the equally impressive Alnwick Castle is just over ten miles away from Lucker. With over 950 years of history behind its doors, the castle dates back to the Norman period. Over the years it has served as a military outpost, a teaching college, a refuge for evacuees, a film set – notably playing the role of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter film franchise. Known as the ‘Windsor of the North’, it is home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland; it is the second largest inhabited castle in Britain. The Capability Brown-designed landscaped gardens are also a must-see attraction while the neighbouring Alnwick Garden is a contemporary garden featuring one of the world’s largest tree houses and a poison garden. The castle and gardens are not dog friendly (with the exception of registered assistance dogs) but there are lots of good walks in the pastures behind the castle. However, for those who really want to see inside the castle, the operators recommend the dog day care at nearby Pattersons Cottage Boarding Kennels. 

Alnwick originally prospered as a medieval market town and still retains many of its cobbled streets, narrow alleys and fine stone buildings. We found the town to be incredibly dog friendly with shops, pubs, cafes, and restaurants generally being welcoming of Howie and Franklin. The owners of Northumbria Pets practically pounced on the boys with free treats as we walked past their door. Howie then insisted that we went inside for a closer look and even notoriously risk-averse Franklin was soon in his element exploring the toy section. It’s refreshing to see small businesses like this thriving and proves that the right attitude to customer service can work wonders – even if that involves tempting dogs into your store with ‘loss leader’ treats. The boys received another warm welcome from Andrew, proprietor at Brightwater Gallery. Wherever we travel we like to take home a postcard, small painting or other memory to hang on the wall and remind us of happy times – and the gallery was an Aladdin’s Cave of beautiful local artwork. After more than an hour chatting and drinking tea we eventually left with two paintings and a ‘complimentary’ bottle of something tempting. On the way back to the cottage we couldn’t resist calling into Barter Books, located just outside Alnwick town centre and one of the largest second-hand bookshops in the country. Formed in 1991 by Mary and Stuart Manley the shop is housed in part of an old Victorian railway station designed by William Bell in 1887. Inside, the bookshop is made up of seven rooms entered via the old Station Parcels’ Room, which still has the open window with bars through which passengers would buy railway tickets. In addition to hundreds of thousands of books on just about every subject you can imagine the shop – which is completely dog friendly – includes the Old Waiting Room which remains a place for the public to sit, have a meal, read, enjoy the open fire, drink coffee and escape the world. The Station Buffet serves good food and the new ice cream parlour, Paradise, is popular during summer months. A model railway even runs around the bookshop and more than 40 glass cases contain many of the older and rarer books. 

All in all, Lucker, Bamburgh and Alnwick offers something for everybody – from a spa visit to an antiquarian bookshop, from beaches to castles and from art galleries to beautiful local food – all served up with a warm welcome.

Bullfinch Cottage, Lucker review by Steve and Nia Bridgewater and appears in DogFriendly magazine issue 77.  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine