Fenham Farm
Coastal Bed and Breakfast, Fenham, Northumberland
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Fenham Farm is located within the North Northumberland coastal area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, facing the tidal island of Lindisfarne.
For the birdwatcher and lover of nature, this area provides a unique opportunity to see and get close to some of the country’s rarest animals. In the autumn months, the sand flats that are exposed at low tide become a huge feeding ground for geese and waders from around the world.
A short boat trip from the nearby seaside village of Seahouses takes you to the RSPB reserve of the Farne Islands. A small cluster of rocky islands provide a home to thousands of seabirds which breed and nest there. The islands are also home to one of the largest grey seal colonies in the country, and these inquisitive animals often follow the boats. The islands have also been the site of many a shipwreck over the years, and it is nearby that Grace Darling performed her courageous act of rescue. There is now a museum devoted to the woman and her heroic deed in the nearby village of Bamburgh that is well worth a visit.
Northumberland is a land of contrasts, from the sandy beaches and rugged cliffs of the coast to the high wilderness of the Cheviot Hills, you could certainly say it is a region with truly something for everyone.
For those interested in history, the past is visible at almost every turn. In fact Northumberland has more castles and fortified houses than any other English county. Testament to it’s once less than tranquil status as a, “Debateable” border region between the warring Scotts and English.
Some of the castles in the area include Bamburgh, complete with its very own dragon legend and Arthurian connections. Lindisfarne on Holy Island just across the sands from Fenham Farm is probably one of the most iconic (and most photographed) castles in the country. Alnwick Castle is the ancestral home to the Duke & Duchess of Northumberland and recently has found fame as the setting of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies.
Local towns and villages – each with their own individual feel and character, provide great days out and opportunities for buying a perfect, unique gift for friends and relatives back home. Seahouses and Craster are traditional fishing villages, Bamburgh is a pretty village dominated by its castle. Further inland, a trip to the market towns of Alnwick, Wooler and Rothbury are great places to explore.
Just a few miles north lies Berwick upon Tweed, situated at the mouth of the River Tweed it is a town with a rich, and often turbulent history.
Despite no official records pre-dating 1095, it can be safely assumed that Berwick was already a bustling town before this date as in 1018, King Malcolm of Scotland designated the Tweed as the end of his boundary signifying Berwick's beginning as a frontier town and port.
Changing hands between English and Scottish armies many times, Berwick is now a bustling town with a unique architectural character of which historian Nikolaus Pevsner once said, "Berwick is one of the most exciting towns in the country, with scarcely an irritating building anywhere, and the most intricate changes of level."
For a more cosmopolitan day out with more shops, galleries and culture, take a trip to either Edinburgh or the bustling city of Newcastle upon Tyne – all around an hour away and sure to satisfy the most ardent of shopaholic!
