This Month, in Our Second Look at Group Friendly Attractions in Northumberland*, We Focus on the North and East of the County JULY 2015
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Destination focus – Northumberland - part two “I t r h y m e s with beetle” This month, in our second look at group friendly attractions in Northumberland*, we focus on the north and east of the county JULY 2015 JULY * - Part one appeared in June 2015 18 Destination focus – Northumberland - part two ’m standing outside the Flodden Visitor Centre in Elspeth leads me to what she says is undoubtedly the drawn machinery, was opened to help preserve the declining local elds. We can take groups round the mill, showing them the Branxton, a Northumbrian village located just four miles most impressive – the Lady Waterford Hall. number of heavy horse breeds. Free to enter, it survives milling process and our museum.” from the Scottish border. “The building was commissioned in 1860 by Louisa primarily on fundraising events and donations from the The highlight of a visit is undoubtedly the water wheel. I’m The visitor centre contains a wealth of information Anne, Marchioness of Waterford, and owner of public. given the opportunity to turn the handle that opens the water about the Battle of Flodden Field, one of Britain’s Ford Estate,” she explains. “It was the village Every penny goes into keeping the horses and sluices. As I do so, the building creaks and groans, and the water bloodiest battles, that took place on 9 September 1513. school until 1957. Today it’s used as the village preserving the heritage for future generations. wheel starts to turn. Elspeth Gilliland, Tourism Manager with Ford & Etal hall.” The Centre oers groups a choice of a tour or “There you are,” says Sheila, with a huge smile on her face,” she’s Estates, the large Northumberland estate that includes the The building looks very pleasant but I’m wandering around free ow. come to life.” battleeldI site, has popped inside. She encourages me to join her, struggling to see why it’s so special. Elspeth The highlight is undoubtedly the opportunity Sheila’s reference to the waterwheel as a ‘she’ prompts the but I’m really rather hesitant to do so. I have good reason. spots my look of bemusement. to get up close and personal with the Clydesdales. obvious question. The Flodden Visitor Centre is housed in a traditional Giles “Ah, it’s not the exterior that’s special,” she They really are gentle giants. Picnic options are also “Oh, she’s denitely a she,” comes the response. “I’ve never available at £5 per person. thought of her as anything else!” The Heatherslaw Light Railway oers a sedate 25-minute Looking for accommodation with a dierence? Guyzance Hall, a The walls of the Lady Waterford Hall in the ‘model’ village of Hay Farm heavy Horse Centre gives visitors the opportunity journey alongside the River Till privately owned country house, might t the bill Ford are covered in scenes from the Bible to get up close with Clydesdale horses Gilbert Scott red telephone box – surely a contender for the title says, “it’s the interior. Come inside.” A female watermill Compared to many mill attractions, Heatherslaw’s working of ‘Smallest Visitor Centre in the World’ – and there’s really only Lady Waterford was a keen English artist associated Our next stop is at Heatherslaw, halfway between Ford credentials, and the opportunity to hear from the miller, make it room for one visitor at a time. with John Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelite movement. and Etal. stand out. The battleeld monument itself sits just a few hundred In 1862, she began what’s been described as “Many groups will start their visit to us here,” A visit includes climbing a number of wooden staircases to yards beyond the village. Coaches drop o in the car park from her ‘great experiment’, covering the walls of the explains Elspeth. “There’s a visitor centre, full-size this reach the upper levels. However, a DVD can be shown to anyone where there’s a ve-minute gentle climb to the monument schoolroom with scenes from the Bible. time, and a tearoom that’s ideal for groups.” less able on their feet. The group rate for 11 or more is £3.20. along specially laid wood-chip pathways. The pathway is also The murals took 21 years to complete. The Heatherslaw Corn Mill, sitting on the bank of wheelchair accessible. characters in them were modelled by children from the River Till, is the only working water mill in The hilltop location is completely exposed to the elements, the school and their parents from the village and Northumberland. Powered by a 16ft water wheel, Slow train to Etal making it a fair weather option. It’s also not a walk for the less estate. there’s a 700-year-old history of milling on Heatherslaw is also the starting point for a ride on the able. However, for those who do make the eort there are ample It is a remarkable sight and my the site. Heatherslaw Light Railway. rewards, with some magnicent views across the surrounding earlier bemusement changes We meet Sheila Connell, the Leaving the mill, Elspeth leads me across the bridge to the little elds and across to the Cheviot Hills to the south. to admiration for something Assistant Miller. station, and then surprises me by revealing that this delightful 15” An interpretation board explains what happened when the that’s surprising and, as a “We oer groups a 10 narrow gauge railway (think Ravenglass & Eskdale Steam Railway invading Scots army under King James IV met the English army result, well worth a visit. minute introduction that for size) was only built in 1989. commanded by the Earl of Surrey. It was a decisive English A ve-minute drive from explains the history of the The route runs along the banks of the river giving views of the victory. Ford is Hay Farm Heavy mill,” she says. “The fully- Northumberland countryside and the Cheviot Hills to the south. James IV was killed in the battle, becoming the last monarch Horse Centre, home to restored mill machinery, There’s a choice of enclosed and open carriages. from the British Isles to suer such a death. a number of animals including three dierent It’s a very sedate journey, taking 25 minutes to cover the 6.5km Home to the Joicey family for more than a hundred years, including ten rare pairs of millstones, to Etal station, located on the edge of the village and in the Ford & Etal Estates, a regular exhibitor at tourism trade shows, is breed Clydesdale still makes shadow of Etal Castle. a traditional agricultural estate oering a mix of group friendly Heavy Horses. high quality, The castle, a ruined medieval fortication, is managed by visitor attractions dotted around its 16,000 acres. The Centre, stoneground, English Heritage. There’s an exhibition outlining the story of the As we leave the unique Flodden Visitor Centre behind Elspeth which features wholemeal our bloody Anglo-Scottish warfare of this border castle. The group explains that the estate largely became the attraction it is in the a display of from wheat rate (11 or more) is £3.66. 1970s and 1980s. vintage horse grown in the There’s not a huge amount to see, so for an itinerary that’s likely “There really is something for everyone,” she says. “We have to include many of Ford & Etal Estates’ other attractions, the castle a working corn mill, a 15” narrow gauge steam railway, some is probably best left for private groups, or as a picnic location on stunning pre-Raphaelite paintings, a heavy horse centre, a castle, a sunny day. and home baking in our tearooms.” We’ve now walked the short distance into the centre of Etal We head o to visit the next attraction. On the way Elspeth village. It’s the end of my tour and I join Elspeth in The Lavender picks up on my pronunciation of Etal. Tearooms, a traditional tearoom that welcomes pre-booked “Many people put the accent on the second part of the name,” groups, oering morning coee, light lunches, afternoon teas, she says. “It’s actually much simpler than that. All you have to do and home-made cakes. is remember that Etal rhymes with beetle.” “We’re only ten miles from Berwick, and a few miles from the Scottish border at Coldstream, so we’re ideally located for tour 2015 JULY planners looking to refresh a visit to the Borders,” she says. “We’re Pre-Raphaelite decoration about 20 miles from Bamburgh Castle, so again, if a tour planner We stop in the picturesque village of Ford, a ‘model’ village that has a coach heading up or down the A1, why not come and pay boasts an array of fascinating buildings. The monument to the Battle of Flodden Field us a visit. We can arrange tailor-made itineraries based around 19 20 Destination focus – Northumberland - part two A delightful discovery – Doxford Hall Hotel near Alnwick Accommodation options In the rst part of this feature (Coach Monthly: June 2015) we looked at accommodation options at Slaley Hall near Hexham, and Riverdale Hall Hotel in Bellingham near Kielder Water. In the east of the county are two hotels that are worth a closer inspection, and a country house that might appeal to specialist tours. Doxford Hall Hotel Located about ten miles north of Alnwick, the four-star Doxford Hall Hotel is an impressive hotel that really does oer something a little out of the ordinary. Each of the 31 luxurious bedrooms in the main house – there are a further three in the neighbouring Coach House – are furnished with lavish bedding, beautifully crafted furniture and bespoke bathrooms.