December may not be the obvious month to visit Northumberland but there are so many reasons to put England’s most Northern County on your Christmas go to list. Whether you’re looking for a pre Christmas break, a festive shopping trip, a place to relax and unwind or somewhere to spend a truly special Christmas or New Year then look no further.
St Oswald’s Farm is the perfect base to enjoy the wonderful Christmas markets and events that take place across the North East each year. Living North takes place each year in Newcastle which is a huge 4 day event and with others closer to home such as Brocksbushes Fair, the Tynedale Gift Fair and The Sill Christmas Fair to name just a few. The local town of Hexham holds it’s annual Christmas Market on the 2nd Saturday of December each year with over 50 seasonal stalls laden with gifts, locally produced food, festive wreaths and much more, all dotted around the historic Market Place and throughout Hexham Abbey. Enjoy mince pies, mulled wine and with carol singers and live music ensuring the event is all a Christmas market should be.
Corbridge Late Night Christmas Shopping evening and Christmas Tree Festival takes place at the end of November each year and is such a special event that the whole village participates in. St Andrew’s Church in the Market Place is packed with ‘trees’ from so many local groups, shops and organisations. As anyone who has visited Corbridge before will know the shop windows are always lovely and at this time of year they step it up to another league, there can be no better place to get into the Christmas spirit.
Of course Christmas shopping doesn’t have to be all about the markets and high streets, you could always opt to escape to the comfort of your own festive cottage and spend a day in your PJ’s in front of a log burner with a warming drink in one hand whilst the other hand shops online for the those perfect gifts. We’ll even supply you with a list of some of our local makers and businesses.
If shopping just isn’t your thing then the winter months are the perfect time for getting wrapped up and heading out for a walk in the beautiful Northumberland countryside and with the trees stripped of their summer foliage the views take on a whole new appearance. The winter landscape that stretches for miles and miles is stunning and if you catch them wearing a hoar frost then you’re in for a real treat.
If you’re looking to escape over the Christmas holidays then Heavenfield Cottage is the place for you with every luxury you’d come to expect from a 5 star property but yet with all the comforts of home so your Christmastime can be truly relaxing. You’ll arrive to find the cottage decorated and looking beautifully festive so all you need to do is unpack your bags, pop your presents under the tree and relax. On Christmas Eve there is even the opportunity to walk over Heavenfield to St Oswald’s Church for a candlelit service and let’s be honest you can’t get much more magical than that!
We offer a 7 night stay over Christmas so you can spend a whole week of leisurely days in front of the log burning stove, binge watch TV, indulge in a bookfest or take long soaks in the deep double ended bath before wrapping up in a fluffy bathrobe. Or if Christmas for you means getting outside we have that covered too with lovely walks from the doorstep and as evening falls with our amazing dark skies overhead there’s nothing nicer than simply heading out onto the patio and looking up for a star studded show.
Maybe it’s time to put the magic of Northumberland on your Christmas list!
