Large Holiday Cottages in Northumberland

Large holiday cottages Northumberland: coast, castles or hills?

Choose the area before the house. Northumberland is a long county, and getting from Berwick-upon-Tweed near the Scottish Borders to Haltwhistle in the south west takes well over an hour by car, so where you stay decides what your days look like.

Bamburgh, Seahouses and Beadnell

Picture miles of pale sand under Bamburgh Castle, fish and chips on the harbour wall at Seahouses and a boat out to the puffins, all from the same front door. Most groups end up here, and so do most of our big houses: 20 in Beadnell, 12 around Bamburgh and 9 in Seahouses. Plenty have sea views from the living area.

• Big houses: Wynd House sleeps 17 in seven bedrooms
• Cosy nights: Millkeepers Lodge sleeps 10 in old mill grain stores near Bamburgh, with a wood burner
• Days out: Farne Islands boat trips, and Holy Island about half an hour north
• Best for: young families, beach lovers, friends and anyone bringing the dog

Alnwick and the castle coast

Further south the beaches get emptier and the towns get bigger. You'll find 12 group houses in Warkworth, 7 around Morpeth and 5 each in Alnwick and Alnmouth, with castles at almost every turn.

• Cinema room: the Spacious Coastal House for 12 in Craster takes dogs too
• Near the sand: the Luxurious House for 12 in Ellington, close to the sands of Druridge Bay
• Walk it: from Craster it's a flat 1.3 miles along the coastline to Dunstanburgh Castle
• By train: Alnmouth station is on the East Coast Main Line

Hadrian's Wall and the Tyne Valley

Want a hot tub? Head inland. Hartleyburn Hall near Haltwhistle sleeps 18 in seven bedrooms, with a games room and a sauna as well as the tub, and two of the 12-sleepers nearby have one too. There are 9 houses near Hexham and 6 in Haltwhistle, within reach of the Roman history at Vindolanda and Housesteads, forts more than 1,900 years old.

• Best for: walkers and the extended family, three generations together
• Evenings: long views over open countryside from the garden
• By train: the Tyne Valley line from Newcastle stops at both towns

The Cheviots and Kielder

Out here the nights are properly black.

The Northumberland International Dark Sky Park covers 572 square miles, the largest protected night sky in Europe, and Kielder Observatory runs stargazing evenings. Wooler, Otterburn and Bellingham sit on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, so you can walk straight out of the door to explore, with views right across the hills. It's the escape for groups who want to switch off and relax.

• Biggest house: The Bunkhouse at Tarset Tor sleeps 20 in four bedrooms, with a sauna
• Remember: village shops are small, so do one big food shop on the way in

Which are the biggest houses in Northumberland?

These eight give everyone a bed, a seat at supper and room to spread out. Each one is self catering, so there's a big kitchen and nobody has to book a restaurant table for 16.

Need room for more than 20? Book two houses close together, which is easiest in the coastal villages where there's the most choice. With toddlers, Elford Farmhouse has a fenced garden.

Bringing grandparents?

• The Coach House in Crookham, near Cornhill-on-Tweed, sleeps 10 and has two ground floor bedrooms with bathrooms next door
• Bamburgh House has an en suite on the top floor and a dining table that seats all 12

• Check how many cars the parking takes
• Ask how the beds are split, as the Bunkhouse puts 20 in four rooms
• Count the dogs, since most houses allow one or two

What our Northumberland cottages have

• 18 with a hot tub
• 20 with a games room
• 20 with an enclosed garden, handy for children and dogs
• 54 with a wood burner
• 3 with a pool

When should a big group go?

Of all the large holiday cottages Northumberland has, the ones by the sea go first for the summer holidays, so book early if you're planning a big celebration in August.

• May to July: puffin season on the islands, at its peak in May and June
• September: quieter beaches and easier parking in the villages
• Winter: a cosy getaway by the fire, with the dark skies at their best

Still comparing? Our UK destinations guide covers every county, and you'll find all the group accommodation we list, from a large holiday home on the coast to a bunkhouse in the hills, on the big group houses homepage.