Firwood Country Bed & Breakfast, Northumberland, Wooler
  Bed and Breakfast Accommodation in Northumberland, Living Room and Fire in Firwood
Introduction | What's Included | Bedrooms | Attractions | Contact & Tariff | Environmental Policy

WELCOME to FIRWOOD BED & BREAKFAST ACCOMMODATION in NORTHUMBERLAND

This former Northumberland hunting lodge is now bed and breakfast accommodation owned and operated by Mike and Beth Mills. Set in an enviable position in tranquil Northumberland, overlooking the picturesque area of Glendale and nestling close to the Cheviot hills it provides peaceful and relaxing bed and breakfast accommodation with a touch of style and luxury.

We offer from our B&B a magnificent location, central for exploring all of Northumberland, the Scottish Borders and even Edinburgh or Newcastle, which are only 60-70 miles away. We are roughly 18 miles from the coast as the crow flies, just far enough to miss any sea frets! The treasures of Bamburgh Castle, the unspoilt beaches at Bamburgh, Seahouses, the Elizabethan town walls of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Alnwick Garden and Alnwick Castle, the Farne Islands, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, Warkworth Castle, Alnmouth and Northumberland National Park are all within easy reach. If you want to cross to the Farne Isles to see the Puffins, the boats leave from Seahouses, again a lovely drive of just over 17 miles. Look at the attractions menu to see the breadth of things to see and do. If you are coming to walk the Northumberland hills, then again, we are well situated. Leave the car at our bed and breakfast, walk up the hill and down into the Harthope Valley - and there are the Cheviots!

Learn more about our 5 Star Gold award winning bed and breakfast in Northumberland by clicking the links above.
 

Enjoy England 5 Star rating

Firwood Country Bed & Breakfast, Middleton Hall, Wooler, Northumberland, NE71 6RD
T: 01668 283699
E:

A lot of people seem to be having problems with e-mail's going astray at the moment, possible because of all the different Spam and Virus filters. If you do not get a reply from us, certainly within 5-6 hours PLEASE ring us! We are not ignoring you!

 

Online bookings are available - please use this link
 Book Online

 

 

 

In the North Northumberland Area

 

What's in bloom this month of May at Alnwick Gardens? Climbers dominate in the nicest possible way! Varieties of Clematis montana cover walls and pergolas with mounds of flowers, whilst a totally different evergreen Clematis armandii offers clusters of highly-scented white blooms. Early roses emerge on the south wall of the Rose Garden. - For more information go to www.alnwickgarden.com

Howick Hall Gardens In the spring and early summer the Woodland Garden is particularly lovely with rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias. The formal gardens, including the herbaceous borders, are in front of the house and come into their own from June onwards. The gardens at Howick are deliberately aimed at garden lovers with the extensive grounds offering a wide variety of plants throughout the year. Howick has been owned by the Grey family (of Earl Grey tea fame)since 1319. The gardens are situated between Alnwick and Craster www.howickhallgardens.org.uk

Cragside House now open. 18 months of work went into rewiring Lord Armstrong's home near Rothbury, the first house in the world to have hydroelectric powered lighting. This is a 'must see' place, not only is the house itself supremely interesting but the gardens, especially when the rhododendrons are in flower, are also of note. There is a 6 mile scenic drive around the grounds, the rock garden is one of the largest in Europe and there are some 40 miles of walks in the grounds -enough I think, for most people! follow the link to

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-cragsidehousegardenandestate/

 

Have a break from castles while you are in Northumberland! The Chain Bridge Honey Farm at Horncliffe - where the old chain bridge is located, is a wonderful diversion. Not only do they produce honey (honestly!) but they have an excellent visitor centre which was established in the early 1990's. This tells the story of bees and honey and there is a live observation hive where you can embark on a search for the queen bee and watch the workers arriving with the pollen on their hind legs. There is a fantastic mural, a 10 year labour of love by local artist Tony Johnson and then you can take refreshments in the double decker bus! Admission is free to the visitor centre, find Chain Bridge on http://chainbridgehoney.co.uk

I really think that Northumberland is starting to become THE place to be for arts and crafts. Taking a little drive from Wooler to Bamburgh, I found quite a few galleries - these are just a sample. In Wooler itself, you might like to visit the Pottery Studio and shop. Vanessa Waller is one of the few people in the country specialising in Mocha Ware decoration and if she is in the studio, please call in and see her at work. Florin, a lovely shop selling all sorts of delights, is now incorporated with the Glendale Gallery, a tranquil little space, ideal for just sitting and viewing the works of art. There is also in Wooler the newly opened 'Cuddy Duck', again a delightful shop showcasing local talent in all forms. If you are into textiles and embroidery, you might like to try one of Helen Cowans workshops. These are held in her studio throughout the year at Haugh Head, Wooler and according to some of our guests, who made a very creditable attempt at a 'Tower of Flowers', very enjoyable and worthwhile. Beautiful work from what I saw! Helen's details can be found at www.helencowans.co.uk . The newest addition to the growing range of shops in Wooler is Breeze. A contemporary gallery with a good range of gifts and a coffee shop - not bad for one shop! They recently held their first exhibition featuring internationally acclaimed artists, with a meet the artist day. Very informative, Helen, see above, was there and I met a chap called Les McLean a photographer of some note who lives in a little village just north of us. He was full of stories about this area of Northumberland and a lot of his work reflects his love of Northumberland - one that I love is of Roughting Linn, a wonderful waterfall not far from cup and ring marks. If you are interested in photography, you can do worse than visit Les's site at www.lesmcleanphotography.com Traveling across county to the coast, you must call in at the Chatton Gallery at Chatton. A wonderful space and pictures. They don't seem to have a web site but don't let that put you off! Still heading towards Bamburgh, make your next port of call Belford and the Belford Craft Gallery. A long established shop, now run by the original owner's daughter, she is extending it into the Courtyard Gallery. You can view the exhibition programme on www.belfordcraftgallery.com Then you come to Bamburgh itself and the Bamburgh Gallery. It majors on coastal and marine landscape and wildlife art and can be found at 9 Lucker Road, Bamburgh. All this on just one drive across Northumberland, I've only just touched the surface!!

Do you like pigs? OK, you may think that it is a bit of a strange question but a lot of people do and not just to eat! We have a herd of one of the oldest indigenous breeds of the British Isles, the red-gold Tamworth pig, just along the road from us. The Yearle Herd, one of the larger herds in the country, is looked after and run by Sarah Dodds. Sarah is now running courses from Yearle, not only for those who want to learn about pig husbandry but they may also appeal to those who simply like pigs, enjoy the countryside and learning about its way of life or those who care about good quality food and its traceability. What do you buy the man (or woman?) who has everything? Well, take a look at Sarah's site and see http://www.yearletamworths.co.uk

 

 

 

 

What's happening at Firwood
We are working to provide the very best in Country House Bed and Breakfast accommodation in Northumberland, with all the home comforts of real fires, sumptuous freshly cooked breakfasts and of course, a very warm welcome. As a result of our efforts, we have just been given a 5 Star Gold Award from VisitBritain (formerly English Tourist Board).

We have also been approved by VisitBritain as been committed to catering for the accommodation needs of cyclists and walkers after meeting the criteria of the Walkers and Cyclists Welcome Scheme.

We are a totally no smoking establishment.

Sorry, Firwood is not considered suitable for children.

 
Green Tourism Silver Award

We have also been awarded a Silver Award in Green Tourism

Firstly, what is Green Tourism?

Green tourism is a term used to describe best environmental practice within the tourism sector. It covers issues such as business efficiency, environmental management, waste, transport, as well as topics like social responsibility and biodiversity. By agreeing to the GTBS code of conduct and through independent assessment of their activities, members have made a commitment towards reducing the impact of their business on the environment. To see how we are doing, either click on the link in the navigation bar, or click on the Green Tourism logo.

Access Statement. Please e-mail for a copy.

 

MAY 2008

Gosh! The weather is a bit tricky at the moment! There is no accounting for what it is going to do, glorious sunshine, heavy showers, hail, thunder and lightening..... a typical English Spring I suppose! I have to say it hasn't stopped me getting out and about when I had spare time, some lovely walks with fantastic views - the air is particularly clear at the moment. I did a walk from Belford to St. Cuthbert's Cave, very interesting, lots of variety in the scenery. Coastal, woodland and moorland, all in the space of about 10 miles. I also have to say that although I had seen pictures of the cave, nothing prepared me for seeing it for real. I won't go into it too much here, suffice to say I had a bit of a 'moment'. No idea why, I've never had one before and I'll probably never have one again, it was very strange.

We heard the first Cuckoo on the 1st May over by Middleton Hall in the woods and the first House Martins and Swallows have arrived. The Spotted Flycatchers have been here for a week or two, I have been watching them collect nesting material from the garden. We are now being regularly visited by Goldfinches as well as our usual motley crew of Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Nuthatches, Sparrows, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blues Tits and also Long tailed Tits. There are at least a couple of pairs of Treecreepers in our woods. Mr. Humphrey Pheasant has decided to reduce his harem to a more manageable two and we have a little pair of Red Legged Partridge frequenting the garden. Can anyone tell me though, why the Song Thrush insists on building their nests in the most precarious places? We have already disposed of 3 dead young who have come out of the nest due to either poor construction and or being in a position where they get knocked by passing vehicles.

We have been hugely entertained by the Red Squirrels the past few weeks, two, three and sometimes four chasing each other up and down the trees, fighting over the feeding stations. I think they have been pairing up and we think we identified 3 pairs. They have now settled down, we are back to one or two visiting at a time, perhaps the females are busy in the drays with young. It would be nice to think that the squirrel nesting boxes in our woods are being used. We have put 'slow down for Squirrels' signs up on the road to and from Firwood as we had a couple knocked on the road earlier in the year. No one's fault really, they come down the trees right next to the road and they are so low to the ground. Anyway, perhaps it will help a little bit.

The Farne Islands are now getting into high gear with the return of the wonderful Puffins and the sharp beaked Arctic Terns. This year on the Farnes is the 5 yearly census where they have the slightly unenviable task of counting the Puffins. How do you get them to stand still? Perhaps bringing a film crew on to the Farnes from the BBC works. "Shine up your beak Percy, and show them your best side - I'm sure that's John Craven you've just flown over!" Of course it is of great importance to count the Puffins as they act as a barometer for the North Sea, if the Puffin population is healthy and growing, then the Northumberland coastal area is also healthy. At the moment it seems to be in bouncing good health. If you want to know more about the boat trips across www.farne-islands.com or look for information on the Farnes and Puffins on www.nationaltrust.org.uk

I reported earlier in the year on getting a cross trail bike for Christmas and my dismay at how Glen, my Border Collie, could outstrip me without trying. Well, I have been trying to get out and do some practicing, time allowing. I have managed some lovely rides and have now on two occasions stretched as far as 16 -17 miles. One was from Firwood, crossing over to the opposite side looking back onto the Cheviots. I took the roads around Lilburn Tower and below Chillingham, wonderful! The only thing was, I forgot that I wasn't as protected as when in a car...... taking a ford, albeit at low tide, at speed, results is a bow wave and a very wet rider! I then met some friends, Richard and Julia, at Whittingham and we cycled around the Vale of Whittingham. Rain was forecast but as happens quite a lot here, never materialised, it was perfect cycling weather. This was a lovely ride through little hamlets with names such as Great Ryle, Prendwick and Alnham. We visited the church at Alnham, way out in the middle of nowhere, such peace - and it was open. It really struck me how nice it was to cycle the majority of roads still around here, very light traffic wise and in some cases, non existent. And Glen? I have taken him locally a few times. I have a speedo on my bike and I was doing 15-16 miles per hour. He was still ahead of me. At least he does seem to be showing me a little more respect.

Bye for now, Beth

 

SOS (Save Our Squirrels), keep you're eye on it at http://www.saveoursquirrels.org.uk

 

www.firwoodfootsteps.blogspot.com

http://www.nwt.org.uk/
 

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