Middlerigg

Middlerigg perches above the harbour on the aptly named Haven Hill. With its strong stone walls and elevated position, it’s removed enough to observe the activity below but close enough to feel part of it all. It is both homely and elegant—a palette of slate and oak, dressed with Welsh woollen blankets and warmed by a woodburning stove—ready for friends and family to gather. The glazed archway in the well-equipped open-plan kitchen-diner looks out to the immensity of the North Sea and a spellbinding coastline stiff with magic. The dramatic ruins of 14th-century Dunstanburgh Castle loom to the north. The mezzanine floor adds to the airy ambience but also, usefully, provides an additional upstairs lounge area. The main lounge, downstairs, with its woodburning stove, Smart TV, wifi, and Sonos speakers, provides the perfect space for a cosy evening in with loved ones. There’s also a handy utility room with washing machine and tumble dryer.

Upstairs there are three roomy bedrooms, all with luxurious super king-size beds and one with useful zip and link system that converts it into two twin beds. A combination of Egyptian cotton, down duvets and Melin Tregwynt woollen blankets will spoil you for anywhere else. Every bedroom has an ensuite shower room with toasty underfloor heating.

There’s air source central heating throughout Middlerigg; the perfect foil for any chilled winds brought in by the North Sea.

If you’re not a weather watcher already, you will inevitably become one while at Middlerigg. Watch as the seascape constantly repaints itself. When the sun shines, the glazed archway doors of the kitchen-diner lead to a patio seating area, where you can sit and watch not only the weather but turnstones pick through the bladderwrack and linnets, cormorants and eider ducks going about their respective business. Don’t be surprised if the enticing aroma of oak-smoked kippers wafts from the nearby L Robson & Sons – home of the legendary Craster Kippers. Not to be missed. On your doorstep is the wonderfully take-me-as-you-find-me Jolly Fisherman. A simple pub serving well-priced crab sandwiches that are perfect washed down with a pint of Black Sheep ale. There’s even off-road parking for up to two cars—a real coup for the intimate streets of this small village.