About this property
Shilbottle 2.7 miles. Nestled in the peaceful town of High Buston near Shilbottle, Northumberland is this fabulous, Grade-II listed property, The Hemmel. Benefitting from off-road parking, original features throughout and an enviable position near the Northumberland Coast AONB, The Hemmel welcomes six guests, perfect for a family or group of friends seeking to explore this beautiful region. After parking up, enter your new home-from-home to be impressed by the quaint but well-equipped kitchen, hosting all the necessities required to ease your self-catered stay. Pass through into the open-plan living/dining space where you and your loved ones can relax and unwind after a day at the beach; adorned with a woodburning stove it also offers an inviting haven to cosy up in on cooler evenings. After rustling up a delicious home-cooked meal, step out into the enclosed courtyard to delight in an alfresco affair, pouring the wine as conversation turns to your itinerary for the exciting days ahead. If you’re seeking some much-needed R&R, escape to the ground-floor bathroom to indulge a long soak or warm shower, prior to opting for one of three charming bedrooms, including a king-size and bunk both residing on the ground-floor, and a double with en-suite on the first floor. If you can tear yourself away, begin your day at Alnwick Castle, one of the largest inhabited castles in England and most famous for its appearance in the Harry Potter films, where you can explore the opulent state rooms, beautiful gardens and learn about its rich history. If you’re craving a seascape, take a boat trip from Seahouses to the Farne Islands, home to a range of seabirds including puffins, guillemots and terns, as well as grey seals; you are also well-positioned here to enjoy the stunning coastal scenery of the Northumberland Coast AONB, discover, dunes, rugged cliffs and charming coastal villages before kicking back one of several lovely sandy beaches. Nature enthusiasts are guaranteed to love a day at Hauxley Nature Reserve, perfect for a leisurely stroll and learning about the reserve’s conservation efforts, whereas the history buffs of the group may prefer to venture to Chillingham Castle, known for its ghostly tales and medieval architecture. However you choose to spend your days here in Northumberland, do it from the superb base of The Hemmel.
Situated close to Northumbria's Heritage Coast, Shilbottle is a peaceful village with an attractive church, a small shop and a pub. The surrounding, open countryside boasts great walking opportunities and an abundance of wildlife not to be missed, whilst the beautiful sandy beaches located between Warkworth and Alnmouth are just 4 miles away and easily accessible. With the historic market town of Alnwick also just 4 miles away, and the whole of the Heritage Coast, Hadrian’s Wall and the city of Newcastle within an hour’s drive, this great location is the ideal base for exploring all that this lovely area has to offer.
Accommodation
Three bedrooms: 1 x ground-floor king-size, 1 x double with en-suite walk-in shower, basin and WC, 1 x ground-floor bunk.
Ground-floor bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC.
Kitchen.
Living/dining room with woodburning stove
Oil central heating.
Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine.
TV, WiFi.
Fuel, power and starter pack for woodburning stove included in rent.
Bed linen inc in rent.
Towels not included.
Off-road parking available.
Enclosed rear courtyard with furniture.
Two well behaved dogs welcome.
Sorry, no smoking.
Shop 2.4 miles, pub 2.8 miles.
Note: There is a spiral staircase in the property which may be unsuitable for guests with lower mobility.
Note: There is a step down into the main living area
Nearby points of interest
- Alnwick Castle
- Northumberland Country Zoo
Reviews (4)
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Marc
This was the major minus of the entire stay. It is so soft and uncomfortable almost unusable. 2. The toilet in the bathroom has an insufficient flush. I tried to resolve this but it is due to the overflow pipe being too short. Easy fix. 3. The lack of any information on the cottage, waste treatment, how things were to be left, local amenities etc was frustrating. A bare minimum should be instructions for, tv, cooker, heating, fire, bins. Local amenities and attraction info would have been nice. Where to source more wood for fire ( I took my own luckily) 4. The property wasnât particularly clean, lots of cobwebs and high level dust. 5. The CO detector is incorrectly situated. It was on the table behind the tv. I moved it to top of stone stairs but it needs mounted properly. CO rises, we would have been unconscious before it alarmed in original position. 6, perhaps wrongly but I understood the rear courtyard was ours privately. On 2 occasions there were other people in it and another dog. Not ideal when it looks directly into the main bedroom and living area. Also none of the exterior lighting worked. 7. The outside furniture at the front of the property is broken and unusable. 8. One of the dining table chairs is very wobbly, feels ready to break and needs attention. 9.Points 3 and 7 have been noted in previous reviews and not rectified. The above comments can be passed to owners however I do not feel they should be published as there is little to no benefit in this. Im also happy to be contacted by yourselves or the owners for any clarification The following review Iâm happy to be published. Review. The Hemel was a pleasant weeks stay the main living area is spacious with plenty of seating both for eating and relaxing. The log burner was great (that and the secure area for the dog were 2 selling points for us) although the lack of instruction and wood might provide a challenge for some ( I brought a load with me) The kitchen is definitely compact but entirely usable and was perfectly fine for a weeks stay. The rear courtyard could do with some attention to make it a more usable space but it was good to have somewhere secure to let the dog out when required. Main bedroom was spacious with plenty storage the only downside being the marshmallow soft mattress. Iâm not sure if this is a choice or itâs just old but we really struggled with it. The upstairs bedroom with en-suite was comfortable and well appointed. The Hemmel is ideally situated to visit plenty of local attractions and beaches. If the issue with the mattress was resolved Iâd be more than happy to stay here again as we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.
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Sarah
Unfortunately we were only given 2 bath towels for a booking of 6 people do had to go and purchase more. The accommodation is poorly lit and would benefit from extra lighting. At nearly a £1000 for a 1 week stay it is overpriced.
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Sean
However, we didnt have a welcome pack on arrival which is a first for us. The main issue with this was the lack of information about the property, how to deal with waste and recycling, where we can find things nor about the local factilities etc, a basic requirement. There were a couple of other minor issues that really should not have been left as they were such as the picnic table was broken and a light in the ensuite didnt work. But the biggest issue for us was the complete lack of a contact to talk to. When I did find a mobile number and sent a text to the owners they replied that they were on holiday and that I had to contact yourselves. This is just wrong, I paid them for the let and do not appreciate having to spend my holiday chasing up on issues that could easily be avoided.. Further to this when i tried to contact yourselves it turns out you are just an agency and do not have contact details either. We were on site for a further 5 days after I phoned and received no follow up calls and were ignored and this is just not acceptable. Once an issue like this occurs then other issues become more apparent, such as the vacuum was left uncharged and we had no charger so with two dogs we couldn't give the property a daily vacuum. Very limited cleaning equipment, tea stained mugs, no dishwasher in a property for 6, extremely dated kitchen / cooking facilities... I could go on... I will leave it to you and the property owners discretion on how you respond. Yes you can publish this.