- Play Hard
- 22nd Oct 2026
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Beacon Hill Farm: Northumberland cottages with fires, treehouse nights and spa days? We’re sold
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As the leaves turn copper and the evenings draw in, Beacon Hill Farm makes a strong case for swapping your sofa for one of its luxury Northumberland cottages.
It’s the only place ever to be crowned England’s Self Catering Holiday of the Year twice, and its 360-acre estate at Longhorsley, between Alnwick and Morpeth, is home to 15 stone cottages, three Shepherd’s Hut Hideaways and a striking Treehouse.
The family-run site even featured on BBC Two’s Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes. But here’s what makes it perfect for autumn. Almost everything’s included, and every little detail’s been thought of.
EVERY LAST DETAIL’S TAKEN CARE OF
This is the bit that wins hearts before you’ve even unpacked. You’ll arrive to fresh milk in the fridge, flowers in season and a bottle of wine waiting on the side.
The logs and coal for your fire are all included in the rent, and so is the spa. All the Northumberland cottages here have Wi-Fi, a smart TV with sports, a radio and a music system, plus a proper kitchen with granite or hardwood worktops, a full oven and at least a four-ring hob.
So kick off your muddy walking boots, light the fire and settle in. Rain against the windows, a glass of red in hand and the crackle of logs on a dark October night. Autumn evenings don’t get much cosier.
PICK YOUR PERFECT NORTHUMBERLAND COTTAGE
There are 15 stone-built Northumberland cottages to choose from at Beacon Hill, sleeping from two to six. Couples can hide away in Wood Cottage, while Willow, Kestrel and Curlew each sleep six, so there’s room for the whole gang.
Elsewhere you’ll find Beech, Oak, Elm, Ash, Stable Cottage, Quarry House, Beacon Hill Cottage and the North and South Granary. Bringing the dog? Willow and Larch welcome small and medium dogs, so they’re the ones to book.
SLEEP FOUR METRES UP IN THE TREE TOPS
For couples, the Treehouse is so romantic. Clad in burnt Siberian larch and raised four metres up on rusting Corten steel columns, it’s wrapped in mirrored glass. Open the electric curtains from the super king bed and you’re gazing 50 miles south across a patchwork of autumn colour.
Prefer something cosier? Bluegrass, Ryegrass and Foxtail are three 30ft Shepherd’s Hut Hideaways in a south-facing wildflower meadow, each with three rooms, a five-foot bed, a westerly terrace and views to the coast eight miles away.
A SPA YOU CAN WALK TO IN YOUR SLIPPERS
What we love is that every guest gets free use of Beacon Hill Spa, which opens from 6am to 9pm, 365 days a year. It’s a gentle stroll through the gardens from all 15 Northumberland cottages, the shepherd’s huts and the Treehouse, and you really can do it in your slippers. After a blustery coastal walk, it’s exactly where you’ll want to be.
The pool’s heated to 31°C, with complimentary tea and coffee waiting poolside. There’s a black granite steam room, a Canadian redwood sauna set at around 90°C and a cascade shower for that bracing cold rush in between.
The showstopper is the Laconium Therapy Room. Four heated body-form beds, imported from Baden-Baden, sit in a south-facing room scented with aromatherapy oils as a wall fountain trickles away. Guests often drift off for an hour, and the team says you won’t find another room like it in the UK.
Add a jacuzzi that glows after dark, a heated-floor Orangery with 180-degree countryside views, a Garden Room and a fully kitted gym, and you’ll struggle to tear yourself away.
Fancy a treatment? The Beauty Salon’s two treatment rooms cover everything from reflexology to Breathe at Beacon, a scalp and warm candle back massage. If you’ve been walking, we recommend asking for Beacon in Bliss, a body brush, leg polish and cooling gel ritual made for tired legs.
Book ahead on 07407 600709 or browse the wellness guide here.
FOREST BATHING, SAUSAGE SIZZLES AND A LAKESIDE SAUNA
Step outside and the 40-acre beech wood is waiting, glowing copper and gold at this time of year. Deep inside, six oak planks sit in a circle in a quiet glade, angled so you can recline and try forest bathing. It’s the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, and there’s no water involved. You simply slow down and soak up the rustle of fallen leaves, the birdsong and the earthy smell of damp moss.
Families love the three woodland sausage sizzle spots, and there’s no better way to spend a crisp autumn afternoon. The kit’s provided, so just bring sausages and marshmallows.
Then there’s Meg’s Lake, a spring-fed 2.5-acre lake set in 20 acres of rewilded land, with water so clear it looks almost champagne-coloured. Brave a bracing autumn dip, then thaw out in the wood-fired lakeside sauna, bookable online in 90-minute slots. The water’s chilly at this time of year, so keep it short and never swim alone.
Before you leave, find the Circle of Contemplation on the path to the Hideaways. Owner Alun Moore built it from 330-million-year-old Yoredale stone on the site of an Iron Age settlement, in memory of his parents. He thought he’d coined the name, then discovered Plato had got there first. Take a seat and let the view do the talking.
BAMBURGH, LINDISFARNE AND THE CHEVIOTS ON YOUR DOORSTEP
When you’re ready to venture out, you’ll struggle to find Northumberland cottages better placed, with Beacon Hill sitting neatly between the coast and the hills. Head north for blustery walks on the golden sands beneath Bamburgh Castle or time the tides for Holy Island and Lindisfarne Priory.
Alnwick’s just up the road, with The Alnwick Garden and Alnwick Castle, while Northumberland National Park promises endless walks towards the Cheviots, at their finest when the bracken turns russet. Then head back, light the fire and do it all again tomorrow.
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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