Hello, I realise it's a little late, but since I'm starting my blog I thought I'd include it. This is the amazing little place I stayed just before Christmas. It’s a twist on the classic wood log cabin. It’s called Skyden, owned by the Calvert Trust in Kielder. It’s set in between a thick tree line, with a stream that runs underneath the tree house. It’s around a five minute drive from Kielder Water, in Northumberland National Park. Don't worry though, you’ll stay dry no matter the weather, as the tree house hovers above the stream on stilts.
It’s a three level tree house with sleeping quarters, a living area, plus a cosy seating area, with a stove for toasting marshmallows to your hearts content. The living area is compact, but you have everything you need for a nights stay in the woods. All the furniture is fold out or DIY, it’s like a big jigsaw puzzle. It’s a step up from a log cabin, with way more creature comforts than camping, however it’s still quite basic inside. We arrived with bags of supplies to get us through the two days we were spending there. We had raided M&S before we set off, and bought lots of party food like, pork with crackling appetisers, tiger prawns, melt in the middle cheese sticks and a whole lot more. Sadly to only find a two ring hob to cook everything we'd brought with us. NOT HAPPENING!
Luckily we had cooked a few things before setting off, and had a lot of antipasti! LIFE SAVER. But what made it harder, was that we had to just sit and stare at the amazing food we couldn't eat for the subsequent two days of staying there, without an oven in sight. But hurray! We still had good ol' alcohol to see us through! Staying in this magical place, in the run up to Christmas was very festive, so even with the lack of food, we all still had a fantastic time together. We stayed up late, played board games and got very, very merry.
Since we were staying in the countryside for a few days, I decided to take my reliable waxed Barbour coat to see me through the weekend. There’s no other option, in my opinion, regarding what jacket to wear in the Great British countryside! It’s a staple piece to any long weekend in the country. You've got to dress for comfort and warmth than anything else, I packed a comfortable pair of jeans and a thick wool crew neck jumper from The Kooples, I was ready. Not to forget about my fedora hat- just for luck. We spent the second day exploring the surrounding area of lakes, forests and nearby hills, with the odd local pub thrown in there for good measure of course!
Speaking of local pubs. We found the perfect one, why are all of the best pubs always tucked away in the middle of nowhere? We’d done our research whilst at home and had pre-booked a table in a pub/restaurant called Battlesteads, in the small village of Wark. It was around a twenty minute drive, through extremely narrow, fast country roads, from where we were staying. Battlesteads was your typical quaint pub in the country, with a log burning fire and a very friendly homely feel. We were greeted at the bar and shown our seats, right next to the fire, SCORE! We instantly felt at welcome. A good few hours that night were spent in the pub, laughing, sharing stories and soaking up the Christmas atmosphere. Battlesteads also had a HUGE local beer selection, ANOTHER SCORE and delicious food. Their fish and chips were TO DIE FOR!
I’ve still not mentioned Skyden’s party piece, the fact that the entire roof opens up, so you're able to look up and get an uninterrupted view of the stars from your bed! The whole roof slowly opens while you lie back, to reveal the best view of the nights sky. Northumberland National Park is a designated dark sky park, so it’s one of the best places in the UK to see our star studded sky.
I had an awesome weekend checking out a part of the UK which I’ve sadly not spent enough time seeing before. I visited in mid December, but I’m sure it would be very interesting all year around, as there is so much to do and see in Northumberland. I would definitely head back soon!
If you’re interested in finding out more about Skyden, or where I visited whilst I was in Northumberland, see my links below.
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