richarddd

Mid-September. We're trying to figure out Alnwick, Cragside, etc. now so that we can figure out how much time we'll be there so that we can figure out flights.

richarddd

If we stay in Alnwick, we are thinking of The Cookie Jar hotel. Do you have a view on that hotel? Is there something better?

corporate-wage-slave

I'm not that well placed to advise on hotels since being local I'd hardly need to use one. But in terms of weddings and social events that I get invited to, Doxford Hall looks to be the better fit for the particular sort of hotels you're looking for. Rothbury isn't much more than a village, Alnwick is one our largest towns, but that means 8,000 people! Which also means Northumberland is an unspoilt and uncrowded gem. Doxford Hall is quite a big operation so they can probably sort out transport for you, and they are well placed for Bamburgh Holy Island (which has a pivotal place in Western Civilisation, in that it is where Christianity spread to what is now the UK and the rest of North West Europe). It's a 30 minute drive from Cragside, and 10 minutes from Alnwick Castle.

The alternative is smaller, more expensive bed and breakfast locations, where the owner charges a premium to provide a top class service, which you won't see in official rankings or TripAdvisor so much. If people needed to stay in places like Alnwick or Rothbury then they'd probably stay in the town's larger pubs, which will provide a good basic service but aren't the last word in luxury.

My younger cousin is a lurking FTer and he is also a Church of England Franciscan. Though he is now based at another monastery, he used to help run the guesthouse of the Franciscans in Alnmouth. You can't use the place as just an alternative accommodation place, and you can't stay for just one night, nevertheless if you go with the right mindset (of any religion) you would be made very welcome.
Alnmouth SSF | The Society of Saint Francis

richarddd

They only have one room available (out of 34) for the September night we're looking, which makes me think they must have a wedding or some other event that night. I can see why it would be popular for weddings, etc.

Unfortunately, we probably don't have the right mindset for the Franciscan guesthouse.

Stez

I was going to hold off my reply until I had a chance to have a look at the place you mentioned, but unfortunately other things got in my way and I won't be able to check it out this coming week as I'm off to Isle of Skye on the west coast of Scotland on another reconnaissance mission.

For your proposed accommodation, judging by the cover of the book, so to speak, it looks alright and they seem to put in effort, I don't think you are going to go too far wrong.

However, like @corporate-wage-slave, I don't use accommodation locally, and my friends who come up to visit and explore the area have stayed in all sorts of places - from a couch in some AirB&B in Newcastle, a castle in Chester-le-Street and a mansion in Melrose over the borders. A fortnight ago, a friend from Australia came to visit with the Gateshead Hilton as a base, which had very impressive views. I've not had any one of them complain - there's that much to see and do that they are rarely in their accommodation anyway! Of course I've always taken them on tours, so they either followed me or went in my car so distances weren't an issue.

Come to think of it, the last time I stayed in a local hotel was at the Doubletree Hilton at Newcastle airport to host a FlyerTalk Do way back in 2011, but I disgress. Feel free to ask more questions or PM if you want to.

mad_rich

Echo the advice to use a Rothbury taxi firm here, although I have no experience.

You can walk between Cragside and Rothbury in about 20 minutes, which might avoid the need to arrange a taxi for that portion of the day. Tomlinsons cafe by the bridge is nice.

Also +1 for visiting Barter Books in Alnwick, even if you're not that into books. It's in the former railway station, and has a delightful open fire and small cafe to warm up on a September day.