The Telegraph published a list of 30 of the best autumnal getaways in Britain, scoring locations based on ‘roaring fires’, ‘hearty food’, ‘bracing walks’, and the cosiness of ‘nooks and snugs’.
“Just as in summer our thoughts turn to the seaside and sunny, bright, spacious hotels, so in the changing light of autumn we dream of cosiness and creature comforts,” The Telegraph said.
The bar at the Lord Crewe Arms, Blanchland (Image: Tripadvisor) “Whether a traditional inn, country house or shooting lodge, whether in sight of crashing waves or lost in countryside, the hotels we crave in this season have to entice us with something more than facilities and amenities: they need heart and soul.”
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Some of its top locations include The Gurnard’s Head in Cornwall, Norfolk’s Assembly House and Combermere Abbey based in Shropshire.
The Lord Crewe Arms was one of Britain’s best autumn getaways (Image: Tripadvisor) Over in Northumberland, it pinpointed a spot in a village of ‘honeyed stone’ and blooming ‘hanging baskets’.
The Lord Crewe Arms, in the ‘pin-neat estate village’ of Blanchland, scored a full 5/5 on both roaring fires and nooks and snugs.
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Hearty food and bracing walks were rated 4/5.
“Surrounded by the bracing North Pennines moorland, the Lord Crewe Arms ticks the boxes for good looks, atmospheric setting and a peaceful retreat at the end of a windswept walk,” The Telegraph said.
It has nooks and snugs, along with hearty food (Image: Tripadvisor) “Formerly the abbot’s lodging of a 12th-century priory, original features – thick walls, stone-flagged floors, quirky-shaped rooms – have been carefully combined with a stylish modern country look.
“Open fires, wood-burners and candles keep things cosy in several dining areas where food is robust and punchy. Bedrooms (some with wood-burning stoves) are both in the pub and dotted around the village.”
Roaring fires at the pub (Image: Tripadvisor) We selected a few other hotels in Northumberland that feature the ‘heart and soul’ we crave in the ‘changing light of autumn’.
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Marshall Meadows Manor Hotel, in Berwick-upon-Tweed, is described by The Telegraph as a ‘small Georgian manor house hotel’.
Marshall Meadows Manor House (Image: Tripadvisor) “For a modest-sized hotel Marshall Meadows has a generous amount of space for guests to relax in: there’s a cocktail bar, lounge (with log-burner) and conservatory, plus a long west-facing terrace overlooking lawned gardens, trees and fields,” it said.
The drawing room at Marshall Meadows Manor House (Image: Tripadvisor) Market Cross Guest House, Belford, is another bed and breakfast praised by the publisher for offering a ‘relaxed friendly touch but with luxury hotel standards’.
Market Cross Guest House’s blue room (Image: Tripadvisor) “Interiors have retained original features, such as window shutters and fireplaces, but have been gently brightened with a light contemporary style,” The Telegraph said.
The blue bathroom at Market Cross Guest House (Image: Tripadvisor) From homemade cake on arrival to ‘excellent knowledge’ of the locality, guests can enjoy a gazebo, fire pit and heaters in the ‘surprisingly large’ back garden.
Langley Castle Hotel, near Hexham, is an authentic 14th-century fortified castle, boasting bedrooms with four-poster beds, cosy window seats, and individual features such as saunas, semi-sunken baths, and open fireplaces.
The drawing room at the castle (Image: Langley Castle) The drawing room’s blazing log fire complements gorgeous stained-glass windows and knights in shining armour.
Hallways at Langley Castle (Image: Tripadvisor)
“This is the real deal: a 14th-century castle – all battlements and seven-foot-thick walls – where you can swan around in grand rooms with huge fireplaces and dine in candlelight. Luxury bedrooms are in the castle, the rest in converted coach houses and gatekeeper’s lodge,” The Telegraph said.
“Everywhere seems to be deeply red or richly gold – heraldic-patterned carpets, thickly tassled drapes and pelmets, high-backed armchairs and sofas – while decoration is determinedly theatrical with suits of armour, wrought-iron candelabras, medieval tapestries and gilt-framed portraits.”