Many visitors love the dark skies at night – no light pollution here, the only light being from the stars and the moon so on a clear night the stars can be seen brightly and clearly. College Valley is part of an area designated as Northumberland dark sky park (which is Europe’s largest Dark Sky Park).

The wildlife here is in abundance – wild goats, deer, otter, peregrine, barn owls, oyster catchers, grey herons, grouse, to name a few. If you are quiet, you may be lucky enough to see one of our most charming residents, the red squirrel. Watching the barn owls fly at dusk in the summer months is magical.

If what you have read so far makes you think it is the perfect wild getaway for you, we do have holiday accommodation.

We have four lovely, superbly renovated, private cottages available for let. They are well equipped with all the comforts of home (including comfortable beds!). We welcome well behaved dogs in all our properties so your four-legged friend can enjoy their holiday too.

College Valley is a walker’s paradise with over 28 miles of paths, bridleways and moorland walking. You can walk out in any direction – easy or challenging – with the knowledge that every comfort awaits your return. Often you can walk all day and never meet another soul. Every cottage has amazing views and can be booked with Ros starting on any day of the week.

One of the most challenging walks in College Valley is walking Cheviot, which is the highest hill in Northumberland at 815m high. Around a mile from the bottom of Cheviot, we have Mounthooly independent hostel which sleeps 24. Charlene offers a warm welcome and clean beds at this bunkhouse. Guests can enjoy the views in the summer and a roaring fire in the cosy sitting room in the winter months. Walking Cheviot from the Mounthooly side, you will see the Hen Hole, a great glacial hanging valley of waterfalls cutting through the Cheviot granite. Mounthooly bunkhouse is an ideal base to explore both sides of the Border Ridge and the Cheviot Massif, and it is situated in a prime location being on the Pennine Way and St Cuthberts Way walking routes.

Cuddystone Hall in the valley is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies. Standing at the venue surrounded by hills and in complete peace, you would be forgiven for thinking you are in the remote Highlands. Couples fed up with the traditional customary wedding and decide to hire this unique venue get exclusive use and it is theirs for the weekend to glam up or dress down. If they yearn to have their dog as a bridesmaid or have a bouncy castle and welly-throwing competition, the hall allows them the freedom to do that.

Many people staying in our cottages arrive, park the car, and never use it again until the day they leave. But for those that want to explore, the Northumberland coastline is only around 25 miles away. There are many beautiful beaches; Bamburgh, Craster, Alnmouth to name a few. A well-kept secret is Cheswick beach, one of the best dog walking beaches as it is one of the quietest and is massive. Bamburgh beach is a fabulous beach with Bamburgh Castle overlooking it and is really popular – fish and chips at Seahouses are a must if you visit here! Boat cruises around the Farne Islands go from Seahouses and from April to late July, the puffins will be there which is a really captivating sight (wear a hat for the terns that sometimes dive bomb!). Cocklawburn and Eyemouth are the best beaches for rock pooling.

Alnwick Castle and Gardens is 30 miles, Cragside House is 30 miles, Wooler, 11 miles, Kelso 15 miles and Berwick-upon-Tweed 25 miles.

Throughout all seasons the valley offers wonders to be found, be it our local wildlife, archaeology, plant life, viewpoints, history, or the amazing effect nature has on the land, from waterfalls to sparking icicles.