Carterside Cottages

Northumberland today is a beautiful tranquil place. However, this peace and serenity were not always commonplace. Due to its location as a border county between England and Scotland, Northumberland was often a fractious place with many areas of, “Debateable Lands”.

During the medieval periods between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries, the high lands of north Northumberland became the territories of  bands of outlaws known as the Border Reivers.

The Reivers have left many legacies throughout the region – from tales and ballards of dastardly and heroic deeds, to the construction of many fortified houses and towers known as bastle (pronounced, “Basteel”)houses. The nearest of which to Carterside Cottages is at Tosson Tower, just up the road.

It is because of these war-torn days that Northumberland boasts more castles and fortified houses than any other English county, making it a dream for the history lover. Many of the castles are open to visitors throughout the year and include; Alnwick Castle – “The Windsor of the North” and ancestral home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, the location of Hoggwarts in the Harry Potter movies. The dramatic cliff-top ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle perched looking across the North Sea and the spectacular Northumberland coast. The romantic Bamburgh Castle – complete with it’s own dragon legend and reputedly the site of Sir Lancelot’s Joyous Guard. Warkworth Castle is tucked away on a loop of the River Coquet just before it enters the sea and is so well preserved it is often used in film sets and costume dramas. Then there is the photogenic Lindisfarne Castle situated on the tidal Holy Island – The birthplace of Christianity in the British Isles.

The outlaw characters of the region carried on long after the demise of the last reiver, when the hills in the Coquet Valley became the haunts of many distilleries and smugglers who used the clear mountain streams and isolated nature of the hills to produce duty free (called, “Innocent”!) whisky for distribution to both sides of the border. The tradition of whisky production, albeit in a more legitimate manner, has been recently revived with the introduction of Coquet Whisky - A great dram inspired by this magical place.

The Coquetdale region around Carterside Cottages is a beautiful place with unique character and flavour which allows the visitor to truly escape the stresses and pressures of modern life. It is a place with many layers which never ceases to surprise and delight the visitor, no matter how many times they return – Which is why many people return year after year.

We look forward to introducing you (or welcoming you back!) to this wonderful area, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.