Gavin Havery follows in his grandfather’s footsteps to discover the delights of staying close to home

MANY years ago, before embarking abroad for the first time on a camping trip to rural France with my parents, I asked my granddad if he was going on holiday.

“I am going to Romania, son,” he said with a glint in his eye.

After asking where that was exactly, he clarified his answer. “I am going to ‘remain here’, son, no point in going far when you have got the best beaches, countryside, history and culture waiting for you in your own backyard.”

For many years, I found the lure of cheap flights and the excitement of exploring exotic climes too tempting for me to take a break in the North-East. But the addition of a new baby and Matilda, two, to my family means that arriving somewhere comfortable with lots to do, not far from home looks the best option for the foreseeable future.

Little more than an hour after leaving our house, near Newcastle, we were unpacking at Keeper’s Cottage, near Stamford, not far from Alnwick, in Northumberland . As you would expect from a member of the Farm Stay organisation, it involves staying on, or near a working farm.

Matilda loved watching the cows grazing in the field behind the spacious garden of the cottage.

She also loved watching trains on the East Coast Main Line, a short distance away and, while I am no trainspotter, there was genuine excitement when The Flying Scotsman hurtled by.

Inside, the cottage was well-appointed with everything a family would need for a comfortable and cosy stay, whatever the weather. We were fortunate to have a rare week of sunshine, but if it had been chilly the lounge has a real log fire as well ample heating throughout.

There are also plenty of books, games and videos to keep visitors entertained if the weather’s poor.

Clear evenings gave us the chance to appreciate just how wonderful a Northumberland night sky can be. The scenery was equally breathtaking by day. Only two miles from the cottage is Embleton Bay, which has spectacular soft powdery sand on long stretches of beaches with the stunning backdrop of Dunstanburgh Castle on the horizon.

Flanked by the National Trust-owned sand dunes, the beach is unspoilt by development and the only immediate sign of commercialisation is the occasional, but very welcome, appearance of an ice cream van at Dunstan Steads The village is the birthplace of The Northern Echo’s former editor, WT Stead, a social campaigner who died on the Titanic and has a road named after him. We enjoyed North Sea fish and chips at the Greys Inn in the centre of the village and, other than a small shop, there is little to suggest this is one of the finest seaside areas in the country.

ONE of the main attractions of the area is the apparent lack of development and associated tourist trappings that can make the coast seem gaudy. It is a truly beautiful part of the world and so quiet it is serene. But when it comes to great days out that combine culture and history you are spoilt for choice, with some of the region’s bestknown tourist attractions a short drive away.

We celebrated our daughter’s second birthday at Bamburgh Castle, which dates back to the Fifth Century and was restored by Victorian industrialist William Armstrong, and is still owned by his family. Visitors can enjoy impressive displays of armoury and tours of the state rooms, but, with a toddler and a fourmonth- old, the highlight for us was a wellearned sit down for lunch and birthday cake in the tea room.

Continuing the castle theme, my daughter and I stayed even closer to the cottage the following day with a trip to Alnwick Castle where she enjoyed dressing as a princess, seeing the model dragons and walking around the giant tree house in the adjoining gardens, which are also owned by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland.

No trip to the area would be complete without a visit to Craster, a tiny harbour village famous for its oak-smoked fish and, again, it is somewhere all the more charming for its dedication to tradition and simplicity.

I enjoyed, without doubt, the best ploughman’s lunch I have ever had and pint of Radie Gadgie real ale overlooking the North Sea from the conservatory of The Jolly Fisherman while my Matilda tucked into cod goujons and chips.

While I concede it may compromise a menu otherwise rich in the region’s seafood, it did strike me that they are missing a trick by not fusing Craster’s most famous export with a little South-East Asian influence to create the Kipper Thai.

We are from the same mould, my granddad and I.

TRAVEL FACTS

  •  Gavin and his family stayed at Keepers Cottage with Embleton Area Cottages, which has three high-quality cottages in Northumberland. For more information, call Hazel Grahamslaw on 01665-579425.
  •  The trip was organised through Farm Stay UK, whose members offer bed and breakfast, self-catering, eco and alternative styles of accommodation. Stays are in everything from country cottages, farmhouses and converted farm buildings to yurts, wigwams and camping pods. Visit farmstay.co.uk for more information.