The local area | The Old Mill Holiday

LOCAL AREA INFORMATION

The nearest tourist information centre can be found in The Cheviot Centre, Padgepool Place, Wooler.

There is also excellent tourism information available online at:

www.visitscotland.com

www.scotlandstartshere.com

www.visitnorthumberland.com

Local shops & amenities

There is an excellent village shop in Cornhill-on-Tweed (3.5 miles away), open daily from 6.30am until 5.30pm (5pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday) – Tel. 01890 883313.

RG Foreman Butchers in Norham is excellent with a selection of meat, cheese, wine and spirits – visit Norham Castle while you are there. They will also deliver goods to Cornhill Village Shop for you to collect.

Wooler has a good range of local shops including The Good Life deli, two butchers and gift shops, an antique shop, cafes and pubs. There is also a small Co-op supermarket, bank, chemist and garage.

Coldstream has a small Co-op supermarket, butcher, greengrocer and petrol station.

Berwick-upon-Tweed has a good range of local shops, banks, a butcher, deli and several supermarkets and garages listed below.

There is a local Farmers’ Market in Kelso (4th Saturday of the month, 9.30 - 1.30, Kelso Town Square) and Wooler (held monthly but day varies – search Wooler Farmers’ Market online and check their Facebook page).

The nearest large supermarkets are in Berwick and Kelso as follows:

Tesco, Tweedside Trading Estate, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD12 2XB

Morrisons, Loaning Meadows, Berwick upon Tweed, TD15 1UQ

Asda, Main Street, Tweedmouth, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD12 2DS

M&S, Tweedback Retail Park, Berwick upon Tweed, TD15 2AS

Sainsbury’s, Pinnaclehill Industrial Estate, Kelso, TD5 8DW

Information about local produce and where to purchase it can be found on the following sites:

https://www.scotlandstartshere.com/food-and-drink/local-produce-specialty-food-and-drink-shops/

https://www.livingnorth.com/northeast/food-drink/north-easts-leading-farm-shops-and-producers

Eating out

Below is a list of recommended eating places in the area:

The Blue Bell, Crookham

The Red Lion, Milfield

The Black Bull, Etal

The Tap Bar, Slainsfield, Etal (pizza on Fri & Sat evenings)

The Collingwood Arms, Cornhill-on-Tweed

The Milan, Wooler

No1 Hotel, Wooler

Allanton Inn, Chirnside

Atelier, Bridge Street, Berwick upon Tweed

Le Petit Bistro, Kelso

Local attractions & activities

Borders Gliding Club at Milfield – flight school to give gliding a try – www.bordersgliding.co.uk

The Old Dairy, Ford is an antiques and vintage shop with a coffee shop.

Fishing – To book salmon, sea trout and trout fishing on the river Tweed and its tributaries, please go to www.fishtweed.co.uk to book online or telephone FishTweed on 01573 470612.

The salmon season begins on the 1st of February and runs right through to the 30th of November, with fishing available from Monday through to Saturday (no Sunday fishing).

The legal season for brown trout starts on 15th March and finishes on 6th October, but in practice most clubs restrict the season from 1st April to 30th September. Whilst it is legal to fish on Sundays (unlike salmon and sea trout) again most clubs do not allow Sunday fishing.

There is also Stillwater trout fishing at Chatton (www.chattontroutfishery.com), the beautiful Watch Water Fishery in the Lammermuir Hills (www.watchfishery.co.uk) and Coldingham Loch near St Abbs Head (www.coldinghamloch.co.uk).

Clay pigeon shooting and shooting – Braidwood, St Bowells

Adventure Northumberland, based in Alnwick, organise rock climbing, kayaking, coasteering, abseiling, surfing (www.adventurenorthumberland.co.uk 01665 602 925.)

Riding – Kimmerston Riding Centre (www.kimmerston.com) will take you riding in the Cheviot Hills or along the Northumberland beaches.

Cycling – There are some fabulous local cycling routes, see: www.wooler.org.uk/cycling/373-wooler-cycle-hub

Take the steam railway to Etal Castle and visit Heatherslaw Mill. www.ford-and-etal.co.uk

Sit by the fire in the old station waiting room of Barter Books in Alnwick reading one of their thousands of second hand books. www.barterbooks.co.uk

Take a Farne Islands boat trip - probably the best seabird colony in Britain and also famous for its seal population. A top 10 National Trust attraction in Britain. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/farne-islands

Visit Chillingham Castle to see the Wild Cattle that have run wild in the park for hundreds of years. www.chillingham-castle.com

Visit Flodden Field, site of the infamous battle between the English and Scots. The 500th anniversary of the battle has been commemorated with an eco-museum. www.flodden1513.com

Take a boat trip up the Tweed from Berwick to Paxton House: www.mouthofthetweed.co.uk/boattrips.html

Golf

The links courses nearer Edinburgh are better known but the local area has some wonderful unspoilt courses that match the best north of the border. We highly recommend:

Goswick – www.goswicklinksgc.co.uk British open qualifier, one of the finest links courses in the country.

Roxburghe - http://www.roxburghe.net/golf-course a Championship Course set in 200 acres of parkland.

Bamburgh – www.bamburghcastlegolfclub.co.uk one of the most scenic courses in Britain.

The Hirsel - www.hirselgc.co.uk arguably one of Scotland's best kept secrets and indeed has only recently been featured in Golf Monthly's Top 100 Hidden Gems of UK & Ireland.

Castles

Alnwick www.alnwickcastle.com

Bamburgh www.bamburghcastle.com

Berwick Castle and Ramparts www.english-heritage.org.uk

Chillingham www.chillingham-castle.com

Dunstanburgh www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunstanburgh-castle/

Etal www.ford-and-etal.co.uk/

Floors Castle www.floorscastle.com

Holy Island Castle and Priory www.lindisfarne.org.uk/

Norham https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/norham-castle/

Thirlestane Castle www.thirlestanecastle.co.uk/

Warkworth Castle www.english-heritage.org.uk