Fiona and Richard and their two sons moved to Breamish House in 2016. As soon as they visited the property they knew that the various courtyards and outbuildings were the perfect opportunity to create a luxury holiday location. The grounds were glorious with abundant trees, flowers and a picture perfect stream. The variety of wildlife was also apparent and the expansive views across open countryside to the Cheviot Hills sealed the deal. Oh, and the addition of our newest family member, "Sir Monty" our Cockapoo!

It all began with an idea, a project that Richard and I could work on together. We always dreamed of having holiday cottages in a courtyard setting, and we found the perfect place in the grounds of Breamish House, Powburn. So, we sold up and moved our family from our suburban home to the heart of rural Northumberland.

So, we found an architect who understood our vision and the plans were drawn up to create 6 holiday cottages. We would start by building three. How hard could it be? We were about to find out! We suffered burst pipes, storm damage, the Covid pandemic, the builders going bust, and a host of animal related traumas. The most dramatic of these was a colony of 40,000 honey bees that needed to be re-hived so that we could remove a hollow tree that they had made their home (and spectacular honey!) in. We tackled each set back as it arose and were finally able to open in April 2023.

We welcomed our first guests in 2023 and have loved seeing how much they enjoy the cottages and Northumberland. We have been overwhelmed by the reviews we have received and are delighted with the number of returning guests. In our first year we were proud to receive the Visit England Rose award for Recognition Of Service Excellence. We have lots of ideas on further enhancements to the facilities and cottages themselves. As for building the other three cottages – we might just have a pause for a few years before any more building!