Luxury Self Catering Cottage at Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland - Our Romantic Break at St Oswalds Farm, Hexham

* This is a collaboration with St Oswalds Farm

Much to my husband's annoyance my birthday is never just one day. I usually declare March "my month" and I do my best to keep the celebrations going for as long as possible. This year I decided that we'd kick off birthday weekend with a staycation in the countryside. I loved the idea of a romantic break in a luxury self catering cottage at Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland so was over the moon when we were invited to spend a weekend at Heavenfield Cottage, a cosy cottage for two on St Oswald's Farm in Wall near Hexham.

Sitting pretty in the perfect location, Heavenfield Cottage is a stone's throw from Hadrian's Wall yet only a few miles away from the market towns of Hexham and Corbridge. The hustle and bustle of Newcastle city centre is only a 30 minute drive yet the cottage is situated in such peaceful countryside it's easy to believe you're in the middle of nowhere.  We loved having the convenience of nearby supermarkets, pubs and cafes to enjoy with the knowledge that if we really wanted to switch off and enjoy country life we could.

When our plans were made I was excited at the thought of blue skies, daffodils and maybe even a cheeky cream tea out in the sunshine - unfortunately the weather had very different ideas. Our drive up to Northumberland was through thick grey skies, torrential rain and with the radio threatening snow by the end of the weekend, you'd be forgiven for thinking that our staycation was going to be a washout.

Luckily Heavenfield Cottage is the perfect escape from bad weather. Sure it was annoying not being able to get outside for long rambles but when you have a cosy little home for two to shut yourself away in who cares what's happening outside?

We were welcomed to the Cottage by owner Lorraine who greeted us with the keys and showed us into our home for the weekend. She had very kindly got the wood burning stove started for us and we were so grateful to get in from the cold. The fire was so welcoming and the underfloor heating made the whole place really snug and cosy.

Lorraine and her husband John live close to Heavenfield Cottage so were easy to reach if we did have any problems. They were the perfect hosts - available when we needed them and invisible when we just wanted some peace and quiet.

We spent most of our stay at Heavenfield Cottage snuggled in the open plan lounge and kitchen which was so cosy we spent more hours than we'd like to admit just sitting about doing absolutely nothing but enjoying the peace and quiet. Although we were living on a working farm there was no intrusive noise and I loved sitting on the sofa listening to the sheep and cows.

The lounge area was my favourite part of the cottage and gave me a severe dose of interior envy -  polished wooden floors, a beautiful brick fireplace, exposed wooden beams decorated in beautiful little fairy lights and the kind of sofas that hug you so nicely you're not sure you'll ever be able to drag yourself out of them.

Simon spent most of our stay carefully nurturing the fire, I have to admit I felt pretty jealous - I only wish he spent as much time mooning over me as he did that fire. He was constantly topping it up with logs, prodding it and I think I may have even caught him talking to it once or twice! He didn't let me go anywhere near it, probably a good thing as I'm pretty sure it would have gone out within moments if I'd attempted to touch it.

We had a nice big complimentary basket of logs that kept us going for our two night stay, but if we needed extra logs there was a stash of them outside our cottage door for £3.00.

We may have been hidden away in the countryside but we had all the modern conveniences we needed including super fast wifi, a DVD player and TV (complete with Netflix) and if we fancied some quiet time there was a shelf full of books to read and some local magazines and brochures to enjoy.

I'll admit I almost dropped off to sleep on the sofa by the fire on more than one occasion and for someone that really struggles to relax at home that was a bit of a big deal!

The open plan kitchen had everything that we needed for our stay including a fridge to store all of our food, oven, dishwasher, washer/drier and fridge. The nearest supermarkets are around a 12 minute drive away in Hexham but if you're wanting to plan ahead you can get a supermarket delivery to the cottage or arrive fully prepared with a car full of all the essentials. With snow imminent we decided on a cottage diet of prosecco, pizza, pasta and hot cross buns!

Our little kitchen was already stocked with a few goodies when we arrived and we had a lovely little welcome hamper of local produce including a homemade birthday cake just for two (so thoughtful), free range eggs from Bowershields, Bardon Mill; Northumbrian Pedigree Milk from Marleycote, Slaley; Luxury Chocolate homemade in Newcastle and Northumberland Tea.

I was very happy that I managed to convince Simon to cook me up some scrambled eggs on our second morning in the cottage and they were delicious!

I will admit we cut into the cake within minutes of arriving, my first official birthday cake of the year, it was so good and the perfect size for two people with our large appetites, it kept us going for both nights of our stay and left me very annoyed at myself for not being able to make cakes myself (I really must learn to bake!)

Luxury self catering cottages are pretty hard to find so we were so happy to discover that Heavenfeld Cottage at St Oswald's Farm really did tick every box. Everything had been thought of and I immediately regretted bringing so much luggage with us as most of our luxuries were already provided including snuggly dressing gowns, toiletries and even hot water bottles.

Every cupboard we explored we were surprised by yet more goodies, and when we stumbled across the cupboard containing the picnic and BBQ equipment I was gutted that we had snow outside!

It was the bathroom that really made us appreciate how luxurious our holiday cottage really was and if it's a romantic break for two you are after then you will definitely want to book yourself into St Oswald's Farm.

We had a huge freestanding bath with a little table sitting next to it (complete with a perfect Prosecco bottle shaped hole), waterfall shower and fluffy towels. I had every intention to enjoy a lovely long soak in that tub with a glass of fizz but unfortunately both nights of our stay I was so comfy on the sofa I couldn't convince myself to stand up.

Our bedroom boasted a huge super king bed, perfect for losing your husband in and fully wrapping yourself up in the duvet without any wars. As much as I love him I have to admit that I really appreciated having so much extra space in such a huge bed. Two nights of perfect uninterrupted sleep were just what we both needed and we definitely left the farm feeling far more refreshed than when we arrived.

Luckily the bad weather took a very brief break during our stay and allowed me to step outdoors for a short stroll around the grounds which is a must if you're visiting! There's some beautiful walks recommended in the guest information book including a ramble over the fields to St Oswald's Church that sounds beautiful.

St Oswalds Farm has been owned by the family for 50 years and it's a working farm with over 500 sheep. If you're a fan of farmyard rambles and talking to the animals guests are welcome to potter around the 217 acre farm. Very thankful for my wellies I splodged my way through deliciously thick mud to the fields where I was greeted with the most stunning views of the Northumberland countryside.

You know you've been on a good ramble when you come back with your boots covered in mud! Although I think you can tell that my wellies are definitely city boots rather than farming boots.

We were very lucky that our stay at Heavenfield Cottage timed perfectly with the start of lambing season on St Oswald's Farm. If you're keen to learn a little bit more about life on a farm, Lorraine and John enjoy chatting to guests about the farm and as soon as they discovered that I was very keen to see a lamb they welcomed me into the lambing pen to say hello.

Little did I realise that I was going to get to cuddle one. I had the biggest smile on my face as I snuggled up to the cutest little lamb who was only a few days old. It was a truly unique experience and definitely a very special way to celebrate my birthday. He had a little sleep in my arms and I honestly don't think I've ever felt more content.

I'm never a huge fan of leaving anywhere to return back home but climbing back into the car to leave St Oswald's Farm I felt particularly sad. We had had the most fantastic time and it was definitely a birthday to remember. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be returning, I'd love to see St Oswald's Farm in a different season and I can picture us enjoying the perfect Winter hideaway at Christmas time or indulging in a long Summer evening with a BBQ or picnic.

If you're planning on exploring the beautiful countryside of Northumberland this year then I highly recommend booking yourself in for a stay at St Oswald's Farm - I don't think it'd be possible to find anywhere better!

To book your own Northumberland break for two at St Oswald's Farm check out the tariff, availability and booking here. The cottage is available for week long breaks, mid week breaks (Monday to Friday) and weekend breaks (Friday to Monday). Prices start from £300.00 for a weekend.

Find Heavenfield Cottage at:

St Oswald's Farm
Wall
Hexham
Northumberland

01434 689 015

https://www.stoswaldsfarm.co.uk/

We were invited to Heavenfield Cottage and were treated to a complimentary stay in exchange for this honest review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.