Despite our best intentions we didn’t manage to cross the road from the Collingwood arms to visit the Church of St Helen.

We had also intended to get a closer look of the War Memorial, also just across the road from the Collingwood arms…

St Helens’ church is on my list for my next visit to the area

The Collingwood Arms is a grade II listed Coaching Inn built during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. On first appearance there are tell-tale signs of the hotels Georgian roots with its archetypal centred entrance and the somewhat symmetrical frontage including the grand single paned sash windows that flood the hotel with natural light.

It is plain to see upon entering that the Hotel draws upon its nautical ancestry, illustrations and paintings of Vice Admiral Collingwood and even the porthole clock hanging in the main entrance steer you toward the conclusion that we have a close tie with Horatio Nelsons second in command. Currently with all 15 bedrooms being named after the Galleons that sailed under the Vice Admiral many believe that we must have been a favoured spot for Lord Collingwood or even owned by him at one point or another, unfortunately this is all too good to be true.

What many don’t know is that the hotels name and rich heritage comes more from the merchant family that owned the property up until 1955. Although there is some correlation between the Vice Admiral Collingwood and the Hotel through a very long and confusing lineage, little is still know about the Collingwood family that once resided here, however we do know that many of the passed family members ar memorialised just across the road in St Helens Cemetery.*

*Information from hotel room information booklet

Unfortunately the duty manager that we had chatted to on the first night of our stay was not on shift so we were unable to say goodbye or thank her. We checked out after breakfast and headed to Corbridge Roman Town.

During our journey, just after we had left Jedburgh, we turned a corner to be confronted by a large bull standing sideways on our side of the carriageway. We slowed down and gently drove around him. He was slobbering at the mouth and looking at us disdainfully as we did so. As we passed by we noticed another bull on the road, looking very much as if he had escaped from a field. Behind him, in the field, were a large number of cows congregating in the corner of the field near to the bull.

We thought that bulls in the road were an accident waiting to happen so we parked in a safe place and phoned the police to report the problem.

Corbridge Town is part of Hadrian’s Wall. Next to the town’s Roman remains is an excellent museum displaying Roman artifacts, the Corbridge Hoard and a fine stone statue of a lion atop its prey.

When we had finished looking around, we drove to Hexham, which is close by, for lunch. We had a brief look around Hexham before continuing our journey. Our route took us through beautiful scenery with spectacular views. At one point there was a diversion which led to the journey taking longer than expected necessitating a brief stop at Killington Lake services to stretch our legs and enjoy a reviving cup of tea.

After breakfast we set off through the pretty countryside to Traquair, stopping along the way to photograph the River Tweed. We managed to arrive a little early but the gate was open and the kiosk manned so we were able to go in. One again the weather was glorious so we chose to look around the grounds and tackle the maze before going into the house.

Photo taken by Mr C

There are a few animals in the grounds which are kept behind wire. One of the goats kept trying very hard to push through the wire stretching his head towards us as far as it would go. There were also two very sleepy, snoring pigs, or they were until Mr C inadvertently spooked them by accidentally snapping his glasses case loudly whereupon they charged towards him with great commotion and noise.

We managed to conquer the maze after a few false starts. This has to be one of the best mazes I have been in, it has three sub centres that you have to pass through before finding the middle.

Next we enjoyed a look around the house although later we realised that we had managed to miss out one of the floors (the one I particularly wanted to see) and neither of us could figure out how we had done so. Traquair has its own brewery so sampled the ale and bought a few bottles to enjoy at home, probably with slow cooked beef in beer. We had lunch in the cafe where I couldn’t resist a piece of citrus, coconut and pecan cake. It was delicious!

On our journey back towards the hotel we stopped off at Trimontium Roman site to find that there was only an information point. Before returning to the hotel, we thought we would try and pick up some Doddington Cheese, which, we remembered from a previous occasion was purchased from an honesty table outside the farm. We found the farm but this time there was no table so we came away empty handed.

This evening we dined with Toby and Leona who used to run the Coach House. Earlier in the day the duty manager double checked that four of us would be dining and asked which table we would prefer. We had chosen a round table in the window. In the evening a different duty manager was on shift and was very attentive, making sure that we received the best service. We had a lovely evening in good company. Before we retired for the evening the duty manager told us he wouldn’t be back on duty before our holiday finished, said goodbye and hoped he would to see us again.

After breakfast we set off into Scotland to visit Rosslyn Chapel. For some time it has been on my location wish list, because of the carvings within.

When we arrived we found out that the next introductory talk of the chapel would take place in half an hour. We explored the outside of the chapel until it was time to go inside the chapel for the talk. The talk was extremely interesting, pointing out various carvings and features of the church including the Dan Brown mystery tale and the chapel’s own mystery story regarding two intricately carved columns.

We were directed to carvings on the outside of the church (including one of a camel). When the talk had finished we walked round the chapel before looking at the carvings mentioned. The inside of the chapel was  too crowded to enjoy at its best, we had to wait and pause whilst others were looking at the many interesting features within the chapel.

I quite understand why photographs are not allowed in the chapel; there would be a roadblock! The crowds did not allow for quiet contemplation and perhaps a feeling of spiritual presence. The volunteers are quite proud of the fact that the Dan Brown novel has brought in visitors from all over the world. Entry fees and sales of merchandise helps with restoration and maintenance of the chapel.

We hope to return when the chapel is less busy…

The fisherman we had chatted to a couple of days ago, advised that we should go on a coastal drive along the Scottish coastland. So after visiting Rosslyn Chapel, we took his advice, albeit from North to South, stopping off for lunch in Dunbar where I had a delicious poached salmon sandwich. Whilst in the town browsing the shops, I noticed just the right lampshade for Mr C’s recently refurbished office.

Dining and shopping complete we returned to the coast road, enjoying wonderful views. The amazing colour of the sea, and the fluffiness of the clouds seemed unreal, almost as if someone had painted the scene. Along the way had hoped to find a suitable establishment for afternoon cake but sadly this was not to be, even a detour into Berwick did not reveal afternoon cake.

We dined in the hotel, where I asked for chips rather than fries to accompany my meal. The fish and chips were delicious.

The bed and quilt were soft and cosy which led to a very good night’s sleep. The breakfast was delicious, although the choices arrived in a strange order. My cooked breakfast items arrived at the same time as Mr C’s porridge. The toast arrived after my breakfast meaning there was no toast for my bacon and tomato, which I intended to have on top of the toast. The toast arrived after I had finished my breakfast.

After breakfast we checked the weather forecast before deciding whether to travel north into Scotland or south towards Cragside. The weather looked more favourable in the south so in bright sunshine we set off towards Cragside. As we travelled I noticed an unusual sight of many large birds dead on the road; I think they were birds of prey rather than partridges. I found it quite upsetting.  We travelled over open moorland where the wind was strong. The high sided vehicle in front of us was swaying from side to side and veering all over the road.  We passed Cragside in order to visit the town of Rothbury first.

In Rothbury we visited a shoe shop and Regatta outdoor clothing shop and reminisced about a ladies clothes shop (no longer there) of which we have fond memories. Whilst we were in Rothbury the wind became a bit stronger but in intermittent gusts as it had been on our visit to Bamburgh the previous day. We made our way to Cragside and found that it was closed due to to Storm Ali. I was annoyed with myself for not checking to see if was open before we travelled.

We decided to visit nearby Chillingham Castle, arriving a little too early for the gates to be open. We drove around the corner in order to consider our options. By this stage the wind had become violent. We decided to turn towards Berwick and perhaps Paxton House or the Chain Bridge Honey Farm. As we headed back, the gates to Chillingham, were now open and we had a momentary waver before deciding to stick with our new plan. We were really uncomfortable with the way the trees were blowing in the narrow country lanes. I watched some telephone wires swinging wildly in the wind and made sure they were not power cables.

As we drove towards Berwick, the roads were littered with more birds and also tree debris. At one point near Chillingham, a branch got stuck under Mr C’s car causing us top stop to remove it. We were also turned back due to a fallen tree blocking the road. Travelling through the country lanes to the nearest main road was quite alarming; I have never experienced winds so strong that trees were whipping around violently and bending fully across the country lanes. We were relieved when we got back onto a main road but even then conditions were not pleasant and something fell from a tree and clunked on the top of Mr C’s car.

Considering the extreme weather conditions, we aborted all plans and headed into Berwick to have lunch in in a tea shop that was run by the former business owners of accommodation we have used on previous visits to Northumberland. We were rather hassled when we arrived, especially because at that moment Mr C realised he didn’t have his mobile phone and wondered if he had dropped it whilst removing the stuck branch from beneath his car. For lunch I chose an open crab sandwich; it was delicious!

By the time we had finished lunch, the wind had whipped itself up into a complete frenzy, making it difficult to walk back to the car. We returned to the hotel, passing debris and fallen branches along the way. As we travelled we noticed an ominous brown mist/cloud. We realised that it was the top soil being blown off farmers fields.

Back at the hotel we retired to our room to play one of the board games I had packed just in case… The surface of the quilt made it difficult to play the game due to the pieces sliding into each other. The weather didn’t improve and, on occasions, the floorboards in the room were moving so we dined in the hotel rather than go out as we had intended.

After dinner we had a chat with a fisherman who owns a nearby holiday property where he stays during the fishing season. He considers the Collingwood Arms his local even though his main home is many miles south of it. I know what he means; this area of Northumberland feels like home to me too, I felt it the first time I visited the area.

Rain was gently falling when I woke up so there was no chance for a last linger on the roof terrace, although when the rain stopped I went outside and could almost smell the fresh air (I have no sense of smell). The service at breakfast was quicker than it had been on the previous day. Mr C decided not to ask for brown sauce on this occasion.

After breakfast, as we checked out, we gave feedback on the restaurant service. We then set off along the coastal road to Bamburgh Castle, detouring to Alnwick for a quick browse in Barter Books.

At Bamburgh Castle we took in the breathtaking views over the North Sea sea before making our way to the tea shop for lunch. I opted for a toasted sandwich but had my eye on cake for later in the afternoon. The weather was sunny so we decided to tour the rest of the grounds before the castle interior in case there was a change in the weather. As we did so the wind started whipping up; it was the tail end of Storm Ali and there were some pretty fierce gusts.

As we made our way from the castle grounds to the state rooms the wind took my breath away and threatened to blow me over. Inside the castle we heard loud booming noises as the wind howled down one of the chimneys. In some of the rooms I could feel the stone floors rumbling. As I looked out of the windows I could see tall tufts of grass blowing out of the lawn and over the castle roof. We went back to the tea shop for cake but the Lime & Fennel cake that I had had my eye on was sold out so I chose raspberry and coconut cake instead.

The weather was a mixture of sunshine and shade as we drove through beautiful Northumberland countryside on our way to Cornhill-on-Tweed. Once in the Collingwood Arms we unpacked and had a pre-dinner glass of wine in the hotel’s library before freshening up for dinner.

Dinner was enjoyable; I opted for haddock and was given the choice of batter or breadcrumbs. I opted for the latter, although when it arrived it had been served with fries rather than chips. One of the other tables was occupied by loud, opinionated fisherman who at one point, were discussing medical details that were not what I wanted to be hearing whilst I was dining.

We retired to the bar area out of earshot of the loud voices. The duty manager chatted with us about many subjects including local properties and places of interest. We even touched on ghosts and potential witch markings in some of the woodwork in the hotel. Witch markings are carved into many old buildings to ward off evil spirits, you can read more about the fascinating subject here. Apparently the ghost could sometimes be heard on the stairs and, it is said occasionally moves things around.