Can't decide whether you want to spend your time in the Cheviots or on the Northumberland coast? Why not stay in the middle and do both.
The Old Post Office sits right in the heart of Chatton, with Wooler and the Cheviots in one direction and Bamburgh, Holy Island and the coast in the other. So you can spend one day getting your boots muddy in the hills and the next getting sand absolutely everywhere.
It sleeps four in two bedrooms, dogs are very welcome and there's a good pub and village shop about two minutes away on foot. We're off to a decent start!
Make yourself at home
Inside there's a king-size bedroom and a twin, a well-equipped kitchen and two separate living spaces, including the main lounge with its log burner. That second living room is a nice touch if you're staying for more than a night or two, particularly if somebody wants to read, get a bit of work done or simply escape whoever has commandeered the television.
Thankfully, these days there's considerably more room to relax and nobody queueing behind you waiting to buy their stamps.
Outside there's a large secure deck with seating and free parking. Dogs get their own welcome too, with bowls and treats waiting for them, and the secure deck means they can potter outside without immediately embarking on an unscheduled tour of Chatton.
There's no cleaning fee either. Not the most exciting sentence I've ever written, but considerably more exciting when you check out.
Hills today, coast tomorrow
This is where The Old Post Office really works for me.
If the weather looks good over the hills, Wooler and the northern Cheviots are within easy reach. If the coast is calling instead, Bamburgh, Seahouses and Holy Island are all an easy trip in the other direction.
Or don't choose. That's rather the point. Spend a few days here and you can mix walks in the Cheviots with castles, beaches and the coast without spending half your break moving accommodation or driving backwards and forwards across Northumberland.
Emma, who runs The Old Post Office, is a keen walker and cyclist herself, which probably explains why the cottage feels perfectly set up for people coming here to actually get out and explore. Then at the end of the day you've got the log burner, somewhere comfortable to collapse and the pub still only two minutes away.
