Welcome to our lovely Cotterill Barn cottage in the beautiful, yet unapproachable landscape of the North Pennines.
Cotterill Barn was a barn of Cotterill Farm, the ruin next door to the barn (which was rebuilt in 2021 and converted into two new houses), and was believed to have been built in the second half of the 19th century. The barn is depicted on the 1901 map, which hangs by the stairs. In 2009 the barn was built as a holiday home.
Description of the Barn
The ground floor consists of a hall with stairs, a large room with open kitchen, which is equipped with a 4-burner electric comfort and a dishwasher. The room has a sofa bed for a possible 5th person. On the other side of the room is a 'utility', where the refrigerator, washer/dryer and microwave are located. This utility also has a door to the outside and access to a toilet with a butler sink.
Upstairs are two bedrooms "en-suite". One bathroom has a toilet, sink and bath, the other a toilet, sink and shower. Both bedrooms have a double bed.
There is parking for two to three cars in the yard of the Barn.
The range for the mobile phone is reasonable. There is internet connection. You will search in vain for a television, but you will probably not miss it.
Area
The Barn is located in the North Pennines, declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1988. It is an open landscape with heathland and grassland, on which sheep graze in late summer to spring and hay is collected in summer. Characteristic are the "dry stone walls" and the remaining structures of the lead and silver mines. Nenthead was the center of mining and has an interesting museum about it. The village was built in the mid-18th century by the Quakers for the miners. The community shop in the village was the library, where education was also provided. Nenthead boasts of being one of the highest villages in England (1500 feet) and the village with the first streetlights. It is also an important stopping point for the Coast to Coast (C2C) cycle route.
Weather
If you choose the North Pennines as a holiday destination, you choose nature, walking, wind and silence. Because the Barn is elevated (1,500 feet), it can be colder than you might expect. It is therefore good to take this into account with clothing.
The groceries
Down in the village is the Community Shop (5 minutes walk). Here you can find basic necessities, including a newspaper. For more extensive shopping, Alston (10 miles) is the first opportunity. Here are also the tourist office (opposite the church), a bank (HSBC) and an Outdoor Shop. Larger purchases are possible in Hexham (40 miles) or Penrith (50 miles). And of course in Newcastle and Carlisle.
Meals away from home
Closest to home is The Miners Arms, Nenthead's pub. They have a simple map. There seems to be a good restaurant in Overwater (on the other side of the road) but it was always closed (only open in summer?) when we were there.
From our own experience we can recommend: Nenthall (on the road half way up Alston), Alston house (in Alston at the market on the left, T-junction on the left), and Allendale Inn (Allendale market square, 12 miles).
But we are recommended for other experiences.
Out and about.
In the house is a folder with all kinds of tips and ideas. Close to home are the High Force waterfall, the train in Alston, the Killhope mines, Hadrian's wall (Emperor Hadrian's wall) of which large parts can still be seen between Newcastle and Carlisle and the Roman army camp 'Vindolanda' is recommended.
Hexham and Corbridge (about 45 minutes drive to the North East) are nice towns. The first has a lovely Abbey and also a couple of superstores such as Tesco and Waitrose.
The other way (to the west) is Penrith. Also a nice place (with a castle ruin). The descent (Hartside) is worth it in itself with panoramic views towards the Lake District. From Penrith it is about a 15 minute drive to Lake Ullswater.
To the east is Durham with its impressive cathedral. North of Durham is Newcastle, the largest city in the region. North West of the barn is Carlisle, an industrial town with a beautiful cathedral and a large castle. Closer to home is Langley Castle where you can enjoy delicious tea in a medieval setting.
