Northumberland's fireside cottages lean towards the sea rather than the hills, which surprises people who picture the county as moorland and Roman wall. Nine of the twelve below are within five miles of a beach, and six of those sit in a tight ring around Bamburgh: two side by side at Easington looking over Budle Bay, a converted farm building at Adderstone, a cottage in the grounds of Ellingham Hall, a village house in Seahouses and a coastal house whose garden gate opens onto Beadnell Bay. Two more are near Alnwick. The inland three follow the Coquet from Felton up to Harbottle, and the last is a barn on a horse farm at East Lilburn under the Cheviots.
For a dog owner, the common thread is what happens after the walk. Every house keeps either a log burner or a proper open fire, every one has an enclosed garden that its owners mention by name, and the Wildpack stays directory records how many dogs each will take. Eight take two dogs, two take three, the biggest house takes four and the smallest coastal one takes a single dog. Five carry a five star grading, eight are less than a mile from a pub, and the distance from front door to our nearest listed route ranges from 0.4 miles at Seahouses to 5.6 miles at Felton.
Ravenslaw House, Alnwick
Ravenslaw House has two open fires, one in the main lounge and another in the dining room, and it needs both: this is a five star country house for eighteen, built in 1892 in the Scottish manner and once lived in by William Hardy of the fishing tackle firm. All nine bedrooms come with en suites, five of them with four posters, and a trio sit at ground level. The rest of the downstairs runs to a conservatory, a reading room and a piano, plus a second, smaller Butler's kitchen with an oven, hob and fridge of its own, useful when eighteen people eat together.
Four dogs are allowed, the most of any house in this guide, though four against eighteen guests still means a big party will not bring every dog it owns. A gate leads to the enclosed garden, and a hot tub and a four seat sauna sit on a sheltered patio. The town centre is walkable, a riverside route through the pastures by the Aln starts 0.8 miles from the house, and the sand at Alnmouth Beach lies 3.4 miles south east.
- Sleeps: 18 across 9 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 4
- Fire: Open fires in the main lounge and the dining room
- Enclosed garden: Yes, through a gate from the house
- Hot tub: Yes, with a sauna on the patio
- Nearest walk: Alnwick Pastures and River Aln Walk, 0.8 miles
- Best for: A family reunion of eighteen with four dogs and a piano player among them
Tapestry Cottage, Harbottle
Tapestry Cottage is the most upland house here, a detached stone cottage in the quiet village of Harbottle in upper Coquetdale, with open country on every side and walks leaving straight from the property. The wood burner is in the lounge, and the owners leave two bags of logs and some kindling, enough to get the first evening going. Six sleep in three bedrooms upstairs, one with a free standing bath in its en suite, and the ground floor adds a dining room with patio doors, a utility and a separate WC.
The garden is the most furnished on the list: a patio with a barbecue, a covered veranda that follows the sun, a chimenea and a fire pit for the dark skies. The trade is distance from the sea. Warkworth Beach is 19.4 miles away, the furthest drive to a dog beach of any house in this guide. Hill walking makes up for it, since the Harbottle Crags and Drake Stone Walk starts 0.8 miles away and a pub is within walking distance.
- Sleeps: 6 across 3 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 2
- Fire: Wood burner in the lounge, logs and kindling supplied
- Enclosed garden: Yes, with a veranda, chimenea and fire pit
- Nearest walk: Harbottle Crags and Drake Stone Walk, 0.8 miles
- Best for: A family of six who want crags above the village rather than a beach below it
Kippy Heugh, Easington
Kippy Heugh is a single storey stone cottage on the Heritage Coast at Easington, looking across Fenham Flats to Holy Island, and it is built for four with underfloor heating in every room. A hall takes the wet coats before anyone reaches the lounge, where the wood burner faces comfortable seating and windows onto the fields. The super king can become twins and has a bathroom with a freestanding bath beside it, and the second room is a twin with its own en suite.
Outside, the fully enclosed garden has a lawn, a patio and a raised deck with views to Budle Bay and Lindisfarne, and the shed holds a tumble dryer for dog towels. It does have limits. Only four people can stay, no pub is listed inside a mile, and the Bamburgh Beach walk, our closest listed route, means a 3.9 mile drive. Waren Mill Beach is a similar distance, at 3.8 miles.
- Sleeps: 4 across 2 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 2
- Fire: Wood burner in the lounge
- Enclosed garden: Yes, mature, with a lawn and a raised deck
- Nearest dog beach: Waren Mill Beach, 3.8 miles
- Best for: Two couples, or a couple with two dogs, who want Lindisfarne in view from the deck
Cowslip Cottage, Felton
The fire at Cowslip Cottage is double sided, a wood burner set in an open brick fireplace that shows its flames to the sitting end and the kitchen end of the same room. Beamed ceilings and exposed brick and stone frame it. The cottage is at Felton, in the Coquet valley, sleeps four in two bedrooms with no stairs anywhere, and the welcome hamper includes a starter bag of fuel along with treats for the dogs.
French doors open onto a fully enclosed, south facing lawn with a patio, so the dogs can be let out without anybody leaving the sofa. The listing asks for well behaved dogs, two at most. Its weak point is walking: Druridge Bay Country Park, the closest route we list, is 5.6 miles away, the furthest from any door on this page. Warkworth Beach is 5.4 miles east, and there is a pub inside a mile.
- Sleeps: 4 across 2 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 2, well behaved
- Fire: Double sided wood burner in an open brick fireplace
- Enclosed garden: Yes, a south facing lawn with a patio
- Dog facilities: Dog treats and a welcome pack
- Best for: A couple with an older dog who would rather not meet a single step
North End Cottage, Longframlington
North End Cottage is detached and entirely on the ground floor at Longframlington, a village midway between the coast and the hills, and every one of its three bedrooms has French doors onto the same enclosed patio at the back. The living room and kitchen share one light space with the wood burner in it, and the first fuel for it is included. A separate dining room sits beyond, and the bedrooms are a king with an en suite bath, a super king on zip and link beds and a twin.
Because so many doors open onto the garden, two dogs can be let out from almost any room, and the summerhouse at the side gives somewhere to sit and watch wildlife. Six guests to two dogs is the limit to weigh if you travel as a group with several. Walking means a short drive: the Cragside Estate Circular Walk is 3.5 miles away, with the Simonside Hills above Rothbury beyond it, and Brinkburn Priory stands by the Coquet just along the road.
- Sleeps: 6 across 3 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 2
- Fire: Wood burner in the open plan living room, first fuel included
- Enclosed garden: Yes, a rear patio with a summerhouse
- Nearest walk: Cragside Estate Circular Walk, 3.5 miles
- Best for: Six people with an elderly dog who need everything, bedrooms included, on one floor
3 Bamburgh Gate, Adderstone
Black shiplap boards give 3 Bamburgh Gate the look of a Scandinavian summerhouse, though it began as an agricultural building at Adderstone, a few miles inland from Bamburgh. It is the only one bedroom house here: a double, a shower room with a walk in shower and one open plan room for everything else. The wood burner stands on a reclaimed natural stone hearth facing the seats and a Smart TV, and that hearth is where two damp dogs will settle.
French doors from the lounge and the bedroom lead to an enclosed patio over open countryside, with a bistro table for two and raised flower beds. There is no grass in it, so this suits dogs that do their running on the beach, and it is graded four star. Bamburgh Beach and the Bamburgh Castle to Budle Bay Coastal Loop are both 4.1 miles away. Keep a lookout from the patio for a red squirrel.
- Sleeps: 2 in 1 bedroom
- Dogs welcome: 2
- Fire: Wood burner on a reclaimed stone hearth
- Enclosed garden: Yes, a patio overlooking countryside
- Nearest walk: Bamburgh Castle to Budle Bay Coastal Loop, 4.1 miles
- Best for: A couple with two dogs on a short winter break by the castle coast
Marys Crag View Cottage, Easington
Mary's Crag View Cottage is the near neighbour of Kippy Heugh at Easington and the larger of the two, a single storey house for six looking over fields to the sea at Budle Bay. Large sliding doors lead from the open plan lounge into one of its two fully enclosed gardens, both freshly re-fenced, and the wood burner is in that same living space. The master bedroom and the second double both open onto decking, and the dining table seats six beside a modern kitchen.
Outside there is a Kadai cast iron fire pit that doubles as a pizza oven, so the evening can move between two fires. The sleeping is less even than the garden. The third bedroom has a three quarter double and a pull out bed, and it shares a Jack and Jill shower room with the second, so two couples and two children fit better than three couples. Two dogs is the cap, which is a limit for a house of six. The Bamburgh Beach walk is 3.8 miles away, with a pub closer than that.
- Sleeps: 6 across 3 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 2
- Fire: Wood burner in the open plan living space, plus a fire pit outside
- Enclosed garden: Yes, two, both freshly fenced
- Nearest dog beach: Waren Mill Beach, 3.7 miles
- Best for: A young family who want a fire indoors and pizza from the fire pit outside
The Butter Churn, Ellingham
The Butter Churn stands in the grounds of Ellingham Hall, and its lawn runs round three sides of the cottage inside a stone wall and fencing, an expansive lawn for a cottage that sleeps four. Two sofas face the wood burner in the lounge, logs are provided, and wooden floors run throughout. The kitchen, through an archway, has a range style oven and a Nespresso machine, and French doors lead out to a stone terrace with dining furniture.
Both bedrooms are upstairs, a king and a twin looking over the lawn, and the listing names a stair gate among its dog facilities, which helps anyone keeping dogs off the first floor. The drive is the compromise here. Embleton Bay is 4.2 miles away, and the nearest listed walk, the Farne Islands Ferry to Seahouses Coastal Walk, is 4.8 miles, though there is woodland near the hall and a pub less than a mile away.
- Sleeps: 4 across 2 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 2
- Fire: Wood burner in the lounge, logs provided
- Enclosed garden: Yes, lawn on three sides behind a stone wall
- Dog facilities: Stair gate
- Best for: A family of four whose dogs and children need a big lawn more than a sea view
Wellmeadows Cottage, Seahouses
Wellmeadows Cottage is the one to book if the fire matters more than anything else: its front lounge has a real open fire, not a stove behind glass. It sits in the village of Seahouses and takes six people and three dogs, one of only two houses here to allow three. Behind the lounge, kitchen and dining area continue into a conservatory whose French doors open on a south facing enclosed garden. Upstairs, the principal bedroom adds an en suite and a balcony over fields where horses graze.
Three steps up at the top of the garden, a summer house holds a snooker table, table football, air hockey and a dartboard, which is a strong answer to a wet evening with teenagers. The house is less generous with bathrooms, two between six people. Its location is the best for walking on this list: the Farne Islands Ferry to Seahouses Coastal Walk starts 0.4 miles away and Seahouses North Beach is 0.5 miles.
- Sleeps: 6 across 3 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 3
- Fire: Open fire in the front lounge
- Enclosed garden: Yes, south facing, with a games room summer house
- Nearest walk: Farne Islands Ferry to Seahouses Coastal Walk, 0.4 miles
- Best for: Two families with three dogs between them who want to walk from the door
The Archers Cottage, Longhoughton
The Archers Cottage was arranged with several generations in mind, and it shows in the ground floor bedroom, a zip and link twin with a garden view beyond the living space, so an older guest need not climb. The lounge has wooden floors, a feature stone wall, two large settees and a wood burner under a Smart TV. A king and a single share the first floor with a shower room, and the utility has room for boots and outdoor clothing. Two cafes and a pub are close by in Longhoughton.
The enclosed lawn, with bench seating and a bistro table, is at the front, and a garden gate leads from it to the door; the decked seating area is round the back. That is worth knowing before opening doors with two dogs in tow. The sea is close. Our directory puts Longhoughton Steel 0.1 miles away, the listing gives the quiet beach at Sugar Sands as 1.5 miles, and Howick Hall Gardens and Estate is 1.4 miles.
- Sleeps: 5 across 3 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 2
- Fire: Wood burner in the lounge
- Enclosed garden: Yes, a front lawn, with decking at the rear
- Nearest dog beach: Longhoughton Steel, 0.1 miles
- Best for: Grandparents, parents and a child sharing one house, with two dogs and a beach nearby
The Toddles, East Lilburn
The Toddles is a barn conversion for four on a working horse farm at East Lilburn, and the wood burner is built into a floor to ceiling fireplace that splits its single living room into a kitchen end and a lounge end, under skylights and old beams. One kitchen window faces the side lawn and the other faces the riding arena. Both bedrooms are down the hall, a king and a twin, and three dogs are allowed, generous for a cottage this size.
The farm is the condition attached to that generosity. It runs livery and training, with sheep, horses and working dogs about all week, so it suits dogs that are steady around stock and does not suit those that are not. The garden is gated at both ends, with a fire pit, and a stone wall separates it from the arena. Ros Castle and Hepburn Wood is 1.9 miles away, while Bamburgh Beach is 11.3 miles. Grey Mare Cottage next door sleeps two more.
- Sleeps: 4 across 2 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 3
- Fire: Wood burner in a floor to ceiling fireplace
- Enclosed garden: Yes, gated at both ends, with a fire pit
- Nearest walk: Ros Castle and Hepburn Wood, 1.9 miles
- Best for: Three stock steady dogs and owners who want open Cheviot foothills
The Seabird, Beadnell
The Seabird has the shortest trip to the sand on this list, through a gate at the end of its garden and onto Beadnell Bay a few metres beyond. The lounge and diner keeps a stone fireplace and wall panelling taken from the first class lounge of Cunard's Berengaria in 1938, which is a fine room for a dog to dry out in once the fire is going. Five sleep across a king with a panoramic view of the bay, a twin with sea views and a single.
At the top of another staircase, an observatory room with easy chairs and binoculars looks across the bay to Dunstanburgh Castle. The limits are firm, however. Only one dog is allowed, the listing warns of narrow stairs, and private parking is for one car. The sheltered, low walled garden is enclosed. Seahouses is 2 miles up the coast path, and the Farne Islands Ferry to Seahouses Coastal Walk is 2.5 miles away.
- Sleeps: 5 across 3 bedrooms
- Dogs welcome: 1
- Fire: Fireplace in the panelled lounge and diner
- Enclosed garden: Yes, low walled, with a gate to the beach
- Nearest dog beach: Beadnell Bay, 0.5 miles
- Best for: A family of five with one beach mad dog and a liking for old ocean liners
Practical Advice for a Fireside Stay in Northumberland with a Dog
A fire changes how a dog holiday runs, and these twelve houses differ more than the photographs suggest. A few things to settle first:
- Count dogs against beds. The Seabird takes one dog. Wellmeadows Cottage and The Toddles take three, and Ravenslaw House four. All the rest stop at two.
- Check the fuel. Tapestry Cottage leaves logs and kindling, The Butter Churn provides logs, and Cowslip Cottage and North End Cottage include the first fuel. Ask the others what is supplied.
- Know your fire. Ravenslaw House and Wellmeadows Cottage have open fires, which want a guard and watching around a young dog. Most of the others are wood burners behind glass.
- Respect livestock. The Toddles is a working horse farm with sheep and working dogs, and the Cheviot foothills around it are open grazing.
- Think about stairs. Cowslip Cottage, North End Cottage, Kippy Heugh, 3 Bamburgh Gate and Mary's Crag View Cottage are all single storey. The Seabird has narrow stairs.
- Plan the beach days. The Seabird, Wellmeadows Cottage and The Archers Cottage are within half a mile of a dog beach we list. Tapestry Cottage is 19.4 miles from one.
Map of Dog Friendly Cottages with a Log Burner in Northumberland
Plotted together, the cottages form a dense coastal cluster between Easington and Beadnell, a pair near Alnwick, a line up the Coquet from Felton to Harbottle and a lone barn under the Cheviots. The Wildpack map shows the beaches, walks and pubs around each cottage and helps you judge the drive from each one to Bamburgh, Cragside and the hills.
12 stays on this pageMap these stays, and thousands more
The Wildpack Map plots every dog friendly walk, beach, stay and attraction we have listed across the UK. Open it to see what else is within reach in Northumberland, filter by what your dog needs, and get directions to the car park.
What's Nearby?
Guides to read alongside a fireside week in the north east:
- Dog friendly walks in Northumberland: Coast and inland routes across the county, many within a short drive of the Bamburgh cottages.
- Dog friendly beaches in Northumberland: The sands at Beadnell, Seahouses and Bamburgh in more detail, for the nine houses near the sea.
- Northumberland National Park walks: Hill routes for anyone staying at Harbottle or East Lilburn.
- Dog friendly cottages with a log burner in Powys: The same idea in mid Wales, for those who want hills rather than a coastline.
- Luxury dog friendly cottages: The national shortlist, for a higher end stay further afield.
For every stay in the county, with or without a fire, see all dog friendly stays in Northumberland.
Final Thoughts
Northumberland suits dog owners who want a beach walk in the morning and a fire by mid afternoon, and are happy to spend the evenings in. The strength of this group is the coast around Bamburgh, where six of the twelve sit within a few miles of the same sands, and the weakness is that almost all of them cap the dogs at two.
Couples should look first at 3 Bamburgh Gate or Kippy Heugh, and couples with an older dog at Cowslip Cottage. Families have The Butter Churn for its lawn, Mary's Crag View Cottage for its fire pit and The Seabird for its gate onto the beach, provided they bring one dog. Three dogs points to Wellmeadows Cottage on the coast or The Toddles on the farm, and only Ravenslaw House takes four, with eighteen people to share them.
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