If you’re looking for the perfect house for a family get together or a special birthday gathering, you couldn’t do better than booking The Boathouse overlooking the River Tweed. We’ve enjoyed two birthdays here (mine in 2013 and my husband’s in 2015) and a family get-together in 2014. We just can’t keep away! But, just look at it: can you blame us? Isn’t it stunning? It really is a cut above the rest in terms of luxury, peace and quiet and location, location, location.
With three luxury double bedrooms and a twin in the main house and another double in the annexe, the Boathouse comfortably sleeps ten adults. And, with four bathrooms, a lounge, a snug, a spacious kitchen/diner and a 26ft dining room, there’s plenty of space for cosy chats without people getting under one another’s feet.
And then there is the open space outdoors: a picnic table with an unrivalled private view of the Tweed and, for those wishing to get even closer, there’s a boat to hire with a Gilly to take you fishing for salmon (if it’s the fishing season).
The house is dog-friendly and, although the house is finely furnished with an array of antiques, you don’t need to feel on edge in terms of your dog making a mess because much of the ground floor has hard surface flooring. Obviously, the house is immaculately presented and no one would know a dog had ever been in it!
As a fan of the Borders – especially Norham and Cornhill-on-Tweed on the English side and Kelso on the Scottish; we love to return to this area time and again. Such is our love of the house and the area, that we’ve stayed at the Boathouse three times. We’ve stayed with family and even on our own as an extra special indulgence and I’d like to think we’ll return again. As travel writers, we’re away from home a lot but we’re so relaxed at the Boathouse that – and I hope the owners won’t mind me saying this – it almost feels like a second home. On arrival, I feel my shoulders drop and the tension in them melt away. And, once the car’s unpacked, I instantly unwind. I don’t know if it’s the peace and quiet, the country air or the unrivalled views of the Tweed but, whatever it is, a week or even a weekend here does me the power of good. It’s the perfect place to recharge your batteries so to speak.
In spring and summer, we’ve enjoyed the walks right from the front door and sunny trips to the coast: Craster, Bamburgh and Alnmouth on the English side of the Border and St Abbs and Eyemouth on the Scottish. When the weather’s not so good, we love getting the fire going in the lounge and curling up with our books – and our dog, Tilly.
And, if we venture out in poor weather, there’s always the Collingwood Arms to visit or we have a run down in the car to Barter Books in Alnwick: possibly the greatest second-hand bookshop anywhere in the world.
If you wish to escape for some retail therapy while on your rural retreat, never fear because both Kelso and Edinburgh are not far away and each offers a wealth of great shopping opportunities. And, if you’re travelling to Norham from the South, don’t forget to stop off and see The Angel of the North on your way home.
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