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8 Guests
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4 Bedrooms
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3 Bathrooms
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Pets: Yes
What you’ll love
- Off road parking
- Ground floor accommodation
- Ground floor bedroom
- Open fire
- Garden / Patio
- Cot available
- Highchair available
- Dishwasher
- Broadband / WiFi
Reviews & Ratings
52 Customer Reviews
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"Fabulous property, wonderful living space but very poor sound insulation between bedrooms and living area, every footfall was incredibly noisy."
There was a strange smell at the top of the tower, we wondered if it was bat urine? We hadn’t realised the garden was remote from the property.
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"Exceptional restoration, an oasis of calm in a region of outstanding natural light."
Kielder Observatory particularly recommended, though do book in advance. A memorable week.
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"This was one of our the best stays ever!"
The church is so magical and the entire living space so comfy!
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"A beautiful holiday home in a beautiful location and we wanted for nothing just perfect"
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"An amazing place, so well done and a great back story."
Glad we have been lucky enough to find it and have a chance to stay there.
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"It was an excellent property with so much charm."
My wife and I both agree that it's the best property we have ever stayed in. We will be going back as we enjoyed our stay so much!
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"Amazing place to stay."
Lovely and welcoming we were really impressed. Fantastic features and everything you could possibly need was there. A great time was had.
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"Wonderful conversion, imaginatively done."
Lovely setting. Directions could have been a wee bit more detailed, but once found never missed! We had a 17 month toddler with us who loved running round pretty safely upstairs but the lounge area with the concrete steps and the flight of open stairs was a bit more challenging. Weather prevented us taking advantage of the dark sky platform but maybe next time!
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"This is an absolutely beautiful property."
It has been so carefully renovated and retained so many of the church features. The beds are incredibly comfy, I’m fussy about pillows but I slept like a log every night. The kitchen is stunning and really well appointed. All in all we had a fab stay here.
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"Amazing property, it has a real wow factor."
The onsite guide book was really detailed and helpful, although it would take a braver person than me to go wild swimming in the stretch of the river adjacent. As with every self catering property I've ever stayed in there wasn't a sharp kitchen knife but that's pretty insignificant compared to the many wonderful features of this conversion.
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"An absolutely gorgeous place to stay, a wonderfully designed space that succeeds in being both modern and fascinatingly historic."
Beautifully maintained and impeccably clean, with lovely facilities. We had an amazing time and would love to return.
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"We loved the property and felt welcomed from the start."
When we had a small technology hiccup with the oven. Ann the owner and Sykes were immediately on hand to help. Issue was swiftly resolved. Fantastic space for family and special occasions . Would thoroughly recommend this property.
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"Fantastic and sympathetic conversion of church to holiday home."
Amazing and quirky accommodation with very cool spiral staircase leading up to the tower. Very well stocked with plates cups etc and great easy to use appliances. House was very clean and also very warm in coldest of days. Only real down side is it’s difficult to move around the kitchen area without waking or disturbing everyone as floorboards are very creaky and sound travels all through the church.
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"Perfect"
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"Wow"
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"Beautifully converted church, mixing the splendour of the past and the comfort of the modern."
The church was spotlessly clean and well equipped with quality products and we wanted for nothing.
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"This is a gorgeous renovation of a beautiful old church set in a lovely landscape."
The accommodation suited us perfectly - six adults, two children and three golden retrievers. The weather wasn't great but there is plenty of space for family activities when the rain closes in! The area offers a lot of activities for children, lots of short/long walks with or without dogs in a beautiful landscape, much history and many pretty villages/small towns. We loved it.
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"What a fabulous property, spotlessly clean, fully equipped for our very rainy week in July."
Extremely helpful housekeeper Claire, and so much to do in the area. Book a visit to the Dark Sky Kielder Observatory for an evening of stargazing fun, Lovely walks in and around Kielder water and the little market town of Corbridge is well worth a visit for unusual independent shops.The wonderful Hadrians wall is on the doorstep at Housesteads, and a visit to the stunning grounds and Arts and Crafts beauty of Cragside within an hour.Its hard to think of any negatives with the Greysteads church, perhaps its worth saying that if you are staying with a dog there are no walks from the property ( that we could locate), the road is quite busy with logging lorries so not an option during our stay for dog walking along the road, and to get to the lovely little fenced off garden from the church you need to walk through the graveyard to let your dog off the lead or carry your coffee to the outside space.This was the only minor issue late at night in the rain ! . and something that makes total sense given the property is a church, but wasn't mentioned in the details.Overall one of the very best properties we've stayed in.
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"Greystead Old Church has to be one of the best holiday homes we have stayed in."
Our family found it not only spacious and well designed but also a most relaxing and comfortable environment in what is a superb conversion of this most splendid Church. Well equipped with every home comfort and the space for all ages of the family to relax and enjoy this most unique setting. Thoroughly recommended as a unique stay.
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"Very pleasant stay, sofas rather low, either take the tv away from upstairs, or a glass screen would be an idea, as tv's echoed over each other, although my bed was lovely, some stated there's were uncomfortable, some floorboards need some attention and slabs need attention."
Overall we enjoyed the accommodation.
Thank you for your feedback, and we are sorry that, although you enjoyed your stay, you were not satisfied with certain aspects of the Old Church. Although most visitors love the Old Church, we always take any feedback such as yours very seriously. As regards the beds, we had already scheduled the replacement of two of the matresses as part of our current major renovations, which will solve this problem. As this is a Grade 2 listed building, floorboards are the originals, and inevitably have some wear and tear. There is one original stone flagstone in the corridor which we are aware needs attention, and a repair is scheduled. As regards the sofas, we have just re-upholsered these in designer fabrics, and have never had any comments from other visitors about them being too low, but I am looking into this and may be able to add higher castors. As regards the TVs, the whole design of the church means that a glass screen would spoil the apearance of the overall Georgian spaces, but we have TVs placed both upstairs and downstairs so that the upstairs TV can be on during cooking, dining and relaxing upstairs, if wished, while the main sitting room can be used for daytime or evening relaxation. We had not really envisaged both TVs being used at once, and our apologies if this caused your party inconvenience. Thank you again for your comments. Property Owner
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"Greystead Old Church has been done beautifully!"
The owners have kept the beauty of the old church features and added all comfort of modern life. The bedrooms are comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, the living room is the best reading spot one could possibly dream of, the kitchen…just superb, every item you need is there, thoughtfully designed, a dream kitchen! Our family of 5, with 3 young children and 2 dogs have had a sublime time in Northumberland and cannot wait to visit the Greystead Old Church in the near future, when the tower will be open and amazing views of rolling countryside will be at the doorsteps!
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"The renovation of this church is amazing."
The bedrooms are spacious, with large living areas. Well heated and equipped for use. Games, books, cd’s and all kitchen appliances. We found inside the church very calming, despite the graveyard which some people maybe put off by, there was no strange experience. Lots of nice walk’s, activities and amenities close by, although I’d recommend pre booking restaurants, as a family of 8 we were turned away at 2 local restaurants. We walked alpacas, went to waterfall, Kielder sky at night is out of this world. Suggestions: earlier check in/later check out, replacement of sofas in lounge
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"Amazing space, incredible part of the world!"
! We will absolutely be visiting again soon. Thank you!
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"Amazing we think it's the best place we have ever stayed."
The church is beautiful and area stunning. It can't be faulted.
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"This is a fabulous spacious property, beautifully converted, with everything you need."
We have been with friends three times now and loved it every time. The surrounding area is stunning with lots of lovely walks to enjoy either around Kielder Water or across the moors.
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"We have had a great time and the owner gave us a very very warm welcome."
The place was excellent, the beds, the furniture, the kitchen equipment, it was all top!
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"Beautiful property in a beautiful area."
The property was full of character and maintained its original peaceful qualities. Everything was catered for and the owners were nearby, friendly and not intrusive. Would love to come again.
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"All enjoyed stay in Greystead church and sad to leave."
Particularly impressed by size and furnishing of kitchen area. A good ‘together ‘space. The owner was very helpful. The churchyard was lovely and we often walked in it - also had barbecues in our own field .
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"Great property, beautiful clean and well appointed."
The surrounding area is stunning. We had a great time and would highly recommend to others.
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"Absolutely fantastic place to stay."
The kitchen and entertaining area is amazing (bottle of wine and a gorgeous lemon cake was a nice touch) and the sofas downstairs are so comfortable. The stained glass window is stunning and the whole place is just fabulous - it’s not often you get somewhere as special as this that is dog friendly. We will definitely be back
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"Fantastic property."
Very clean.Would definitely book again.
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"The place was spotless and so impressive, huge sized property, lovely area in the porch to store bikes which was important to us."
Its a huge grand design type property which must have been a real feat of engineering and they did very well. We went to lots of local places like Keilder Water (although they were still suffering from the aftermath of storm Arwen and lots of trees had been lost. Bellingham is a lovely little village with a couple of cafes and a useful co op, a few pubs, within a few miles of the church are some lovely pub/restaurants. We also went cycling round the local roads which are quiet once you get off the road the cottage is on, they are hilly though. The road is not busy that the cottage is on but the speed that drivers drive at is pretty bad, no thought for people who might be cycling or walking which is a shame. However the little lanes off that road are fine and you can safely cycle to Bellingham by going via Helsleyside without too much trouble, there is a lovely route over the hills to Wark too and if we were better cyclists that would be a beautiful ride. We went over to the coast which was cold but lovely. The property is very warm, particularly upstairs no matter how much we tried to turn it down so if you get cold then you wont suffer here in the winter. My only little niggle is that the sofas are very low to the ground without proper back or neck support as they have low backs too, also could be a few more side tables and foot rests as old knees cant get out of sofas that low or deep. We were welcomed with a lemon drizzle cake made by the cleaner which was really nice.
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"We had a lovely stay here."
Upon our arrival a tea tray and lemon drizzle cake greeted us which was very much appreciated after a long journey. The church was exceptionally clean and fully equipped for self catering. Situated on the edge of Northumberland National park it was great for the dogs and we enjoyed short trips in to hexham, Otterburn and I would suggest a trip to vindalonda too followed by a gorgeous meal at the Pheasant Inn. Anne was a great host and nothing was too much trouble. We would highly recommend staying here as we were sad to leave
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"What a beautiful place to stay, stunning interior with a fantastic spacious kitchen (very well equipped) with a lovely large dining table."
Greystead church has been sensitively renovated and still has the feel of the original building including a stunning stained glass window but has all the modern touches you would expect. Kielder is a great location for families with great MTB tracks nearby and Hadrian's Wall along with numerous woodland walks and National Trust houses. The tennis court and football area right near the house (with a safe footpath path that leads to them) kept the kids happily occupied. We played games, cooked big meals and unwound in this peaceful part of the world.
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"The old church is a lovely place to stay."
It as been thoughtfully and carefully restored to provide an ideal place to stay. It is set within a lovely part of Northumbria with Kielder Forest just a 10 minutes drive away. There are numerous walks and places to visit in this area and the Old Church is a great base to explore from. Anne (the owner) is always happy to answer any queries that you might have and a wealth of knowledge about the local area. There is a separate enclosed garden which is safe for pets and young children and a ‘dark skies’ base for star gazing. This is by far the best rental property that I (and the family) have stayed in and I highly recommend it.
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"We’ve had an absolutely fabulous week."
We adored the Old Church, Anne and Bill have done a really beautiful sympathetic restoration job. The Church is really well equipped, with plenty of space and every care had been made to make us feel COVID safe. Anne is delightful and was so helpful with our annoying deliveries. We packed masses into the week and the weather was so kind. Bamburgh, Alnwick Gardens, walked a chunk of Hadrian’s Wall, cycled Kielder water twice, once on eBikes just to try them out - such fun and we’ll never be rude about them again! Our son and his girlfriend even went to Edinburgh. Plus several lovely walks. Can highly recommend The Lounge on the Green at Houghton for a special evening out. The Pheasant was excellent, and Bouchon in Hexham is a lovely French bistro. Northumberland is a beautiful part of the country and without Covid restrictions I doubt we would have holidayed in the UK. I’m so pleased we did!
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"Beautifully converted Church, really well equipped, friendly and helpful hosts…AND a week of glorious sunshine."
Perfect.
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"Good Comments: Proximity to Keilder, Hadrians Wall and Hexham ."
Absolutely first class renovation of Greystead church with everything you could want for a family holiday. Friendly helpful owners also Bellingham nearby for stocking up on food. Pheasant inn was great for dinner one night. Also lovely walk at the Linn at Bellingham with leaves falling down like snow. Bad Comments: Weather wasn't magic but we made the most of it.
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"This is a superb property, so much thought and detail has been put into this restoration, we could not fault it."
Heated by a bio mass boiler with underfloor heating it was always warm. The owners are very welcoming and helpful. Greysteads Old Church is a pleasure to come back to after long walks in this beautiful area. We have booked again for Christmas and very much look forward to being regular visitors here.
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"Great property very well presented and everything thoughtfully provided to make the stay highly enjoyable."
Stunning conversion with superb open plan living space makes it the perfect place for a special family getogether.
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"The house was beautiful,it was comfortable the bedrooms were spacious but the highlight was the stain glass window as in walked in the front door down the corridor the kitchen had everything we needed."
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"Great holiday rental experience: unusual characterful church conversion done to a high spec."
The big open-plan living space is a real highlight, with the dramatic stained glass window an imposing feature! Good location for walking/running/cycling and convenient driving discount to many attractions
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"The accomodation was fantastic with a well equipt kitchen (every tool you could need to cook with)."
Each bedroom was beautifully designed - luxury! We booked as a surprise for my brothers 40th birthday and he loved it. There was 6 adults and two children and plenty of room for all of us. The old church was located near to kielder reservoir and we enjoyed lots of lovely walks. The owners lives next door and were very helpful when we arrived and then when we needed to speak with them. There is NO mobile phone reception on vodaphone but there is a phone in the property and broadband to use. Would love to go back again soon.
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"Fantastic hosts and spotlessly clean beautiful house."
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"We returned home yesterday hours before the country was put into 'lockdown' ."
We have a wonderful few days in a truly stunning house in beautiful location making happy memories with a group of people who are about to face a very challenging few months at work - no working from home for any of us! It was also really special in that it didn't pour with rain and blow a hooley for the first weekend in what seems like forever! Thank you to our lovely hosts for making all this possible.
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"The whole family had a few days at Church and we experienced terrible weather ."
We so much room in the church to play games , entertain the children and never at any point felt over crowded . It was warm in the day and cosy at night . We had snow and our grandsons loved the experience of snow ball fighting. outside in the gardens they also loved the experience of staying in a converted church .
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"We have just returned from having a absolutely fantastic week at Greystead ..."
We have just returned from having a absolutely fantastic week at Greystead Church Bill and Ann are absolutely fantastic hosts and nothing is too much trouble for them the conversion of the church has been done to the highest quality The stain glass window in the lounge is truly amazing it’s a warm clean and welcoming place I can’t thank Bill and Ann enough for sharing this fantastic place with us and our two dogs Barney and Alfie they had the time of their life running up and down the corridor and walking in Kielder Forest which is just a short ride away I would highly recommend this converted church to anyone who just wants to drop out of the rat race and recharge their batteries many thanks John and Di
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"This is a fantastic place to stay."
It is a sympathetic conversion completed to an exceptional standard with all the modern amenities you need. There is so much space to be social plus separate seating areas if you want some p &q. We all absolutely loved it and would not hesitate to return.
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"Greystead is a stunning but sympathetic church conversion."
There is beautiful attention to detail which maintains the integrity of the the original building. The church is warm and welcoming and has an overall feeling of calm and peace. The bedrooms were lovely and our bed was the most comfortable I've ever slept in! The owners were very friendly and helpful, made us feel very welcome. This is the perfect place for a family get together. We had a wondeful time and hope to return.
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"The tranquil location giving real escape to the countryside, no interruption from annoying phone calls as no signal."
But with wifi provision, allowed contact at will with the world. Beautifully decorated and furnished to a high standard. Excellent layout for family/friend groups with dogs. Ideal location to explore Kielder water and the national park with delicious meals at pheasant inn and food from Kielder organic meats and the village bakery in Bellingham. Could not fault this holiday.
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"Wonderful restoration property, sympathetically done to the very highest specification."
Every comfort catered for - a fantastic and welcoming living space. Remote location but surrounded by amazing scenery and pubs offering good food, cold beer and a warm welcome.
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"Stunning property decorated to a high spec."
All furnishings were top quality too. Friendly owners who live near by if you need them Brilliant place for a special time, Even better than I thought it would be, I would highly recommend
Your stay at a glance
- Reverse-level accommodation
- Four ground floor bedrooms: 1 x king-size double with en-suite bath, shower over, basin and WC, 2 x king-size double with en-suite shower, basin and WC, 1 x twin
- First-floor open plan mezzanine living area with kitchen with central island, dining area and sitting area
- Ground floor sitting room with woodburner
- First-floor snug
- Entrance hallway
- Eco-friendly wood pellet heating from biomass boiler, underfloor in some rooms, with woodburner
- Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, 2 x TVs with FreeSat, DVDs, CD/radio, WiFi, free phone, selection of books, games and DVDs
- Fuel, power and starter pack for woodburner inc. in rent
- Bed linen and towels inc. in rent
- Cot and highchair
- Ample eco-friendly grass-effect off road parking for 4 cars
- Two well-behaved dogs welcome
- Sorry, no smoking
- Shops 5 miles, pub 3 miles
- Note: The owner of this property charges a £200 Good Housekeeping Bond, this will be pre-authorised on your payment card
- Note: The tower is unheated but rugs are provided in the winter
- Note - All bookings must start and finish within the Friday-Friday changeover days
Your home away from home
Bellingham 5 miles.
This stunning conversion, of an early 19th century, Grade II listed former Georgian church in the heart of the North Tyne Valley.
Rated 5* Gold by Visit England, and winner of a 2022 Rose Award for exceptional customer service, Greystead Old Church sits adjacent to the owner's Georgian Old Rectory, within its own very private setting, making it perfect for a family gathering or a getaway with friends!
Lovingly and sympathetically restored in 2013 to provide holiday accommodation of an exceptional standard, this inspirational, architect-designed conversion is just yards from the banks of the River North Tyne, and only 4.2 miles from Kielder Water.
The property's many stunning original features include a fully-restored Victorian stained glass window and colourful tiles, a Gothic archway, exposed stonework, flagstone flooring and Georgian panelling, which combine with eco-friendly heating to create a conversion of outstanding merit.
Luxuriously appointed throughout, this Kielder Water cottage has a vast first-floor mezzanine open plan living area covering two-thirds of the former nave, and it boasts a fabulous fitted kitchen with a central island and granite work surfaces, spacious dining and sitting areas, all with hill views from the original lancet windows and sight-lines over the balcony to the east end.
The ground floor east-end sitting room of this Kielder cottage features a woodburner and sumptuous seating in the area which once housed the church altar, under the fully-restored stained glass window.
To make the most of this exceptional space, and the surrounding views, this wonderful conversion is in an upside-down style, with the bedrooms and bathrooms of this Kielder cottage on the ground floor, offering axial views along a central corridor to the stained glass window, with one of the bedrooms, formed from the original panelled vestry, housing an original fireplace.
Outside this Bellingham cottage, the enclosed garden is situated in a secluded corner of the owners' spacious rectory garden and is a private space with furniture and BBQ.
The new star-gazing platform for visitors to view the area's famous 'Dark Skies' is superbly situated near the Old Church garden; bring your telescope or just enjoy a panoramic view of the night skies!
In an exciting development, the church tower opened in December 2023 after a full restoration, which included the installation of a specially commissioned spiral staircase, the replacement of the decayed Georgian floors and wooden louvres in the windows with ‘like-for-like’ replacements and the opening up of four of the Gothic-style lancet windows with glazing to allow light into the restored interior.
Guests can admire the stunning views from the top of the tower over neighbouring farmland whilst relaxing over coffee or a drink on the Moroccan-style ottomans, and the new space is also perfect for meditation or yoga.
Just a short drive from picturesque Bellingham and located in the Northumberland National Park, Greystead Old Church is also within easy reach of Kielder Water and Observatory, Hadrian's Wall, the Northumberland Heritage Coast, the Scottish Borders and the market town of Hexham.
Salmon, sea trout and trout fishing can be arranged via the owners on adjacent stretches of the North Tyne.
Greystead Old Church, an award-winning church, forms the perfect base for touring the area's many delights.
Note: This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £200.
Where you’ll be staying
BELLINGHAM
Kielder Water 7 miles; Hadrian's Wall 12 miles; Corbridge 18 miles; Hexham 19 miles.
Known as the ‘capital’ of the North Tyne Valley, this delightful town of natural stone houses nestles close to the banks of the River North Tyne. Said to be sited on a Roman station, the charming market town has much of interest, including a 12th century church, heritage centre and 30ft waterfall, just to the north. It’s also on the edge of the Northumberland National Park and is just a short drive from Hadrian’s Wall and Kielder Water and Forest. Suitable for year-round holidays, this unspoilt area with its fishing, horse riding, abundant wildlife and superb walking country is a nature lover’s dream. There is a superb golf course close by and the area has abundant historical sites, stately homes and famous gardens.
View more holiday cottages in Bellingham
Note - All bookings must start and finish within the Friday-Friday changeover days