Close to the Scottish border and a stone’s throw from Hadrian’s Wall, we were brought to Battlesteads Country Inn and Restaurant for lunch. Built in 1747 as a farmhouse, the Inn was a part of the village’s more recent history. The owner, Richard Slade recounted stories of the Reivers, the Anglo-Scottish border raiders who robbed cattle ranches from the 13th to the 17th century. It was a lawless time when the people were constantly alert watching for the raiders. England and Scotland both had their own Reivers who robbed from Edinburgh to Yorkshire. The frontiersmen built fortified tower houses for defense with a large place to keep their cattle in the basement and the house above. Today the Reivers are kept alive in folksongs and ballads.
Battlesteads is a Four Star Inn with a reputation for great food and efforts to preserve the environment. Richard installed a wood chip- burning biomass boiler system which provides heating and water for the entire building along with solar panels. They won the Gold Award for Green Tourism and were named “One of the Top 20 Gourmet Inns of the UK (2008).
We sat in the glassed-conservatory looking out at the garden. For a restaurant in a small village, Battlesteads is amazing offering several international menus.
They purchase the freshest local ingredients from within a 50 mile radius. I especially enjoyed their wide variety of mushrooms; some were over 2″ long!
Battlesteads Inn and Restaurant, Wark, on River Tyne, 12 miles from Hexam.
[email protected] www.battlesteads.com
England‘s North Country:
www.visitenc.com www.enjoyenglandsnorthcountry.com
Northumberland Tourism Association: www.nnta.org www.visitnorthumberland.com
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