Westfield House Farm
Just outside the Northumberland National Park, this beautiful bed and breakfast is located in Thropton, a small village just 4 miles from Rothbury and only 30mins drive from Alnwick. Back in 2015, we stayed at this beautiful bed and breakfast, in Lucy's room (for original review of our stay in Lucy's room, please scroll down) looking out over the drive and fields and we've never forgotten it. As usual time goes by and we like to try new places/locations, so we'd not been back, however when I was looking for a long weekend break as a birthday gift for my wife, it was one of the first places that came to mind.
When looking on their website, I saw they now had shepherds’ huts and we had considered staying in one but hadn't done yet. I emailed Westfield to ask about prices/dates and it wasn’t long (and a few more emails) before I had booked with Tim, who was very helpful.
When looking on their website, I saw they now had shepherds’ huts and we had considered staying in one but hadn't done yet. I emailed Westfield to ask about prices/dates and it wasn’t long (and a few more emails) before I had booked with Tim, who was very helpful.
Leveret - May 2019
On arrival we were fortunate enough to have beautiful blue skies, the sun was shining, and it was so peaceful. We were staying in Leveret, which is a 2 berth hut and was the first hut on the left and as you can see from my pictures, it was beautiful inside.
So, by the nature of a shepherd’s hut, they are not going to be massive inside, however it was a perfectly adequate living/sleeping area and worked. The bathroom is small, but the shower cubicle is a standard size cubicle and the shower is powerful and hot.
On arrival we were fortunate enough to have beautiful blue skies, the sun was shining, and it was so peaceful. We were staying in Leveret, which is a 2 berth hut and was the first hut on the left and as you can see from my pictures, it was beautiful inside.
So, by the nature of a shepherd’s hut, they are not going to be massive inside, however it was a perfectly adequate living/sleeping area and worked. The bathroom is small, but the shower cubicle is a standard size cubicle and the shower is powerful and hot.
The decor is beautifully done and works very well and it’s what attracted me to it over others. I really like the detail they have gone to, like the cut outs in the shutters, speaking of the shutters, they are so much better than the easier option of curtains and it's one of many details showing the hut has been designed with quality in mind.
A small hamper and some milk and juice on arrival was a nice welcome gift and great if you've not brought anything for breakfast and there were other nice touches, including shower gel and shampoo, which I suspect most people would bring their own, however how many people would bring washing up liquid? Being campers (or just me being very well organised), we have one of those tiny fruit juice concentrate bottles with some in, so we do, but many wouldn't.
There are also several practical things, like the large draw under the bed for storage, draining rack stored on the wall when not in use to save worktop space. Also provided are towels, flannels, blanket & binoculars, along with a well-equipped kitchen, with many cooking utensils, pans etc. There is a wood burner in the hut, however we didn't need it, we found the hut to be very cosy/warm.
There are also several practical things, like the large draw under the bed for storage, draining rack stored on the wall when not in use to save worktop space. Also provided are towels, flannels, blanket & binoculars, along with a well-equipped kitchen, with many cooking utensils, pans etc. There is a wood burner in the hut, however we didn't need it, we found the hut to be very cosy/warm.
As already mentioned, the weather was on our side, the views from the hut were beautiful, but on a sunny day like we had, they were perfect, and it was nice to sit out on the swing bench with only the sound of birds and sheep.
The huts were spread out in the field, so you weren't overlooking each other, and they didn't look out of place or spoil the view either. We would highly recommend staying here, especially if you are looking for tranquillity.
The huts were spread out in the field, so you weren't overlooking each other, and they didn't look out of place or spoil the view either. We would highly recommend staying here, especially if you are looking for tranquillity.
Lucy’s Room - 2015
On our visit the B6344 to Rothbury from the A697 was closed, therefore we had to travel further up the A697 and come down the B6341 and although it was a longer route, it was a beautiful scenic route. We drove through Rothbury and just a mile after Thropton village, we turned off the B6341 and drove down a long driveway at the side of an open field. At the bottom of the driveway, you arrive at a small parking area and gate, instructions on the gate advised us to go through and park in front of the farm house.
On our visit the B6344 to Rothbury from the A697 was closed, therefore we had to travel further up the A697 and come down the B6341 and although it was a longer route, it was a beautiful scenic route. We drove through Rothbury and just a mile after Thropton village, we turned off the B6341 and drove down a long driveway at the side of an open field. At the bottom of the driveway, you arrive at a small parking area and gate, instructions on the gate advised us to go through and park in front of the farm house.
We were met by Emma, she helped us with our bags and took us inside, firstly showing us the dining room, before proceeding upstairs to our room. Emma asked us if we would like a cup of tea and arrived back 10 minutes later with a pot of tea and cake, which we enjoyed sat on the perfectly positioned sofa, looking out to the tranquil landscape outside.
The room we stayed in was Lucy’s Room, which is at the front of the farm house, looking out over the drive and across the fields, with hills in the distance and as mentioned above, the tranquil setting was beautiful. The room was lovely and as stated on their website, it’s neither a large or small en-suite double and is south facing.
To say the bathroom is spacious, is an understatement, it’s very large in our book, with full size bath, large shower cubical and loads of space!
Each day a simple form was completed to let them know what each of us wanted for breakfast the next day and the time was chosen by us. We arrived down to breakfast on both mornings with the table already laid ready for us; fresh orange, cereal and toast were all available for us to help ourselves to.
This is a beautiful, peaceful place to stay, in a great location for checking out Northumberland and the gorgeous coastal villages like Amble and Seahouses. For further information or to get in touch, simply check out their website here