Great British Boltholes: A review of Beadnell Towers, Northumberland

Our beaches thrive in summer but it’s in the cooler months when they are at their most poetic – roaring white horses battering empty sands and salt-tinged gusts to help blow away the cobwebs.

Five miles south of Bamburgh in Northumberland is the tiny coastal village of Beadnell, and you couldn’t find a cosier spot to stay than Beadnell Towers, a newly refurbished boutique hotel in a Grade II listed building. Guests looking for a bracing winter walk can head to Beadnell Bay, which is a mile away, or head around the coast to Seahouses, a bustling fishing village.

Plenty of guests arrive aiming to do very little other than relax at the hotel, which is styled with a keen eye.

Room names are from the local dialect, such as Hen Cree (Hen House) and Ducket (Dovecot), and they are decorated with a country-house-meets-Liberty vibe. Sheets are made of Egyptian cotton, pillows are plump duck down and towels are plentiful.

Guests sleeping in Muckle Hoose (Great House) will find exposed stone walls, vaulted ceilings and rugged oak beams. There are twin freestanding copper tubs in the bedroom and a huge chandelier, while in the large bathroom you’ll find a pair of showers, twin sinks and a comfy chair.

Whatever the weather, it’s good to grab a fireside chair in the reading room and pull out a board game. It’s a hub for locals (the dominos club meets here) and those from further afield – Newcastle is an hour away. The Hotspur Bar is nicely busy too.

Elsewhere, there’s a nautical theme in the Towers restaurant. The menu has a seafood bent, with Lindisfarne oysters, North Sea mussels and pan-fried scallops. The Towers fish pie or the steamed smokehouse haddock with chive mash, a poached egg and pancetta are both a triumph of comfort.

In the morning, breakfast is equally generous, with baskets of pastries, cereals, fruits and yogurt, followed by grilled Craster kippers, or a ‘Northumbrian’, with Bamburgh sausages, smoked bacon and black pudding.

You can tuck in with abandon if you’re off on a puffin-spotting boat trip to the Farne Islands or to Bamburgh Castle and beach. Then again, it’s hard work playing Scrabble, too…

The USP: A warm, stylish and dog-friendly bolthole, perfect for a beachy weekender.

The food: Top gastropub fare, with fresh-from-the-sea haddock, chips and peas for £14.75.

The rooms: The 18 pretty rooms blend smart country decor with modern traditional touches.