The stunning five-bedroom Moo House is the perfect place for up to 10 hens to relax, bond, party and rejuvenate – not bad for a previous cow byre in Northumberland. Hens will be in heaven with the contemporary furnishings set against a backdrop of original character beams, stone and rustic features. Moo House is your very own designer pad with every mod con thought of from bread-making machine to en-suite power showers. This is perfect chilling out territory. Bedrooms are individually decorated so you can all take your pick and there are designer smellies in every bathroom. The lounge is particularly chic yet relaxing with comfy designer sofas and thoughtful touches like soft red throws to snuggle under and a wood-burning stove. Uplifting, local art and crafts are featured throughout the house including the fairy light heart in the entrance hall and the comical cow paintings. There are DVDs for a girls’ night in from The Office to Layer Cake and CDs from the Beatles to the White Stripes. Around the mighty French oak table in the kitchen – perfect for chatting and dining - you’ll arrive to find homemade sultana cake under a flowery cloche, Lily O’Briens biscuits and real coffee with a caffetiere at the ready, plus a bottle of red wine. Hens can pre-order gourmet ready meals using locally sourced ingredients from www.h2catering.co.uk to ease themselves into self-catering. If you want to have a special meal at Moo House, but can’t be bothered to cook, Fresh Element (www.freshelement.co.uk) will create a fine dining dinner party including your own chef and service staff. You can even have your own bartender to mix the cocktails. Dinner party packages include ‘Be Jamie Oliver/Nigella Lawson for the night’ where everything is prepared for you up until some simple instructions to actually cook your celebrity chef dinner. They will even create a barbeque in the garden out back or prepare a picnic for you to take to the beach. At the back of Moo House, hens will find a spacious den with pool table, telly, keyboard and squishy sofas. Not to mention the mountain bikes at your disposal.
Moo House’s rural Northumberland location is a revelation with sweeping beaches, low-key spas and saltydog pubs just a drive away.
• The nearest town to Moo House is Seahouses with its kitsch amusement arcades, fantastic seaside tat shops and great fish and chip at Pinnacles. The harbour is full of boats offering trips out to the wonderful Farne Islands, home to puffins and seals. Sporty hens can bring their wetsuits (or buy one in the Farne Island gift shop in Seahouses) and take a boogie board or surfboard into the waves.
• Hens can pamper themselves at the refreshingly sophisticated Seafield Ocean Club (www.ocean-club.co.uk), a private members club open to Moo House guests. A superb, hour-long massage costs a very reasonable £35 or you can opt for marine mud and essential oil wraps or a sea and senses hot stone massage. The club can organise a lovely champagne buffet lunch for around £8 per head.
• Become models for the day and treat yourselves to a professional photoshoot on the beach, by Bamburgh Castle or even at the Moo House with the help of Alison Groves Photography (www.alisongroves.com). Masses of fun and a superb memento of this special time.
• Indulge in a wine tasting evening at the Moo House with Jonathan Radgick of Rothbury Wines (01665 578222). Fun and informative. Hens might like to order wines from his shop and combine collection with a trip to the wonderful Cragside historical house and gardens.
• Rent some Harley Davison’s for the afternoon for the ride of your lives with www.hadrianhdtours.com
• There are plenty of wonderful pubs in which to indulge in a spot of lunch. The Ship Inn (01665 576262) at Newton-by-the-Sea is part of a National Trust courtyard with a large expanse of grass and a beautiful beach beyond. The grilled kippers and brown bread are an absolute must. The Cook & Barker (01670 575234) at Newton-on-the-Moor has more adventurous cuisine such as terrine of wild of boar.
• For days out with outdoor loving hens, head up the coast half an hour, across the causeway at low tide to Holy Island, home to the stunning Lindesfarne Castle. Bamburgh Castle is another must with its breathtaking beach. The coastal town of Alnmouth has another amazing beach and pretty high street, home to the Alnmouth Grocer (01665 830997) which offer luxury picnic hampers perfect for a hens’ day on the beach. And if you haven’t been to Alnwick Castle and its fabulous gardens, you’ve missed out. The treehouse is a sight to behold with its wobbly bridges and its magical restaurant (01665 511852) with knarled wood tables, open fire, fairy lights and evening menu of local crab and Cheviot lamb. Jazz suppers here are a must.
• If you all want to explore the shops and wild nightlife of ‘The Toon’ as Newcastle is known, it’s around an hour’s drive away.
Moo House sleeps 10 in five bedrooms ( 3 king, 1 double & 1 twin) with four bathrooms. Short breaks are available year-round and cost from £999 - £1500, works out at about £33-£50pp per night.
For more details contact Fiona on 0191 236 5971 or email info@coastalretreats.co.uk
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