It was with huge sadness that we noticed early on Thursday morning that the Sycamore Gap tree had fallen following storm Agnes. We were absolutely broken hearted to learn that this was actually the result of an intentional human act. We thank customers for their emails and calls – this is such a loss to so many, and it is so sad to see the landscape change for this reason.
This was not just a tree – it was so much more than the Layside Logo, or the view from our kitchen window. This living, breathing soul of Northumberland was our sense of place; our sense of belonging, and represented home. I can only hope that this absolute beauty can somehow regenerate, and our young son can watch it grow so that he, his children and his children’s children may recall this event as merely a chapter in the life of this amazing landscape.
Wishing all our customers a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. We hope to see you at Layside in 2023!
With clear dark skies and frosty mornings, winter is a lovely time to visit Northumberland and to enjoy the stark beauty of the National park and rugged landscapes. Why not put your feet up after a days exploring and enjoy one of Kevin’s home cooked meals delivered to your door? We still have availability throughout the winter, and if you are looking for that special Christmas Gift idea, we can tailor make a package for you and provide you with a gift voucher – just let us know your requirements!
We are being blessed with some beautiful weather and Layside is bathed in sunshine. Whether you are here to walk the Wall, visit the numerous Roman sites and museums, or just relax and watch the wildlife there is always something to catch your eye! Thank you to our wonderful gardener Allie who keeps the pots and baskets looking fantastic, and to all our lovely guests who we are thrilled to have back following various periods of lockdown!
We are pleased to be taking bookings once more at Layside for guests staying from May 17th in line with the Government’s planned “Roadmap to Recovery”. We hope to see many regular guests again and many new faces, as we keep our fingers crossed for a wonderful Northumberland summer!
It has been a cold and snowy start to the year at Layside and we have been enjoying some picture postcard view and winter skies. We are sorry that we are unable to share this magical part of Northumberland with guests at the moment, but are hoping that we will be able to reopen the doors from March. In the meantime, we are using our free time to come up with some new ideas for our breakfast menu – so much for the January diet but these ideas must be tried and tested…!
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2021, and we can’t wait to see you all at Layside soon.
Due to Government restrictions on travel and overnight stays, we have had to temporarily close our doors. We will, however, be open again from December 2nd (subject to restrictions being lifted) and look forward to welcoming guests back as soon as we are able.
Wishing everyone well during “lockdown”, and we are here to answer any queries on future stays should anyone wish to be in touch!
Following the latest Government advice we are hugely pleased to be able to open Layside again for guests from July 4th. Layside is ideal for social distancing offering seclusion and privacy, and all food is delivered to your room (or if we are lucky enough to enjoy more of this beautiful weather, breakfast or dinner can be delivered to your own outdoor terrace).
We are looking forward to sharing these beautiful views throughout the rest of the summer, and hope you can join us!
We have had some glorious early summer sunshine at Layside over the past few days, and have been enjoying watching some of the fantastic wildlife we have here. The redpolls and linnets are making good use of the feeders, and the pied wagtails have taken up residence in the stone wall this year (a much preferred nesting site to the one they built under Kev’s car two years ago which put him off the road for 4 weeks until they had fledged)! We are starting to see Northumberland hares more regularly – hopefully not long before we see the young leverets which usually coincides with growth in the vegetable patch…
We can’t wait to be able to once again share this beautiful slice of Northumberland with guests at Layside – we are hopefully able to open the doors from 4th July. Kev has been busy in the kitchen creating some new dishes for both the breakfast and dinner menus – so why not visit and try them out?!
All the boys at Layside have enjoyed a birthday this week – Eddie is 7, Bart is 2, and Kevin is….21 again! We have been blessed with sunshine and the Spring flowers are looking beautiful (with thanks as always to Allie Dale). It is a wonderful time of year to visit Northumberland with the promise of summer just around the corner, however our only guests at the moment are the newborn Spring lambs and our first swallow which arrived safely back to nest in the log shed! We are looking forward to being able to welcome guests back, and sharing with others the wonderful views and wildlife that we are lucky enough to enjoy here daily.
