Questions, answered.

Half is payable on booking and the balance 30 days before you arrive. We take a £500 damage deposit with the balance, which is repaid a few days after you leave.

£500, taken with the balance, repaid a few days after you leave. It is the same for everyone.

The first payment is a down payment rather than a deposit: it secures the dates and stops anyone else booking them. If you cancel and another party takes your dates, we refund it in full. If the dates stay empty, the down payment is kept.

Bank transfer. We can take a card payment if you need us to.

Yes, if it would help you decide. Ring us and we will find a day.

Three nights at weekends from April to October, two nights from November to March, and four over Christmas and New Year. Midweek stays by arrangement.

Yes. Groups of ten to twelve can take the Lodge between November and March, midweek or at weekends. The house is entirely yours and the price is a little less than for a full house.

Check-in is any time after 4pm, check-out by 10am. If there is no booking the day before or after, we can be more flexible.

Yes, provided we do not have a group leaving the day you arrive or arriving the day you leave. In peak season that is not always possible.

No.

It comes out of the damage deposit at cost, and anything beyond that we would talk about. Most groups get the whole deposit back.

The Lodge sleeps 20 in ten en-suite bedrooms. If there are more of you, the simplest answer is to take the Farmhouse as well. It sleeps 10, has its own kitchen and sitting room, and means you have the whole estate to yourselves. For one or two extra, blow-up beds in the Lodge are also an option.

Yes, we do take hen parties and stag parties. We only ask that you return the property as you find it. We will clean, but please let us know if there were any breakages or damage. We do not allow glitter or confetti, as in such a large building it is impossible to remove.

Yes, dogs are welcome in both houses. There are 60 acres for them to run in. We only ask that they do not go on the furniture or in the bedrooms, and that the grounds are cleared up after them.

Yes. The Lodge has five ground-floor bedrooms and all of them take a wheelchair. Two have accessible bathrooms, one with a bath and shower and one with a wheel-in shower.

Yes, high chairs and travel cots. Tell us in advance and they will be laid out when you arrive.

Each house is only ever let to one party. If you take the Lodge, the Farmhouse may be let to another family; it has its own garden and drive, so you will rarely notice them. If you take both, the houses and the lawns are yours alone; the Barn is hired on top, with our staff.

The Farmhouse has its own garden and parking, and Kielder Forest at the end of the drive. The Dark Skies Balcony belongs to the Lodge and the Barn is hired with the Lodge or the whole estate, so neither is part of a Farmhouse stay.

It is a rustic, traditional converted stone farm, well used and well loved, rather than a boutique hotel. The rooms are big and it is warm, with a log burner in the snug. It is not immaculate and we do not pretend it is. People come for the space, the countryside and the night sky.

Yes. There is central heating throughout, a log burner in the snug and enough hot water for a full house.

There is Wi-Fi, and phone calls can be made over it. There is no mobile signal in the house. There are parts of the estate with signal if it is essential.

There is a television and games room. The bar, lounge, kitchen and dining room do not have televisions, and most groups do not miss them.

A few board games, and plenty of tables for a quiz. Outside, the lawns and a set of football goals.

No. Our water comes from an underground spring, which is not compatible with hot tubs.

There is a large entrance corridor, and a boot drying room is available if you ask in advance.

Yes.

Yes, plenty, at both houses.

Not at the house. There are chargers in Bellingham.

Not in the buildings. Outside is fine; please put cigarette ends out and in the bins.

No. For longer stays it may be possible by prior arrangement.

Yes. We have a list of local chefs and caterers we can send you. They are good but not cheap, so most groups book one dinner and cook the rest themselves. You book them direct.

Yes.

Yes. It is set up for a full house, with big pans, plenty of oven space and a large fridge.

The bar in the Lodge is yours to stock with your own drink. There are no beer pumps.

There is a Co-op in Bellingham. Tesco, Asda and Waitrose in Hexham all deliver, on set days of the week.

Yes, mostly pubs with good food: The Hollybush, The Pheasant Inn, Le Petit Château and a few more. We can send you the list.

Kielder Forest is at the end of the drive and Kielder Water a short drive on, with bike hire and the lakeside path. Kielder Observatory is nearby; you book tickets with them directly. Hadrian’s Wall, Bamburgh, Alnwick and Cragside make good days out. There is clay pigeon shooting on the estate, run by Kielder Sports, and walks from the door.

We do not run or book activities ourselves, but everything is close. We can send you the details and phone numbers and you book directly. The Observatory sells its own tickets and they go quickly on clear weekends.

Yes. The shoot is run by Kielder Sports, with instruction, and you book it with them directly. We can send you the contact.

It is a good time to come. The dark-sky season runs from mid-September to April and the skies are clearest from November to February. It is dark by four, the fires are lit, the bar and the games room are there for the evenings, and the balcony is for the stars.

Yes. The Lodge is a large building, so the public rooms are decorated rather than every room.

Yes. The dining room seats 26, which can stretch to 30 for the dinner, and the bar is yours afterwards. If you are planning a large party rather than a dinner, the Barn can be hired for the day. Tell us your approximate numbers and roughly what you have in mind and we will advise on the best option and the price.

Yes. The Dark Skies Barn can be hired with the Lodge or with both houses. It has a bar, a stage and a dance floor, and comes with tables and chairs for 120, or 150 if you hire in the extra. It is open until midnight, after which people usually carry on in the Lodge bar. Tell us what you have in mind and we will send you a price.

In the Barn, yes, until midnight. In the Lodge you have your own bar and can play your own music. The nearest neighbour is half a mile away; we only ask that you close the windows after midnight if you are playing music.

Lanterns are not a problem. Fireworks need suitably qualified people who clear up afterwards, and care in the dry summer months.

For weddings it is possible, though nearly all couples use the Barn. For other events, the Lodge can take a party of up to 50 if you ask us first, and larger events use the Barn. We have space for a marquee but it is rarely needed.

Newcastle station is around an hour away depending on traffic, Hexham station around 40 minutes, and Newcastle airport under an hour. More on getting here.