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Stay & Gaze Through Visit Northumberland we have been accredited as a Dark Sky viewing area, where if you stay with us, the opportunities to view the cosmos are right outside the door here. We have been lucky enough to see the Aurora Borealis and many meteor showers whilst living here and we often get to see the International Space station, plus many planets and star co ...

Great Northumberland Forest at Cragend Farm The Great Northumberland Forest was officially launched in November 2019 at a tee planting event in Kirkharle.  Since then many other areas have been accessed for planting including Cragend Farm where 47 trees with sturdy long life tree guards have been placed around the farm to create a sweeping landscape of deciduous trees for th ...

We are open for tours from May 2024. Book direct or through Historic Houses. If you book to stay with us as a B&B guest or as a holiday self catering we will be happy to show you around as part of your stay. Our thanks to Steam Heritage for their support.    https://www.steamheritage.co.uk/museums-and-attractions/category/agricultural ...

Environmental Sustainability and Net Zero policy for Cragend Farm 2024   Community tree planting and tour projects are the main part of our plan to offset carbon usage to the value of approximately £1000 per annum which equates to our carbon footprint we emit currently in cost terms according to reliable calculator sources. We also plan to harness the water for troughs using ...

Breakfast is served in our kitchen, renovated from a dairy into a comfortable relaxing place to start your day. We cater for all diets, so please let us know if you have allergies or any special requirements. Vegan, vegetarian, Gluten Free etc. Orange Juice Tea and fresh ground coffee or herbal teas (includes refills). Home made bread. Homemade granola (no nuts) Yog ...

Historic Houses Collection Award Runners Up! The 2023 AGM celebrated 50 years of Historic House membership. We were thrilled to have been incluided in the shortlist and final results of this prestigious award.  Cragend Farm ‘Collections Award 2023 – special mention for custodianship’.  "The Historic Houses judges met and decided not just on a winner, (Ushaw Seminary - well w ...

We have won the Historic Houses Custodian Prize, and are runners up in the Collections Award! Very exciting. Cragend Farm Custodian Award 2023. If you are interested in seeing our application on why our Collection and heritage site won this award then please read on: Award winning Cragend Farm ‘museum’ collection is an eclectic mix of agricultural equipment, historical a ...

Shortlisted for an Award We are thrilled to have been shortlisted as one of six Historic Houses nationwide for The Collections Award for re-imaging our Collection of historical aretefacts, telling the story of our historic site and giving visitors a sensory experience of life in Border Country Northumberland from it's earliest beginnings to it's Victorian re-invention. Th ...

Christmas and  New Year Availability  East Cottage is available for short breaks and week long bookings over the festive period so take a break and book with us and enjoy a Northumberland Christmas time. ...

We are in modern day terms, Cragend Farm. On Cragend Hill. However, if you go back in history we were Craig End or Craigend or Cragend , and Black Bank was the large set of Crags behind the settlement as well as being Cragend Hill. ...

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to your fantastic farm on the Historic Houses tour on Tuesday. We both agree that it was the most interesting HHA visit we have ever done - and we have done many over the years! We had no idea of the extent of the Armstrong connection or what you have there, having visited Cragside on so many occasions in the past 50 years or so. And indeed looked down on the farm from the walks at Cragend quite recently. We particularly enjoyed ascending and descending the ladders to look at the hydraulic equipment and get an idea of how it all functioned, the beautiful and unusual buildings which had housed the cattle, and were intrigued by the contents of your "underground " loo! Peacocks and chicks, hens and a beautiful pet lamb added to the feel of the farm.

Shaun & Lou Renwick are keen to harness the farm's natural resources, using wood to heat their water, to cook with on a wood burning range, and to heat the houses on the Farm. Even if your house is not equipped to totally run on wood there are things you can do to make sure you are using the best quality wood for your fires.

Why use Seasoned Wood?

Seasoned wood is a definition for 'wood drying'. About 5% of the energy of the log is wasted through evaporation and heating the water vapour of damp logs.

Moisture effects the burning process with unburnt hydrocarbons going up the chimney, which can in time create 'sooting' in the chimney, with the possibility of a chimney fire, all of which requires specialist sweeping.

Drying the wood before burning reduces moisture content in the wood before it is used for burning,

Air drying is the most traditional method, and it takes time. usually over and above 2 years! The fire will use less energy to burn the log if the water content is below 20%. Therefore is can give OUT more energy in the form of heat!

Cragend Farm endeavours to provide their customers with the best seasoned wood possible.

if you would like further information on the process of burning wood please contact us and we will be happy to help.

Why seasoned wood?

Thank you so much Lou and Shaun for a great holiday break on your farm at Cragend last week. East Cottage was a super place to stay. Very comfortable accommodation with everything we needed for self-catering and situated next to the beautiful Cragside National Trust gardens. It was super for our dog with fields to walk across as well as a secure fenced place for her to run off lead! Such interesting history too about the farm and how you have restored the buildings, the Victorian silo and so much else of the past farming life at Cragend. We look forward to returning! J&M Nottingham.

Award Winning Accommodation