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First lamb of 2019 It came as a surprise this morning to discover our first lamb has been born today 29th January 2019. We have to admit that the ram did do an escaping act late last summer but we didnt think he had had time to meet up with his lady friends. Not so! Well done him! Good lad! The other lambs are supposed to be due in April/May. Watch this space. ...

At Cragend Farm we have six Cattle Rubbing Stones. There are three on the top fields and three in the bottom fields. We were surprised to find out that they are relatively rare these days. Sadly one of them is sinking in a part of our SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) area in boggy ground but can still just be seen. It suggests that at the time of placing that area ...

This is the third year we have won an Outstanding Award for our Bed and Breakfast at Cragend Grange. With a 9.7 we are thrilled that people are still reviewing us so kindly and we thank everyone who took time to say such lovely things about us here at Cragend Farm. ...

Named after Lord William Armstrong of Cragside who transformed this farm into a Victorian show case for his prize cattle, this room is all you need and more to spend a relaxing weekend in the Northumberland countryside. Super King size bed, sofa, TV with freesat, wifi with superfast broadband. Ensuite bathroom with bath, shower and bathrobes. Breakfast included. Book direct ...

We travelled to see the Battle of Bosworth during the holidays to find out more about King Richard III and the Tudors, as part of school history lessons.  We found the exhibition very interesting and learnt that they found numerous lead cannon balls or rather its correct term, round shot, when the archaeologists did some metal detection in the fields around the Battle of Bosw ...

Watch this space as our Rare Breed cattle the Whitebred Shorthorns are pregnant and due to give birth in May 2019! Also our Cheviot sheep are hopefully pregnant and we should see some little lambs in May too, as we have delayed the tupping process in the hope fo better weather for lambing that in 2018 . ...

Our new project for 2019 - a stand of Scots Pine trees. It has been in our mind for sometime to plant some Scots pine trees in our top field. It is one of the highest points on the farm at 326 feet. The Scots Pine is a fabulous tree. Latin 'Pinus sylvestris'. Scots pine is an evergreen conifer native to northern Europe, and is one of just three conifers native to the UK. ...

Build It Magaine features Cragend Farm in February 2019 Our thanks to Dave and Heather Dixon for setting up this great editorial in the building magazine Build It. Cragend Farm is featured and amongst others Storey and Edmondson David Humble Windows and MKM Alnwick are mentioned as part of our great team who helped us renovate the buildings. The magazine is available at m ...

Sadly our last Parsons Jack Russell, Jesse, died in her sleep on January 2nd 2019. She had many nicknames, but Piglet and Bear were our favorites. We will miss her very much, but she was an old girl, at just over 16 years old, and had declined rapidly after the death of her mate, Otto, in October 2018. ...

Happy New Year! We would like to wish all our guests past and present a Happy New Year! We are looking forward to a busy year both at East Cottage and our B&B rooms The Armstrong Wing and The West Room. We are currently busy preparing the rooms for a busy 2019! Remember to book direct or call us for the best rates. We have an exciting year ahead of us with our rare ...

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