August ends as The Composer basks in the warmth of Northumberland. Mind you, so are our guests and visitors! A rollercoaster start to the month, weather-wise, has settled down and the sun is with us! Despite the BBC’s weather predictions, the North East fared well and better than some other areas of the UK.
It all bodes well as Northumberland asks holiday guests and visitors to vote again to keep the county as the No 1 Tourist Destination County – in the British Travel Awards 2019 – so here’s to YOUR votes.
The Composer and Mrs C are well travelled, in the UK and further afield, and yet it was the prospect of a slightly uncluttered county becoming home that drew them from beloved Lancashire roots. At the time, family and friends were curious at such a move as they tried to locate Northumberland on a map. There were even more quizzical looks from the ‘locals’ of Berwick upon Tweed who viewed the ‘incomers/foreigners’ with due suspicion.
15 years on, The Composer and Mrs C are convinced it was the right move and have been accepted by the locals! Where can you go on a Bank Holiday and find an uncluttered beach on your doorstep with no-one fighting for a few square feet of sand? Where else can you drive a few minutes in any direction from your home and be in a town, on the coast, up in the hills, in a National Park or wandering through myriad quaint villages and hamlets? The answer is ‘from Composers at Woodlands, near Berwick upon Tweed’.
Of course we have all those benefits AND, in the same few minutes, we can also be in another country! It’s only a 5 minutes drive to be OUT of England and IN Scotland. It is amazing how many people pull off the A1 into the border lay-by to be photographed in front of the flags and sign proclaiming ‘Welcome to Scotland’. Europeans do not fare as well, passing through their various countries without any recognition. Poor them!
So, with a tan, home and business in a tranquil yet exciting part of the UK, The Composer and Mrs C are still happy greeting guests and making friends week in and week out. Almost all those guests leave with the same words “we just haven’t had enough time to see it all” or “we’ll be back because……” and then offer a list of reasons for their return.
Where else is as ‘happy’? Our season extends more and more each year and as September starts we look forward to new and returning guests discovering or renewing their love of ‘all things Northumberland and Borders’. Bye for now, from one happy blogger, voting for Northumberland as No 1 Destination. Now you know why!