Northumberland is well known for amazing varied walking and cycle routes, breathtaking landscapes and superb hospitality, this is our back door and we know it like the back of our hand....we've only lived here for three generations.....right? Wrong.....
Kate, our 12 year old daughter got invited to her friends birthday party, it was a raft building adventure just 6 miles from us at Sweethope Lough ran by the amazingly talented, confidence boosting and inspiring parents of the birthday girl at Wild About Adventure
Off we set on the 5 minute car journey from the farm and all of a sudden I realised - I'd never been before. The closest attraction to our accommodation and I'd never been....what would I find there? Well I was absolutely blown away by the range of opportunities for outdoor activities which opened up as we drove through the trees, as the road approached the lake a fishing hut with boats lined up awaiting the days fly fishers appeared but what amazed me was the other activities there.
How could I not have known this was here?! How could Mark not know this was here.....he'd only been born and bred here for the last 44 years!
There are two very talented and competent local companies who offer adventure and fun for all ages and abilities:
H2O Trails offer a range of open water opportunities including:
wild swimming
sun rise swimming
dark night swimming
SUP boarding
ice swimming
water polo
Wild About Adventure are exactly that - wild about adventure, with many outdoor opportunities all over Northumberland. At Sweethope they are able to offer
raft building
sailing
canoeing
The area is also well known for Great Wannie Cragg, a well known climbing spot and a great 3 mile walk which rewards you with views of the most wildest landscapes in Northumberland.
So back to the party, great fun and teamwork was had by all followed by toasted marshmallows over a firepit. Perfect.......
It's no surprise that tomorrow night we are booked in for a paddleboard session with Fenwick....I think we have just discovered our new happy place and it's right on our doorstep. I'm amazed that we hadn't discovered Sweethope Loughs sooner, as the old saying goes 'every day is a school day'. Check out H20 Trails and Wild About Adventure if you too would like to discover more about our latest discovery right next to our pods, perfect for that easy adventure day out.