Have you been to Willowford?
Please tell us what you thought of Willowford or read what others have said.
Photograph by Joan Thirlaway
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Please tell us what you thought of Willowford or read what others have said.
Photograph by Joan Thirlaway
23 comments:
My son and I "walked the Wall" February 3-9 and stayed one night at Willowford Farm. We could not have been more pleased with the warm welcome, hot tea beside a blazing fireplace, clean, well appointed facilities, location and food. The local pub was unexpectedly closed and Lauren "whipped up" a lovely dinner at the last minute. She and Liam are perfect proprietors with a perfect venue.
My husband, 1-year-old daughter and I stayed at Willowford Farm two nights in September. We had a lovely time making short walks on the wall. The Farm was a wonderful place to come home to, very comfortable, very delicious, with helpful and kind proprietors. And a friendly dog.
Mary Fisher
Dear Lauren and Liam,
Congratulations with your attractive website. It really transfers the atmosphere of the place. We walked alond the wall in August, and stayed for two nights at Willowford Farm. We felt very welcome, and enjoyed our stay very much. I found some treasures in your library, and my son Guus loved playing with Millie, the dog, before we continued our walk.
It's also a wonderful experience to be staying exactly on the Wall itself, instead of some miles off.
Thank you very much for your hospitality,
regards, Ottelien
I met up with my college friend Julia for a Spring "wall walk "[east to west]. We were fortunate to have fabulous weather. As it was lambing time our hosts were busy overnight yet managed to serve a delicious relaxing breakfast. This is non smoking, fair-trade accommodation--and they even picked us up at Banks [4 miles west] then returned us the next day!!!
wonderful folks
28 May 2007
My son Daniel and I walked the wall between 13 and 20 May 2007 and spent one night at Willowford Farm. It was a delightful stay with very friendly people. Lauren and Liam gave us a warm welcome and good food; we slept extremely well in one of their nice rooms. We wish them every success and - should we ever be walking in the area again - will certainly try to stay with them again.
A one night stay in August 2007 - utter bliss! A lovely comfy room with ensuite wetroom, loads of lovely Fairtrade drinks to choose from, and a sumptuous feast for dinner. Friendly hosts who deserve to succeed because they work so hard and "go the extra mile." A beautiful location, right on the wall which was fantastic at the end of a long "up hill and down dale" 21 mile day. best night of the trail. Thanks loads and every blessing.
It is worth staying here just for
the food. The evening meals both
nights were delicious, fine food
with a satisfying pudding at the end, and I especially liked the
sausages at breakfast too. The hosts were relaxed and friendly, the dog was fun and the bed was very large and comfortable.
My wife and I stayed at the Willowford Farm in July for a five nights stay of walks and car trips.
The farm is not only a very good place where stop for walkers along the Hadrian's wall, but also a really great base for a longer holiday because of the perfect location in the northern England.
Lauren and Liam are very nice and helpful host and excellent cooks. We will come back to your beautiful farm for a longer, relaxing stay as soon as we can! Thank you again for everything and all our best wishes from Giuseppe and Barbara (Sardinia, Italy).
My wife and I stayed the first week in October (very lucky with the weather after a bad summer). Perfect location right on the wall. We (+ 2 dogs) were made very welcome. The food was superb. Lauren, being a vegetarian herself, produced a wonderful vegetarian choice of evening meal. The meals and packed lunch were fairtrade and lovely. Millie the dog was great fun. Thanks to Liam for dropping us at the bus stop. Good luck for your farming and B+B business. Happy New Year!
What a utterly superb place to stay!
Boutique hotel style rooms, with a homely feel, ours had plush furnishings, contemporary decor, and the ultimate modern day accessory - a wet room!
We booked this B&B after a glowing recommendation in BBC Olive magazine, well deserved as the food was fabulous. Ditch any plans for dining anywhere else, and indulge yourself in the homemade soups, homegrown mains (including own reared meat) and sublime desserts. You are able to purchase wine with your meal, so you only have to stagger a matter of yards "home"! And in the morning, you can be assured of a hearty full English and toast from a freshly made loaf.
We took to the hills with a packed lunch, full of all sorts of goodies, that it's almost too much to have to wait till lunchtime.
You honestly won't stay in a better B&B, and certainly not at the bargain prices offered here.
Liam and Lauren, thanks for your hospitality. We will be back (with the kids in tow next time!)
Tamara and Jonathan
Dear Lauren & Liam
Thanks for a wonderful night at Willowford Farm. Your great website caught our attention and your B&B is even better in person. We'll definitely be back for the great location, the delicious food and the simple, tasteful luxury. Most of all it is the two of you who make Willowford so welcoming, so thank you.
Keep up the great work
Meegan & Hamish
We stayed the night at Willowford Farm on Sunday March 13th 2008 whilst walking (half) the Wall from West to East. We arrived as darkness fell after a hard 17-18 mile stretch from Carlisle, uncertain what to expect. We were absolutely delighted to find that everything was truly excellent-the location, the rooms, our hosts, the lovely dog and above all the food. Two of us are vegetarians and our food was as good as, if not better than, that of the carnivores-all 3 courses and the breakfast and packed lunch on the following day !
More than anything else though, we would like to commend Lauren and Liam on their green/fair-trade/organic policy, which is fantastic.
We very much hope to come again soon,
Andy, Ben and Mike Kewell
I have just enjoyed a 5 day break with my two dogs at Willowford Farm and this holiday surpassed all of my expectations.
The location was fantastic and the accommodation was both contemporary and comfortable. The food was excellent, breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals were all delicious.
Lauren and Liam were excellent hosts who made me feel very welcome and I wish them every success with the farm and B&B.
This is an ideal venue for a chilled out holiday and I look forward to returning next year.
To anyone planning to walk Hadrian’s Wall:
If you decide, as we did, to use both the excellent ‘AD122’ bus service and your own vehicle to travel to and from each day’s walk, you might like to consider having three accommodation ‘base camps.’ Obviously, there is plenty on offer either end, i.e. Newcastle/Gateshead and Carlisle, but the one in the middle needs careful consideration! We opted for Willowford Farm from its description on the internet, even though we knew nothing about the place.
We couldn’t have made a better choice! If you want to sleep right on the line of the wall, in a comfortable bed with first rate food available, you couldn’t do better! Our room even had a genuine Roman inscription on it. Liam and Lauren were friendly and obliging, and even offered to take us the short distance to the bus stop in the village. We stayed with them for three nights –
we should have made it four - during which we walked from Port Gate (the Errington Arms) to Gilsland.
Since the plan was to celebrate my becoming an Old Age Pensioner, we had no ambition to break any records, only to enjoy the experience. Consequently, we tried to plan a reasonable walk each day, with time to stop, where appropriate. Our record is below. If you have a similar point of view, you would enjoy Gilsland, and especially Willowford Farm. We are sure that Millie the dog would enjoy a game with you, too!
One word of caution, if you also decide to use the bus with Brampton as a staging point, the nearest point of the Walk – Newtown – is two and a half miles from the town! Like us, you might consider that a taxi ride is well worth the cost! Unlike us, you might be prepared by having the taxi firm’s number with you when you need the ride down from Newtown! Good walking and we hope the weather is as fine for you as it was for us – even the wind blew from the East throughout.
Day 1: Tynemouth to Millenium Bridge – 11 miles, (visited Segedunum)
Day 2: Millenium Bridge to Newburn – about 7 miles (shopping in
Newcastle!)
Day 3: Newburn to Robin Hood PH – about 8 miles,
Day 4: Robin Hood to Port Gate – only 6 miles (moved house, visited both Ikea and Corbridge!)
Day 5: Port Gate to Brocolitia – 9 miles (and visited Chesters!)
Day 6: Brocolitia to Steel Rigg – 9 hard miles!
Day 7: Steel Rigg to Gilsland – 10 miles,
Day 8: Gilsland to Newtown – 8 miles (plus two more down to Brampton!)
Day 9: Newtown to Carlisle – another good 9 miles, and finally
Day 10: Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway – the final 14 (flatter) miles!
Hope this helps – best of luck,
Pat and Jim Goodliff.
We spent one night in Willowford Farm on our way from the south-west of England to the south of Scotland. Although we came quite late at night we got a very kind and warm welcome, a cosy room with everything we might wish for and delicious breakfast the next morning. Additionally, in the morning it turned out we literally "slept on" Hadrian's Wall, which made us change our plans a bit and walk HW for a while.
Dear Liam and Lauren, we think your farm is a wonderful place worth recommending to everyone. Best wishes,
Daria & Szymon
My friends and i walked the wall last week, 7th to 11th sept, staying one night at Willowford farm. An absolutely amazing place to stay, very warm and friendly. The rooms were perfect, and the food the best we had all week, delicious. A beautiful location, we could not have asked for more. All six of us were thrilled by our experience. Thank you so much.
My wife and I enjoyed 2 very pleasant nights at Willowford in September. ( we would have stayed longer had there been a vacancy)
The standard of accomodation is very high. We were made to feel most welcome...Laim and Lauren were very friendly, flexible and most helpful. My wife needed a special diet which was catered for superbly. The "green" approach to hospitality is a bonus... but not at the expense of quality.
We would recommend a stay at Willowford most highly,
David and Tricia Church
Wonderful place to stay - large comfortable room, delicious food, warm and friendly welcome from our hosts and a delightful dog, Millie,who will keep you entertained !
Just returned from a walking weekend (May 1-3)with a group of 13. Willowford Farm proved to be ideal for us with comfy beds, ensuites and great food. Liam and Lauren know exactly what they are doing and have got it right to the last detail.
Their local beers were a treat,and the wine list well chosen.Can't speak too highly of the packed lunches either. Willowford is actually on the Wall and is perfectly positioned for some excellent walking.
This was our first experience of bed and breakfast in our 18 years of walking as a group and I think it will be a very hard act to follow.
Thank you Liam, Lauren and your helpers (not forgetting Millie)you all helped to make it a memorable weekend.
Just got home after a week at Willowford and all my clothes seem to have shrunk!! The room was spotlessly clean - thanks to Irene. Liam and Lauren were lovely, there if you wanted anything but not intrusive. The food was beautiful, I was never tempted to try anywhere else - I was too scared of missing out! Good choice of local ales and a fabulous wine list. Great location, right next to the wall and 1/2 a mile from the AD122 bus stop. A wonderful place to stay - especially with the entertainment laid on by Millie the border collie.
Thank you for a lovely time, Margaret & Charlie
An excellent choice for wall walkers in one of the best locations - if not the best. Smart, clean and comfortable rooms, very good food and friendly staff. We will certainly be back.
I have just returned from a week at Willowford Farm (20th –26th October) where a friend and I had comfortable rooms with a shared large bathroom. We enjoyed walking stretches of the wall on the farm and further a field as well as visiting the many Roman Forts and museums. Our hosts were at all times considerate, welcoming and caring. Breakfast included for me the tastiest fresh eggs ever and suppers were tasty and relaxed after a day of fresh air; an occasion for exchanging chat with long distance walkers spending one night there. If our B&B was warm and perfect for us, it was the Ritz for the local bird life. I have never seen more huge bird feeders, and hanging fat ball in one garden. It was a constant and fascinating view from my window. I can but say thank you to Liam and Lauren, plus their helpers, for taking such good care of us.
You've thought of everything. Cosy rooms, great showers, homemade soap, great food and drink after a day out in the open. We had a wonderful weekend at Willowford. It's a beautiful part of the world and a real thrill to have Hadrian's wall literally outside the bedroom window.
We'll be back. Thank you.
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