Best hotels in Northumberland: Where to stay for boutique chic and the great outdoors

It’s England’s least-populated county, with all the space and freedom that implies, yet Northumberland is often ignored as people zip through heading for Scotland or places further south. An outrage! Here you will find sweeps of near-empty beaches, a veritable phalanx of castles and grand country piles, Hadrian’s eponymous wall and enough outdoor adventures to exhaust the most energetic. And there are beds to match, from romantic beachy hideaways and posh country estates to jolly village inns and chic townhouse numbers. Here are some of the best in show.

Neighbourhood: Matfen, near Corbridge

This film-set-perfect Gothic mansion – towering chimneys, vast mullioned windows – has been given a startlingly modern makeover that still retains its historic grandeur. Richly patterned Chesterfields and bold statement wallpapers sit alongside a sweeping staircase, double-height hall and book-lined dining room. It’s fine-dining in the latter or more casual in the Orangery. Bedrooms are either contemporary-classic or contemporary-grand, the latter with full-on white marble bathrooms. With golf course, spa, pool, hi-tech gym and woodland trails, forget the car until it’s time to leave.

Price: Doubles from £169

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Neighbourhood: Wall, near Hexham

Only a mile south of Hadrian’s Wall, this 18^th-century former coaching inn makes a good base for Roman adventures. But you might instead be here to sample Alex Nietosvuori’s Michelin-starred food at Restaurant Hjem – perhaps lamb tartare with dense caramelised onions, or…