Picture it. A morning swim under old barn beams, a walk across the fields to Embleton Bay, then an evening soak on your own patio while the light fades over the dunes. That’s the holiday you can have from a handful of farm cottages on this stretch of coast, and it’s rarer than you’d think. Most Northumberland cottages with swimming pool access don’t have one of their own.
They share one.
Usually it’s on the farm or estate, sometimes it’s a pass to a leisure club in the next village, and only a few big houses have one behind their own front door. We’ve picked six self catering holiday cottages that pair a swim with a private hot tub, all within easy reach of Bamburgh and the coast, and set out how a swim works at each.
- Best for big groups: Elford Farmhouse, sleeps 10, with dogs welcome
- Best for couples: West Gate, with sea views from the living room
- Best with the dog: Honeymug, in the countryside under the Cheviot Hills
- Top rated: a single-storey Embleton cottage with a perfect 5 star score from past stays
Six cottages we’d book this year
Elford Farmhouse, near Seahouses
Dogs: Welcome
Guests: 10 | Bedrooms 5 | Bathrooms 4
Why you’ll love it:
The big one. A detached farmhouse in Elford with a pool of its own and a games room, so a family get-together never runs out of things to do when the weather turns. Bamburgh is 3 miles away and Beadnell 4.1, and the dog can come too. It’s the pick for groups who want to swim whenever they like, not when a rota says so.
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High Hemmel House, Embleton
Dogs: Not allowed
Guests: 8 | Bedrooms 4 | Bathrooms 3
Why you’ll love it:
Stone built, with a woodburner inside and the site’s shared pool a short walk from the door. It’s a short stroll to the beach, there’s a kids’ playground on site, and the shop, pub and restaurant are a mile away. Room for 8 with three bathrooms makes busy mornings much easier on a family holiday.
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West Gate, Embleton
Dogs: Not allowed
Guests: 4 | Bedrooms 2 | Bathrooms 1
Why you’ll love it:
Detached and all on one level, with panoramic views to the sea from a bright, airy living space and a woodburner for cool evenings. The beach is half a mile away on an easy walk and Craster is 3 miles south. Sit out in the tub with that view and you’ll see why couples come back.
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Single-Storey 2-Bedroom Cottage, Embleton
Dogs: Not allowed
Guests: 4 | Bedrooms 2 | Bathrooms 1
Why you’ll love it:
Top rated of the six, with a perfect 5.0. It’s a pretty single-storey cottage close to the shop and pub in the seaside village of Embleton, with Alnwick 8.6 miles away and Bamburgh 9.1. Good for two couples or a small family who want to swim without paying for a big house.
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4-Bedroom Hot Tub Cottage in Seahouses
Dogs: Welcome
Guests: 8 | Bedrooms 4 | Bathrooms 2
Why you’ll love it:
A contemporary house minutes from the beach, with membership to The Ocean Club thrown in. The harbour is a mile away, where boats head out to the Farne Islands and you might spot dolphins on the walk round. Beadnell Bay’s sheltered sands are close by for sandcastles, and dogs are welcome.
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Honeymug, Branton
Dogs: Welcome
Guests: 6 | Bedrooms 3 | Bathrooms 2
Why you’ll love it:
The inland pick, in Branton near Powburn at the foot of the Cheviot Hills. It’s pet-friendly, listed with swimming access, and laid out reverse-level so the living space gets the best of the light and the countryside views. Wooler is 9.3 miles away, Alnwick 11.5 and Rothbury 12.6, with off-road parking at the door.
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How the six compare
| Cottage | Sleeps | Bed / bath | Dogs | How you swim | Nearest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elford Farmhouse | 10 | 5 / 4 | Yes | Private, at the house | Bamburgh 3 miles |
| High Hemmel House | 8 | 4 / 3 | No | Shared, on site | Beach, short stroll |
| West Gate | 4 | 2 / 1 | No | Shared, on site | Beach half a mile |
| Single-storey Embleton cottage | 4 | 2 / 1 | No | Shared, on site | Alnwick 8.6 miles |
| Seahouses 4-bed | 8 | 4 / 2 | Yes | Leisure club pass | Harbour 1 mile |
| Honeymug | 6 | 3 / 2 | Yes | Access listed | Wooler 9.3 miles |
Where to find Northumberland cottages with swimming pool access
Drive up the A1 and you’ll pass Morpeth and most of the county before you reach them. Almost all sit in the north, between Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed, and most are on old farms whose granaries, barns and byres became holiday cottages, with the leisure suite built into another outbuilding. That’s why you’ll find clusters rather than one-offs. There are three main pockets:
- Embleton and Craster: one farm site just outside the village has nine cottages on our list, every one with its own tub on the patio and all sharing the site’s pool.
- Powburn and the Breamish Valley: a few inland estates under the Cheviot Hills, where the leisure facilities sometimes add a sauna and spa.
- The coast around Beadnell: here it’s more often a membership to the leisure club in town than a pool on site.
More cottages on the same Embleton farm
If the three Embleton picks above are booked, these all sit on the same site, each one sleeps 4 in two bedrooms:
- Whinny Cottage, rated 4.9, with off-road parking and a Smart TV
- A beamed single-storey cottage, rated 4.8, with a woodburner and the owner’s path across the fields to Embleton Bay
- A cottage on the countryside edge of the village, rated 4.8
- Bothy Cottage, rated 4.8, close to the shop and pub
- Nook Cottage, rated 4.7, stone built in the seaside village
Shared, private or a leisure club pass?
Each one gives you a very different Northumberland holiday, so it’s worth knowing which you’re booking. Here’s how they tend to work:
- Shared on site: the most common setup. This far north it’s nearly always an indoor heated swimming pool in a converted farm building, so it works in any weather and it’s a short walk from your door, but you’ll share it with the other cottages.
- Private swimming pool: the rarest kind, usually found at larger houses like Elford Farmhouse. Ideal for groups and families who want the water to themselves.
- Leisure club membership: common in the fishing towns along the coast. You get a proper indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room and gym, but you’ll travel to it, and the opening hours are the club’s, not yours.
- Swim spa: a few couples’ places in the county have a heated swim spa instead of the full thing, which is closer to a big jacuzzi you can swim against.
Whichever you pick, the hot tub stays yours. It’s on your own patio or garden all week, and it’s the one thing you’ll never have to book a slot for.
Tip: ask for the swim times when you book, not when you arrive. On a shared site the best slots go early in the week, especially in the school holidays.
Questions to ask before you book
Details change from season to season, so check these before you pay:
- Are there set swim times or a booking rota for each cottage?
- Can children swim at all hours, and do they need an adult with them?
- Is it closed for maintenance on any week of the year?
- Does the leisure suite add a gym, sauna or tennis court, and is that included or extra?
- For a club pass, how many people in your party does it cover?
Which pool cottages in Northumberland take dogs?
Fewer than you’d hope. The Embleton farm cottages don’t take pets, so if the dog’s coming, look at Elford Farmhouse, the Seahouses house or Honeymug, all of which welcome dogs. Dogs can’t go in the water at any of them, of course.
Plenty more dog friendly places to stay have a tub but no pool, and they’re gathered in our guide to dog friendly cottages in Northumberland with hot tubs. If it’s the sea you’re after, our pick of luxury dog-friendly cottages on the Northumberland coast puts you within a walk of the sand.
Rainy day swims in Northumberland
Booked self catering accommodation without a pool? You can still swim. Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre in Alnwick has a 25 metre, six-lane main pool and a smaller teaching pool for learners, plus a gym and soft play. On the coast, The Ocean Club at Seafield has a 20 metre indoor pool, a children’s pool, a sauna, steam room and spa, so ring ahead to ask about day passes if your cottage doesn’t include membership.
Things to do in Northumberland between swims
Dunstanburgh Castle and Craster
Pull on your boots at Embleton and follow the Northumberland Coast Path south along the bay to Dunstanburgh Castle, a ruin on the headland that you can only reach on foot. It’s about 1.5 miles from Embleton or from Craster, and the walking route back past Craster harbour ends at a smokehouse famous for its kippers. The castle is looked after by English Heritage.
The Farne Islands
From Seahouses harbour, boats head out to the Farne Islands. Puffins nest there from about April to July, with May and June the best months, and the islands are cared for by the National Trust, which charges a landing fee on top of the boat ticket.
Bamburgh Castle and Holy Island
Bamburgh Castle towers over the beach a short drive north, and it’s an easy run from Elford. Holy Island and Lindisfarne Priory are a little further, though you’ll need to check the causeway safe crossing times before you set off.
Alnwick and Cragside
Inland, Alnwick Castle and The Alnwick Garden make a full day out for families, and Cragside near Rothbury is a short drive from Honeymug.
Book your pool and hot tub break
A swim in the morning, a castle in the afternoon and a soak under dark skies at night. If you’d rather keep the swimming to the sea, our full list of cottages in Northumberland with hot tubs has dozens more self catering cottages across the county, from the coast to Kielder, and our boutique cottages in Northumberland lean towards luxury. Prefer a lodge? Our 3 bedroom lodges with hot tubs are spread right across the UK.
For pools further south, take a look at our Somerset holiday cottages with their own pool or browse every holiday cottage with a pool we’ve found. You’ll find thousands more holiday cottages with a private hot tub across the UK on Cottage With A Hot Tub.
