Lookout Cottage

Alnwick, Northumberland

Standing tall in a dreamy position just above the golden sands of Embleton beach is this former lookout. It was built in 1822 and was used to combat smuggling on the coastline. Inside, quirks of its 19th-century past remain, from the wood-panelled walls to the original bunkers where the coastguards used to sleep. There’s an outside toilet too, which is built into the walls of its garden. 

Snug and homely inside, Lookout Cottage has one four-sleeper bedroom, a shower room and an inviting living and kitchen area, which when the log-burning is going, feels exceptionally cosy. As this is partly still a working coastguard service, the north room of the cottage houses HM Coastguard radio equipment.

From here you’ll be able to walk along the vast silver sands of the coast. And if conditions are right, you may even be able to witness the Northern Lights in the winter months. Your walks could lead you to coastal castle Dunstanburgh, or you could drive there in 10 minutes.