Kirklinton Hall and Gardens

This is a nifty spot for getting out to explore the area – there’s plenty to see, whichever direction you choose to turn. For rural hikes, head east to the Northumberland National Park, south-east to the North Pennines National Landscape or south-west to the Lake District National Park – all three are within a half-hour to 40-minute drive. Sticking to the English side of the border, there’s also plenty of heritage to take in at the likes of the Solway Aviation Museum (15 minutes’ drive), Carlisle Castle (20 minutes) and Hadrian’s Wall (25 minutes). If you’re on a family holiday, you may like to turn instead to places like Walby Farm Park (20 minutes) or Fusion Trampoline Park (25 minutes). Crossing into Scotland, your first stop may well be Gretna (15 minutes), once famed as a wedding location and now home to a popular outlet shopping village. Nearby, The Devils Porridge museum (25 minutes) tells the story of the World War I munitions factory and you can learn all about whisky at Annandale Distillery (half an hour).