The Hiddle Hut - Northumberland, Hexham (2025)

07/06/2025

💛 I took this first photo 11 years ago today, the day after we moved in to our new home; The Bents. 🥰 The kids hated it, the boiler was condemned, the fences were falling down so we couldn’t let the dogs out into the garden, the layout of the house didn’t work for us and we were going to have to replace our bedroom floor and consequently the ceilings of the kitchen and living room but we knew it had potential! 😟

💛 We had literally moved across the road from our old house in Henshaw which we had lovingly restored! But, we needed more space and I had run past this house for years and longed to live here! I just couldn’t believe that we were lucky enough to make this our forever home! 🥰

💛 The little field across the lane came with the house and we had absolutely no plans for it initially other than growing veggies and fruit and doing something exciting with the space once I had retired. In the meantime, we divided the field into three sections using native hedging for a kitchen garden, a small woodland and then the last space we used for fun- bonfires, fireworks, parking for parties and games and not much else. However, I had a dream to create something special in the future! 🥳

💛 Fast forward 8 years- I was medically retired and desperately in need of a passion project and so it was time to make my dreams a reality. 😍

💛 The rest, as they say, is history! 🤩

13/02/2025

💛 Hiddle: a Northumbrian and Borderlands word from Middle English used after the Norman conquest until the late 15th century meaning a place of safety and sanctuary, quite literally, a hiding place! 🫣

💛 Do you have ideas for a novel that’s begging to be committed to paper but you need some solitude and solace to begin? 📝

💛 Had enough of the 9-5 and want to snuggle in front of the fire and get lost in a book without interruption?🔥📕

🥾🎒 Is walking the Hadrian’s Wall path in your future plans? A little luxurious stay half way will set you up perfectly for the second half of the hike!

💛 Ready to explore new horizons as a solo adventurer and challenge yourself to learning some new skills: pottery, jewellery making, paddle boarding, bread making, foraging or cold water swimming? All of these activities and more are on offer with experts in our locality. 🍞 🍄‍🟫

🏛️Perhaps you have dreamed of being an archaeologist and have taken the leap to dig at a real Roman site: Vindolanda Fort, only 2 miles from the hut!

💛 Maybe you want to invest in some ‘me time’ and have the freedom to take a bath whenever you want, practice some yoga outside on the deck or investigate the stars and constellations in our immaculate dark skies. 🧘🏼‍♀️ 🌌

💛 So who wants to come and hide at the Hiddle Hut?

🗓️DM for availability and details on how to book a discounted solo travellers stay! 🫶

31/01/2025

✨The magic of truly dark skies can not be described adequately and in my opinion has to be experienced in person. 🤩

🌌 Feeling the awe inspiring and also humbling effects of the vastness of space as well as witnessing astrological phenomena such as the Northern Lights and meteor showers and witnessing the science of millennia playing out before your eyes can be mind blowing and magical! 🥹

💫 The Hiddle Hut was designed for indoor and outdoor stargazing. With a stargazing roof window over the bed you can snuggle in sublime comfort as you fall asleep under the stars! 🌟

📓 Our stargazing equipment and guides as well as outdoor cushions, blankets and stargazing platforms to lie back on to admire the night sky ensure that you can stay warm and comfortable as you navigate the night skies above! 🪐

🔭 If you would like a professional guide to the night sky, only 2 miles from the hut, the experts at the host events throughout the year where you can enjoy an astronomical presentation then a laser guided tour of the night sky. Using large aperture telescopes, you can observe planets, galaxies, nebulae and star clusters! In poor weather there is the virtual planetarium experience where you can enjoy the 3D show while waiting for a gap in the clouds!

🌗 Tag your night sky and aurora obsessed friends in this post and I will send you and them our availability for 2025! 🤩

23/01/2025

📚There is a storm warning this weekend for Northumberland and for many parts of the U.K so you will find me curled up on the sofa reading my book with flames flickering in the log burner and a big mug of coffee by my side! ☕️ I hope this weekend’s hut guests will enjoy doing the same! 😊

🧀 Saturdays are for grazing and I can’t wait to delve into an assortment of cheeses that we bought at this week as well as a selection of charcuterie from who we saw at the last

😋 Our grazing boards are available to order for you to enjoy on arrival at the Hiddle Hut so all you need to do is unpack, open a 🍾 and sit down to eat as even the log burner will already be lit for you! 🔥

🗓️ Drop me a DM for availability in our luxury stargazing cabin!

01/01/2025

😁 As some of you know, I LOVE January! It’s the most exciting month of the year for me! It’s when I make plans, practice self care and even manage a little getaway with James and some gorgeous friends! 🧳

🗓️ The new calendar already has dates circled and trips pencilled in! 🥳 The seed catalogue is already dog eared and my pile of books given to me at Christmas are piled up on the side table next to my chair ready for me to invest in some me time.📚

🤗 I am compiling my list of 2025 goals NOT New Year’s resolutions - I don’t believe in them! I find having goals or intentions are more realistic, achievable and can roll over to another year if necessary. 😜

☺️ My goals and hopes for this year are mainly for our family. That we remain healthy and happy and that Ollie, Phoebe and her partner James fulfil their hopes and dreams! New jobs, travelling, learning new skills and enjoying life! ✈️

🥰 My goals and intentions for my little business are many but this year I am hoping to add another job title to my already extensive list where the Hiddle Hut is concerned! 🤗 All will be revealed later in the year! Needless to say, the Hiddle Hut will continue to evolve in 2025! My main goal is to continue to make every guest feel special and for their stay to be more than they dreamed of! ⭐️

🥰 Hello January, you little beauty! Wrap me up in your inky dark skies, dazzle me with your sparkling frosts and give me the opportunity to stop, reset and plan!

☺️ What are your goals and intentions for 2025? 📋

22/12/2024

🎅🏻Just a few stills of the Hiddle Hut at Christmas time.
I will never tire of hosting our guests and providing a bespoke experience. Personalising each and every stay so that our guests feel special, cared for and valued is at the heart of everything we do! 🥰

💛Finding out what our guests interests are and what brought them to Northumberland is integral to our guests experience. Sharing local walks, seasonal events or details of our fabulous independent and creative businesses and restaurants according to our guests specifications means that each stay is individual to them. 😍

🎄No matter what time of year you book your stay, the Hiddle Hut will become your special place as it will be prepared just with you in mind.

☕️🍫 December stays also have the added bonus of our luxury hot chocolate station with countless treats as well as your delicious welcome hamper!

🌷😎🍂❄️ So which season would you want to visit Northumberland and stargaze in our luxury cabin?
DM for availability and gift vouchers! 🎁

29/11/2024

🎄 So excited to be welcoming our December guests at the Hiddle Hut with some Christmas treats!

☕️ I will be sending them an email to find out what their favourite chocolate treat is so that I can add it to the complimentary Hot Chocolate Station! 🍫

❄️ Check our website for December 2025 and limited 2024 availability!

08/11/2024

🎃 Did you know that around 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins are thrown away in the UK each year after Halloween? That’s the equivalent of 260 million portions of pumpkin pie! 🫨 Well not in this household!

👩🏼‍🌾I use a lot of pumpkins in my Halloween displays for the Hiddle Hut but none of them go to waste!

🥣 Our favourite way to eat 🎃 is in a spicy soup 🌶️
This is my own gf recipe but feel free to tinker with it!

🧅 Ingredients
A pumpkin 1.5- 2 Kg
1 large white onion diced
3 tablespoons of Olive oil
An inch of fresh ginger finely diced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 tblspn of your favourite curry paste (I use Tikka masala paste)
1 sachet of miso soup concentrate
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tin of coconut milk
900 mls veg stock
Crème fraiche or thick cream to serve

🧑🏼‍🍳Method
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut into wedges or chunks (keep the skin on) and tip into a bowl. Mix the tikka paste with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and drizzle over the pumpkin and toss well to coat in the spiced oil. Transfer to a baking tray, spread out evenly and roast for 40-45 mins, turning halfway through cooking, until the pumpkin is very soft when pierced with a fork. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes.
Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until soft. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli flakes, and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant. Pour in the coconut milk, miso concentrate and stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
When the pumpkin is cool enough to touch, use a spoon to scoop the soft flesh from the skins. Add the soft pumpkin to the stock pan, discarding the skins. Remove from the heat and blitz the soup with a hand blender until creamy and smooth. Season to taste, adding extra chilli if you like. Bring to a gentle simmer, then serve in bowls with a drizzle of cream and a pinch of chilli to serve. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds, if you like!
🌶️ Let me know if you try my spicy pumpkin soup recipe!

31/10/2024

🥣 It’s soup season so I thought I’d share with you my utterly delicious Mushroom Soup Recipe! 🍄‍🟫

🧑🏼‍🍳 Throughout Autumn and Winter I make soup most days for our lunch. This one has an earthy umami flavour from the dried mushrooms and the miso and is packed with Vitamin D from the chestnut mushrooms - something that nearly all of us are deficient of at this time of year! It’s filling and luxurious with the addition of the cream cheese and a drizzle of truffle oil! 😋

Here are your ingredients!
Olive oil and butter
1 medium white onion finely diced
1 medium potato diced
1 clove of garlic minced
I/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
Salt and black pepper
350g of Chestnut Mushrooms sliced
30g pack of dried mixed mushrooms
1 sachet of concentrated miso soup
100g of garlic and herb cream cheese
Fresh chives chopped finely
Drizzle of Truffle oil - optional

I use my biggest cast iron pot with a close fitting lid to make my soups.
Soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl of hot water for 30 minutes.
In a large pot, melt the butter and add the oil, soften the onion for 10 minutes on a low heat with the lid on.
Take the lid off and add the diced potato, chestnut mushrooms, garlic and thyme, stirring them to coat with the oil and butter then soften them with the lid on for about 5 minutes.
Take the lid off and add the drained rehydrated mushrooms and seasoning. Strain the soaking water and add to the mushroom and potato mixture, taking care not to add the sediment in the bottom of the bowl. Add the stock to the pan as well as the miso soup concentrate and stir. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potato is soft then blitz with a stick blender.
Add the garlic and herb cream cheese and fresh chives and blitz again to the desired consistency. I like mine quite smooth. Taste for seasonings and adjust to your preference.
Serve in a warmed soup bowl with another dollop of the cream cheese, a sprinkle of the remaining chives and a drizzle of truffle oil if you like it!
Enjoy! 😀
Let me know if you have a go at my recipe! 🥰

10/10/2024

❤️💛💚🩷💜💙🩵♥️
What an incredible evening!
There may have been 🥹 There were certainly whoops of surprise and sheer delight!

🤩 We drove a couple of minutes up the hill to Hadrian’s Wall to see if there was less cloud.

✨Standing at Steel Rigg next to Hadrian’s Wall, directly underneath the Northern lights as they shimmered across the sky is a memory that will never leave me! To share it with Ollie and Phoebe was utterly magical. 😃

🤗To be able to see the movement, colours and building columns with the naked eye was absolutely breathtaking!

🌌 To capture my ‘all grown up’ kids sitting together, watching the moon rise and chatting away under the light of the Milky Way, unaware of me and my camera, was a core memory that I will cherish forever.
I will never take our beautiful dark skies for granted.

💜 The Hiddle Hut has never looked so beautiful, bathed in the light of the Aurora! 🥰

🤗 Where did you see the Aurora tonight?!

07/10/2024

🩷❤️💚💜 She’s back again! Another unbelievable evening watching the NorthernLights dancing across our dark skies above the Hiddle Hut!!

💛 Book your stay in our stargazing cabin via our website. Gift vouchers are available. DM for details!

The Hiddle Hut - Northumberland

07/06/2025

13/02/2025

31/01/2025

23/01/2025

01/01/2025

22/12/2024

29/11/2024

08/11/2024

31/10/2024

10/10/2024

07/10/2024

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