Creative Commons licensePhoto by flickr user mikebrown59

One of our favourite counties, vast, beautiful and relatively little visited, Northumberland feels far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. There are miles of empty golden sandy beaches, stunning countryside set amongst two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the rugged Northumberland National Park, as well as more castles than anywhere else in England, the birthplace of English Christianity on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, Hadrian's Wall, Alnwick Garden and pretty towns and villages. What's missing, frankly, are great places to stay. There's a dirth, considering the expanse of the county. We have scoured Northumberland, inspecting numerous establishments and discarding most as ordinary. These, rest assured, are the ones that stood out. We include Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the list. The order by which the hotels are listed bears no reflection on our preference.

Written by Fiona Duncan