Eastbanks Eco-Bothy

Eastbanks Eco-Bothy is no ordinary holiday cottage.  

Tucked into the fellside on the “barbarian” side of Hadrian’s Wall on a Northumbrian hill farm, this stone cottage is a unique, self-catering hideaway for up to four people.  It offers spectacular views, complete privacy and utter seclusion in a building that has been an integral part of the landscape for hundreds of years.

Cosy and romantic, accessed via its own private gravel road across the fields, the bothy is within easy walking distance of the dramatic central section of Hadrian’s Wall and associated attractions.  It is also close to Greenlee Lough National Nature Reserve and a network of public footpaths, permissive paths, cycle routes and open access land. At Eastbanks, you can literally step out of the door and just keep walking. 

If you have ever wondered about living a low impact lifestyle with renewable energy, the bothy will give you a taste of the experience.  Electricity is provided 24 hours a day by a combination of photovoltaic cells and a small wind turbine, which feed a battery bank, with an auto-start generator as back-up.

The bothy’s unique character will not suit everybody.  It is a small building, set in open pasture. There is no garden, so no fence to contain small children or dogs (though both are welcome).  If you leave the door open, you may find yourself sharing the place with grateful sheep.  There is a small TV/DVD player, but no telephone;  mobile reception normally entails walking up the fell.  There are no outside lights – and officially, Northumberland has the darkest night skies in England.  Local nightlife means badgers and barn owls - though there is a pub serving good food two miles away.  The bothy is accessible in an ordinary car except when it snows, but there are three gates.

   At Eastbanks, you actually live within the scenery, instead of  merely
 looking at it. A particular feature of the bothy’s design is the picture
window forming the whole of the eastern gable end.

The sun setting behind Eastbanks (the winter before it was converted)

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The conversion of Eastbanks Eco-Bothy was supported by funding made available through the Rural Development Programme for England, which is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union.