NESTLED in the Northumberland countryside is a pretty village that dates back to the second century.
It has Roman roots, and looks like it goes back years thanks to its stone buildings and nearby historical ruins.
Corbridge village in Northumberland has traditional stone cottages[/caption]
There are plenty of independent shops, cafes and restaurants on the high street[/caption]
The village of Corbridge is 16 miles out of Newcastle and it caught the attention of The Times last year, all thanks to its high street.
The publication ranked it as number four in its list of seven loveliest high streets in the UK, praising its unique independent shops and cafés.
It said: “If you’re visiting this postcard-pretty Northumberland town to indulge one of these niche interests, the good news is there’s a fantastic high street too.
“Try Baby at the Bank for cute kidswear, sold in a former bank (babyatthebank.co.uk); or there’s RE for furniture (“an eclectic mix of the raRE, REmarkable, REcycled, REscued and REstored”; re-foundobjects.com) and Corbridge Larder, where you can stock up on fine local foods — chutneys, pies, cakes — after taste-testing them in the adjoining café (corbridgelarder.co.uk).
“The Angel of Corbridge, built in 1569, is a lovely pub with rooms, moments from St Andrew’s Church and Market Place — the venue for many of the above events.”
Lots of the shops are independent, and there are lots of beauticians, hairdressers, cafés, restaurants, pubs and delis.
Part of the village’s charm is thanks to its buildings with stone exteriors that give it an old English look.
But Corbridge does itself have a rich history dating back to the Roman period.
On the outskirts of the village is the famous Hadrian’s Wall where visitors can walk on the original surface of its Roman main street.
The museum has artefacts like the Corbridge Hoard, which is a Roman time capsule that was buried in the 2nd century AD.
There are plenty of pubs and restaurants throughout Corbridge[/caption]
The site of Hadrian’s Wall is managed by English Heritage and is open daily, 10am – 5pm. Tickets for adults start from £12.70 and children from £7.70.
It’s not all about history though, around 4,000 people live in Corbridge where the locals set up and attend regular events.
There’s the Steam Rally which annually takes place in the summertime, where there’s over 700 exhibits of steam engines, vintage cars, and tractors.
There’s also a bar, fairground, live music and food stalls.
It holds A Midsummer’s Evening in Corbridge which has market stalls, street food, live music, dance and late night shopping.
Each year on the first Monday in December, the village hosts Christmas in Corbridge with carol singing, food stalls and late night shopping.
To get to Corbridge, the best link is up to Newcastle then jump on the Tyne Valley Line to the village which takes just under 40 minutes.
Plus, there’s read more on the tiny pretty village in ‘trending’ English county that has its own castle and beach.
And a historic English town in Northumberland that used to be a city and is now one of the happiest places to live.
Here’s The Times’ list of the seven loveliest UK high streets…
- Lymington, Hampshire
- Narberth, Pembrokeshire
- North Berwick, East Lothian
- Corbridge, Northumberland
- Greenwich, London
- Royal Hillsborough, Co Down
- Stamford, Lincolnshire
Corbridge has one of the prettiest high street’s in the UK[/caption]
