Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Corbridge
The jewel in the Tyne Valley's crown, the pretty village of Corbridge has lots of independent shops and plenty of places to eat, and it even has a rich Roman history worth exploring
Eat
There are a number of good cafés to choose from in Corbridge, including the perennial favourite the Watling Coffee House, The Corbridge Larder and Massey’s Tea Room. For Italian head to Casa Rosso or Il Piccolo, or try The Angel of Corbridge for traditional pub grub, and takeaway fish and chips from The AngelFish in their car park. The Black Bull is another popular pub on Middle Street, and for curry, the Corbridge Tandoori in the Market Place and The Valley (south of the river) are both very good. Sycamore is a neighbourhood bistro serving brunch, lunch and dinner and Bar 3 is their popular ground floor bar serving great cocktails, whilst The Pele is a unique and intimate bar in the village’s historic 13th century pele tower serving quality craft ales, wines and spirits along with speciality coffees and teas over three floors.
Sleep
There are plenty of good self-catering options in the village. The Coach House is a two-bedroom holiday home close to the centre of the village with its own private garden, whilst The Stable is a cosy retreat for couples. In the middle of the village, Kenmore is a pretty, two-bedroom property with a private patio. Just north of Corbridge is the stunning five-star Matfen Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Estate. This luxurious country house hotel which has recently undergone extensive refurbishment is set in 300 acres of parkland, and is home to excellent restaurants, a 27-hole golf course and The Retreat with indoor pool, thermal suite and treatment rooms.
Browse
RE in Corbridge has fantastic, colourful homeware and an ever-changing collection of unusual things you’ll definitely want to take home, while Dyvels offers a great mix of furniture, homeware and lifestyle products. Corbridge Garden Room has a range of eclectic gifts, homeware and garden accessories, and in the converted chapel, Forum Books is well-known for its vast range of books and its literary events. On Middle Street, Shorts is popular for men’s fashion, and the Corbridge Cookshop is an old favourite for all things kitchen-orientated. The Corbridge Larder is definitely worth popping into for delicious local produce and also on Hill Street, Jessie Juniper and Chapter 38 cater for lovers of ladies fashion and Saunders & Pughe is where to go for beautiful designer jewellery.
Don’t Miss
Discover Corbridge’s rich heritage at Corbridge Roman Town, where you can wander around the remains of the former Roman town. At The Corbridge Museum you can see the Corbridge Collection, the largest of the Hadrian’s Wall collections managed by English Heritage. There are more than 150,000 artefacts which paint a vivid picture of life in this outpost of the Roman Empire, including the famous stone carved Corbridge Lion. The village sits on the banks of the River Tyne, so when you’ve finished exploring there are lovely riverside walks east and west should you want to stretch your legs.
Around the corner
Just north of the village, on the Military Road, ibbi, renowned for their brightly-coloured homeware, furniture and textiles, are based at Vallum Farm, and it’s here you’ll also find the much-lauded Michelin-starred Restaurant Pine, hand-poured Hamish Candles and Hygge at Vallum: four luxury cabins surrounded by rolling Northumberland countryside. If you’re more of a history buff head to Aydon Castle, a 13th-century haunted manor house well worth exploring. Adventure seekers should try Go Ape just outside Matfen, and food lovers should also note the outstanding Restaurant Hjem further west at Wall, which also has a Michelin star and 11 bedrooms should you wish to stay over.
