Springhill Farm Wigwams, Seahouses

I always think it's lovely to get away for a night or two over Christmas. Sometimes the mess, mountains of toys and fridge overflowing with leftovers can just all get too much. We are huge fans of staying in Wigwams and knew that a stay at Springhill Farm near Seahouses would be the perfect place to properly spend some time together.

What is it like staying in a Wigwam?

The Wigwams at Springhill Farm are at the top end of the glamping scale. There is enough seating for five people with a table inside and this area easily converts to a sleeping area at night. The wigwams have their own fridge and kettle plus electric sockets for all important phone charging and they are all fitted with an electric radiator which provided more than enough heat - in fact I had to turn it off when we went to sleep as we were too warm. (Sorry about the mess in the photo's - the children were over excited, rushed inside and made themselves at home before I could even unpack my camera!) Bedding is not provided so you do need to take your own quilts or sleeping bags plus a pillow or you can hire for an additional charge.

There are six wigwams on site and we received a warm welcome as we arrived at the dedicated reception. We were given a quick tour of the facilities and were handed contact numbers should we need any further assistance. I loved the personal and friendly touch which I suspect is one of the reasons why Springhill Farm has recently won Gold and self catering accommodation of the year at the North East Tourism Awards.

People often ask me - what is there to do for kids on this sort of holiday? In all honesty they just love running around chasing each other, playing in the park and helping to build fires. If children don't have an abundance of toys around them they will simply use their imagination and make up their own games. Our children are slightly addicted to playing Minecraft however they didn't mention it once during our whole stay and I never heard them say they were bored. In fact they wanted to stay an extra night and were not ready to leave when we did.

There is a communal kitchen next to the wigwams which is extremely well equipped and has everything you could possibly need - I was impressed to see the tea and coffee jars were full too. The kitchen is for the exclusive use of the wigwams and as there are only six wigwams on site, it never gets busy. There is also a tv in the kitchen should you need it (we didn't but I see how this could be useful). In the afternoon we took a few board games into the kitchen and enjoyed playing these with a nice mug of hot chocolate.

As the sun was setting we decided to build a fire in the pit provided outside of our wigwam. You can buy firewood from the Wigwam reception for £3 per bag. This is a wigwam tradition that the whole family loves and although it was a frosty December evening, the fire provided lots of warmth. Remember to pack marshmallows and skewers to toast them on the fire!

There is a BBQ area in the centre of all of the Wigwams which lights up with fairy lights in the evening and is very pretty - I imagine in the warmer months this area really comes into their own as everybody enjoys an evening BBQ.

Wigwams are charged at £19.50 per adult per night, £14.50 per adult per night and dogs are welcome for only £2.50 per night. This price includes free wifi, all electricity and heating, a fridge, kettle, private pitch with your own picnic table and fire pit and access to all of the superb communal facilities. There are even laundry facilities on site if needed.

What is there to do in the area?

Springhill farm is pretty remote. Just a short walk will take you to secluded and unspoilt beaches and there are lots of country lanes making it perfect for cycling.

It is a short drive into Seahouses centre which is just over a mile away (there are handy taxi numbers in reception should you need them). During our stay we enjoyed lovely fish n chips whilst overlooking the harbour and our children enjoyed watching the boats sailing past. Boat trips depart from the harbour to the Farne islands on a regular basis where you can spot an abundance of wildlife.

In the evening we enjoyed Pizza at Elan in Seahouses which was inexpensive with a very friendly atmosphere. You can take your own alcohol too for £1 corkage.

You can spot Bamburgh Castle across the coast from Seahouses and in fact it is only a 3 mile drive from Springhill Farm. I would definitely recommend a visit (review here) if you are in the area.

In the evening we settled into our Wigwam and all spent some quiet time reading books before bed. The children loved what we called a 'midnight feast' as we let them enjoy some snacks as they read their books all snug in their PJs and sleeping bags. We turned the lights out at about 9:30pm for a much needed early night. We all enjoyed a good night's sleep until about 9am the next morning! That's what sea air does for you.

There are showers and toilet facilities next to the wigwam reception - again they are only to be used by wigwam guests and they were spotlessly clean and although the site was full, they were never busy.

We loved our stay at Springhill Farm - it was a lovely place to get away from it all, enjoy some peace and quiet and spend some quality time together as a family instead of just lying at home in front of the tv.

Springhill farm offers a range of accommodation options - wigwams , cottages , a camping and caravan site and hides. Their bunkhouse really caught my eye and I am keeping it in mind as the perfect place to hire for a birthday celebration. The bunkhouse sleeps 32 and can be hired as a whole unit or on a per bed, per night basis.