We would like to welcome people to our home in the village of Rowlands Gill, 7 miles west of Newcastle. We have a small, bright , warm flat on the second floor of our house. It’s really up in the trees. Rowlands Gill is 12 miles from central Durham and historic Hexham with its magnificent abbey is also nearby. The village has a Tesco, two restaurants and a tiny pub. The flat has a good sized living space with a fully equipped kitchen with a hob, electric oven, microwave, kettle, toaster fridge and freezer. There’s a sitting area with TV and a dining table and chairs. There’s also a small double sofa-bed in this room. The other full-sized double bed is in the small bedroom. The flat has its own bathroom with a shower over the bath. The advantage of being at the top of the house is that there are great views into the surrounding trees where squirrels and red kites can often be seen. There are two flights of stairs. The upper flight is narrow and fairly steep with an incomplete handrail. This flight may be unsuitable for some guests. The surrounding countryside has many beauty spots and lots of opportunities for walking and cycling. Bikes can be kept in the garage or in the back porch. Hadrian’s Wall and Kielder Reservoir and Observatory are well within reach. The village has a tea shop, a sandwich shop, a newsagent and a hairdresser all within a short walk and there are various takeaways nearby. There’s a children’s playground, a chip shop and a riverside field for picnics and ball games. Gibside Chapel and Pleasure Grounds has a large children’s play area and lots of other National Trust properties are just a short drive away. There is other accommodation in the house so if you have more than 4 people in your group contact me. Other listings in this house see “Spacious suite of rooms nr Newcastle” and “Lovely balcony room with breakfast nr Newcastle” Guests reach the flat by using the front door, the hall and stairwell, all of which are used by ourselves and sometimes by other guests. The flat is otherwise self-contained and has a locking door. I will be at home and available most of the time but guests will have keys to the house and flat and can come and go as they please. If I’m not at home I’m available on my mobile. We are in a quiet residential area. There is a small wood at the top of the street which leads on to a larger woodland called Chopwell Wood where there are mountain-biking tracks and good walking. There is a frequent bus service to the Metrocentre and to central Newcastle from the bottom of Orchard Road. The house is situated in mature gardens. Some of the paths are very slippery even when dry so although guests can access the gardens they do so at their own risk. As previously mentioned the top flight of stairs is narrow and rather steep and has an incomplete hand rail. The bottom flight of stairs has no hand rail to the bottom 2 steps.