The Blackbird, Ponteland

“Historic setting for amazing gin selection” - AA Inspector
PONTELAND, NORTHUMBERLAND
Our View
Ponteland Castle was destroyed by the Scots in 1388 – and the ruins were incorporated into a Tudor manor house that eventually became The Blackbird. Restoration in the 1930s revealed a fine fireplace and an ancient tower, which you can see today. They brew their own Blackbird Bitter and have changing guest beers as well as over 70 gins. On the menu you can expect smoked mackerel and spring onion croquettes; seared calves’ liver; or pan-fried salmon with clam risotto.
Features
- Children welcome
- Children's portions
- Free Wifi
- Garden
- Sports TV
- Closed: 2
- 2
Also in the Area
About The area
Discover Northumberland
If it’s history you’re after, there’s heaps of it in Northumberland. On Hadrian’s Wall you can imagine scarlet-cloaked Roman legionaries keeping watch for painted Pictish warriors while cursing the English weather and dreaming of home. Desolate battlefield sites and hulking fortresses such as Alnwick, Dunstanburgh, Bamburgh and Warkworth are reminders that this, until not so very long ago, was a contested border region. The ruins of Lindisfarne bear witness to the region’s early Christian history.
Northumberland also has some of Britain’s best beaches. On summer days, and even in winter, you’ll see surfers and other brave souls making the most of the coast. Inland, there are some great walks and bike rides in the dales of the Cheviot Hills and the Simonsides – just hilly enough to be interesting, without being brutally steep. There's dramatic scenery in the High Pennines, where waterfalls plunge into deep valleys, and there are swathes of heather-scented moorland. Northumberland National Park covers over 400 square miles of moorland and valleys with clear streams and pretty, stone-built villages. It’s just the place for wildlife watching too. You’ll find flocks of puffins, guillemots and other seabirds around the Farne Islands, and seals and dolphins offshore.
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