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Bed and Breakfast Gilsland Accommodation Cumbria

Gilsland is a unique village straddling the boundary line of the two counties of Cumbria and Northumberland. Hadrian's Wall close to the heart of the village and can be seen from Tantallon House. The village has a 2 pubs and a convenience store, which are around 5 minutes walk from our Bed and Breakfast.

Gilsland Attractions near our Bed and Breakfast

The Poltross Burn Milecastle, which is just south west of Gilsland village, near the old railway station, offers the visitor a clear idea of a Roman Milecastle. The Vellum defensive ditch becomes the pathway leading eastwards about 3 miles to Carvoran Roman Army Museum, the nearest fort to the East. There is an excellent museum which provides a brilliant video giving a dramatic view of what the Wall was like in Roman times.

What a wonderful find! Beautiful hosts - we would have loved to stay longer at Tantallon House! - B Lyn and J Lack, Tazmania.

Westwards, the Hadrian's Wall runs on the south side of the spectacular River Irthing and you can see Tantallon House Bed and Breakfast on the north side of the Irthing Valley from Hadrian's Wall Trail. The path descends through fields to the remains of the old Roman ramparts of the Willowford Bridge. The Wall then climbs an embankment up the side of the ravine to continue on to Birdoswald Fort, a distance of 2 miles from Gilsland. We can provide you with an excellent map to help you plan a wonderful walk around the area.

Gilsland Village History

The Irthing Gorge with its spectacular ravine, through which the Irthing River runs, is a must for visitors to explore; it is beautifully wooded with pathways winding across two bridges to ancient woodland. In the past, the Gilsland Spa drew many visitors seeking health cures by drinking its waters. Its popularity gave rise to the village of Gilsland becoming the "Harrogate" of the North West. The visitors caused an explosion of construction of large attractive boarding houses which caused the village to expand into a thriving commercial centre containing a surprising number of flourishing shops for a village of such humble beginnings.

Gilsland was popularized by Robbie Burns, Coleridge, the famous novelists and also drew Sir Walter Scott who proposed to his future wife in the Irthing Gorge. Thousands of visitors poured into Gilsland for weekend breaks by train on the Carlisle to Newcastle railway. The visitors visited the place where Sir Walter Scott popped the question which is now known as Popping Stones. The Irthing Gorge became a spot associated with romance and secret liaisons where the various classes of people rubbed shoulders with one another as they bathed in the pool set by the river and enjoyed the walks around the Gorge.

Gilsland Village Tourism

The Gilsland Spa Hotel, a cooperative venture since the turn of the century, had many attractions and visitors, young and old, who enjoy its spectacular views, walks and hospitality. The hotel and village were kept immaculate by an army of gardeners which gave employment to many who lived in the area.

From being a bustling little spa town for well over a hundred years, Gilsland declined in the middle of the 20th Century with the advent of the package tours to Europe. The reopening of Hadrian's Wall in 2002 has revived the village's fortunes again and it is interesting to see how former boarding houses have been revived for new visitors to stay in the area.

Today, Gilsland has a primary school, a Convenience Store, and two pubs, one of which serves food as well as the Gilsland Spa Hotel. We also have The House of Meg's coffee house and café in the centre of the village. Gilsland is an excellent location to base your stay in the Hadrian's Wall area and provides easy access to local towns and places to visit such as Haltwhistle, Brampton, Bewcastle, Carvoran Roman Army Museum and Birdoswald Roman Fort.