Bellingham Golf Club

Bellingham Golf Club sits on moorland just outside Hexham, a proper working course that's been here for over a century. It's a nine-hole layout - nothing flashy, nothing trying to be Augusta, just good honest golf on terrain that actually tests you. The course winds through typical Northumberland countryside, which means wind, which means you'll need to know what you're doing with a club.

This is for golfers, frankly. Not beginners having a laugh, but people who actually want to play. Green fees aren't cheap, but the course isn't trying to milk tourists either. You're looking at a couple of hours for nine holes if you're not terribly slow. Summer weekends can get busy, so phone ahead.

What makes it work for a holiday is the location. You're five minutes from Bellingham Camping and Caravanning Club Site, which is properly convenient, and Demesne Farm Campsite is even closer if you want something quieter. If you're basing yourself in the area - and you should be, there's walks galore around here - it's a decent break from the Pennine Way or whatever you've got planned. The club itself is welcoming enough to visitors, though they won't pretend you're anything other than a day visitor.

Worth doing if golf's your thing. Skip it otherwise.