Northumbria always seem to come more or less top of the 'quality of life' tables which appear in the papers from time to time.
A look at the magnificent Callaly Castle helps explain why: rolling countryside, unspoilt beaches and with easy access to charming, vibrant places such as Alnwick, Morpeth and Newcastle, all not far away.
The Lords of Clavering first made their ancestral home here in the 14th century, with Callaly Castle as it now stands dating, for the most part, to the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Claverings moved on around 150 years ago, however, and in 1987 the architect Kit Martin was brought in to divide the family seat into apartments.
It is one of those apartments, the North Wing (originally built in 1727) which has come up for sale at £575,000 with Cooke & Co, via OnTheMarket.com. Split over three floors, it's a three-bedroom home whose centrepiece is the huge main drawing room, with shuttered sash windows overlooking the private garden to front.
The phrase 'master suite' is bandied around with almost reckless abandon by estate agents these days, but theis one really earns the title. Taking up the whole of the first floor is the main bedroom plus suite which really lives up to that billing: the bedroom itself is 18'6" by 21'8", opening out to a similarly-sized sitting room.
There's also a separate study and en-suite bathroom. On the second floor there are two more bedrooms plus a family bathroom.
The North Wing has its own private lawn, but the new owners will also have use of beautiful communal parkland which extends to about 35 acres, with the Calley Burn bisecting it.
Given what is on offer, the price tag seems very reasonable – it's around what you'd pay for a three-bed home in Gosforth, for example – but bear in mind that there is a service charge of just over £1,000 a year to factor in for general upkeep of the building and grounds.
The North Wing of Callaly Castle is for sale at £575,000 with Cooke & Co, via OnTheMarket.com.
Credit: Strutt & Parker
A magnificent castle dating back to William the Conqueror comes to the market
A thousand years of history come together at Otterburn Castle, a spectacular Northumberland castle that has come to the market.
Longhirst Hall: A beautiful country house with a little touch of Ancient Rome
9 utterly magnificent apartments where you can live in splendour at a fraction of the usual cost
An apartment within a listed mansion offers a fantastic mix of affordability, practicality and splendour, as these stunning places show.
Credit: Strutt & Parker
The magnificent apartment that hosted Lloyd George, Churchill and Conan Doyle
This exquisite apartment is situated in the former home of Arthur Balfour.
A ballroom in Bath, the finest view in York, and three more incredible flats outside London
We're all used to seeing fabulous apartments in Britain's capital city – but London doesn't have the monopoly on amazing living
-
A crenellated folly, seven bedrooms and 20 acres in the glorious Welsh landscapePenybont Hall in Powys is a generous family home with plenty of good sense and foolishness.
-
Villa Crusoe: A glorious Devon house, with a private beach, for sale for the first timeWith links to Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, the property will 'meet the requirements of even the most demanding of castaways.'
-
Exotic gardens that delight and surround a Grade II-listed manor for sale in CornwallTrenarth Manor is a property steeped in history that is reflected in its thoughtful interiors and glorious grounds.
-
Keira Knightley's Black Doves home is up for sale — and it's a beautiful villa in the neighbourhood dubbed 'South London’s answer to Notting Hill'The five-bedroom mansion in London’s up-and-coming Crystal Palace stars as the home of Keira Knightley’s character, Helen Webb.
-
A sublime Huf Haus in West Sussex with some of the finest gardens in the countyWhitehanger in the Marley Heights was built in 2011 and is 'functional, affordable and easy to maintain'.
-
World-famous Junction Beat on the River Tweed is up for sale for the first time in 50 yearsBreak out the rod, tackle and chequebook, as one of the world's most celebrated stretches of salmon angling hits the market.
-
A $26 million Hollywood mansion that might be Beverly Hills' prettiestThe former home of supermodel Christina Estrada is a tremendous Italian-style home just off Sunset Boulevard.
-
A five-bedroom family home that would host the perfect Henley partyChurch Field in Fawley is spacious and magnificently well appointed, both inside and out.
