COUPLES could soon tie the knot at a new countryside venue.

Former dairy farmer John Maughan and his wife Lynne renovated the old milking parlour and collecting yard at High Bellridge Farm, Kirkheaton, into two luxury holiday lets during lockdown, welcoming their first guests earlier this year.

They have now submitted an application to Northumberland County Council to use the site for weddings.

Permission has been requested to carry out the ‘solemnisation of civil marriages’, as well as conduct civil partnership ceremonies at the site.

Lynne said: "Our youngest daughter is getting married next year, and wants to get married on the farm, and put a marquee up.

"We talked to the registrars about getting registered to be a wedding venue.

"We're not going to be organising weddings, we're going to do a do-it-yourself thing whereby you rent the properties, get married here, and put a tent or a tipi up and have a self-catering wedding.

"We're not going to do a lot, I think we'll keep it around four or five a year probably."

Hexham Courant: The holiday lets were converted during lockdown.The holiday lets were converted during lockdown.

The two properties can be rented separately but they also have an adjoining door. Together they can sleep up to 10 people.

John, whose family ran High Bellridge as a dairy farm for nearly 100 years, did the majority of the renovation work himself during lockdown.

They opened the holiday lets for guests in March.

"It's going brilliantly," said Lynne. "The reviews are amazing."

Comments on the application must be submitted to Northumberland County Council by July 4.