Probably the best and most-famous open air museum in the UK, Beamish Museum depicts life in the North-East of England from the 1820’s through to the 1950’s. This guide will take you through spending a day at Beamish Museum. In the green rolling hills of… Read More »The Perfect Day at Beamish Museum, Durham
A short walk from Durham’s city centre, lies a little secret garden and medieval hall. Now a National Trust property, I’ll guide you through a trip to Crook Hall Gardens Crook Hall Gardens has been a long standing favourite of visitors to Durham for many… Read More »A Trip to Crook Hall Gardens in Durham
I recently had a quick sneak peak at the Park Head Hotel in Bishop Auckland and it’s time to show you exactly what’s on offer ahead of its 1st February opening. The regeneration of Bishop Auckland continues with the iconic Park Head Hotel receiving the… Read More »A Sneak Peak at the Park Head Hotel in Bishop Auckland
The Auckland Project aims to completely transform and revitalise the town of Bishop Auckland in North East England. Bishop Auckland was once one of the most important places in northern England with it being the home of the Prince Bishops of Durham and The Auckland Project has put Bishop Auckland back on the map. Read on to find out exactly why you need to visit The Auckland Project.
Barnard Castle is a beautiful market town in County Durham in the North East of England; just a forty minute drive from the city of Durham. I’ve wanted to visit for a number of years now but for some reason it just never transpired. My intrigue for the town grew with every drive through on the way to the A66 and on to other areas of the country. However, Barnard Castle shot to fame (and I was going to try so hard not to mention this) during the Covid-19 pandemic as THE place Dominic Cummings drove to specifically to check his eyesight…
With the relaxing of lockdown rules, I was finally able to have my family visit for the first time in 18 months and we spent a lovely Sunday exploring Barnard Castle. Now I’m sure that you will have heard of this town in County Durham but what you might not know is that it is absolutely amazing. As I’m trying to show with my ‘It’s Not Grim Up North’ series, Barnard Castle could easily hold its own if it was in a different area of the United Kingdom. Barnard Castle is definitely a place that’s worth a weekend visit; full of pubs, antique shops and a ruined castle overlooking the River Tees.
Less than five miles north of Durham, on the banks of the River Wear, lie the ruins of Finchale Priory. One good thing to come out of the repeated Covid-19 lockdowns was the opportunity to re-focus and explore much closer to home. Finchale Priory being… Read More »Exploring the Ruins of Finchale Priory in Durham
On 21st December 2019, Emma and I got married at Doxford Barns in Northumberland which was absolutely incredible. Whilst we planned for to go on our honeymoon to Australia and New Zealand in April 2020 (look how that turned out – cheers coronavirus!), we wanted… Read More »Hotel Review: Seaham Hall, England
As I mentioned in my last post, instead of travelling to far-away places I’ll be keeping things local and will be exploring much closer to home. For the time being at least. This doesn’t mean that there won’t be a few trips with flights above… Read More »An Afternoon at Raby Castle
Norman Cornish is a very popular artist from the old mining town of Spennymoor in County Durham. This is a guide to the trail around the town showcasing the areas that Norman Cornish sought inspiration from.