Category: Places To Go

Escape from Lumley Castle

By on 14th December 2018in Entertainment, Events, In & Around, Places To Go, What's New?, What's On?

The Legend surrounding a 630-year-old North East castle is to be brought vividly to life, giving amateur detectives the chance to solve a mystery in a UK first.

Lumley Castle Hotel, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, has announced plans to create the country’s first escape room within a historic property.

The 73-room castle has joined forces with the highly acclaimed Escape Rooms Durham, which already runs two games within the city centre, Mr Borrowdale’s Study and Lab Heist.

And the organisation has created a unique new escape room challenge, based on the tragic story of Lily of Lumley, who, in the 14th century, was reputedly thrown down a well by Catholic priests for renouncing her faith.

Lily is said to haunt the castle and there have been many supposed sightings of her ghost over the years – but now everyone who visits Lumley will get the opportunity to come face to face with the tragic heroine.

The escape room is being created in the castle’s former beer cellar and is scheduled to launch on Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2019.

Sam Lupton of Escape Rooms Durham said this will be a unique experience.

“We have worked tirelessly over the past few months to create a game that is not only entertaining but is also completely immersive in its game play and the only one of its kind in the UK,” said Sam.

“We can’t wait to share the experience of Lily of Lumley with visitors to the castle and we’re delighted to be working in partnership with this fantastic hotel.”

Although the story centres around the legend of Lily of Lumley, the experience is set to be family friendly and suitable for anyone over the age of ten.

The Escape Room experience will be open to residents and non-residents alike with the option to add an overnight stay, afternoon tea package, or dinner in the hotel’s highly acclaimed Black Knight restaurant at the time of booking.

Lumley Castle Sales manager Lauren Colledge believes the attraction will be a fantastic asset to the hotel and give visitors another reason to visit.

“This is a very exciting venture for us and we are investing heavily in it,” she said.

It will mean a visit to Lumley will be even more special and we know it will appeal to a wide range of audiences, from corporate guests who want a challenging team building activity to leisure visitors who want to have some fun.”

For more information or to make a booking visit www.escapedurham.co.uk.

Save The Date! Lumiere Returns With Director’s Cut of Past Festival Favourites For 10th Anniversary Edition 14th – 17th November 2019

By on 14th November 2018in Places To Go, What's On?
Lumiere

The biennial Lumiere light festival, produced by leading arts charity Artichoke and commissioned by Durham County Council, will return to Durham city from the 14th – 17th November 2019. Lumiere 2019 will mark 10 years since the festival first launched in Durham in 2009.

Since 2009, Lumiere has become a leading light in the cultural calendar of the North East with a worldwide reputation for excellence. Visitors to the 2019 anniversary edition can expect to see exciting new commissions created by UK and international artists, alongside some of the festival’s most memorable installations from the past decade. The artistic programme is under wraps for now but be the first to know what’s happening by signing up to the newsletter at the newly-revamped festival website, Lumiere-festival.com.

Helen Marriage, Director of Artichoke, comments: “It’s exciting to be planning for this 10 th anniversary edition and I’m especially looking forward to selecting my “Director’s Cut” from previous festivals. Over the last decade, around 150 artworks made by hundreds of artists and technicians have created a magical journey of discovery through the cityscape, involving thousands of community participants”. Sarah Coop, Artichoke’s Development Director adds: “This has only been possible with the help and support of local sponsors and funders large and small. What is so wonderful about Lumiere Durham is that it is a massive community effort. Everyone comes together to make it happen. We are calling on local business to support this spectacular anniversary edition and become proud partners in this event which offers a showcase to the world”.

Since its inception in 2009, Lumiere has grown year on year and now attracts hundreds of thousands of local and national visitors to Durham, looking to experience the historic city ablaze with light. The festival, which contributes significantly to the local economy, experienced a record 240,000 visitors in 2017 across an expanded footprint, with more than half of the installations located outside the central peninsula area.

Simon Henig, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “Lumiere has been really important for County Durham over the past ten years, attracting tens of thousands of visitors and bringing millions of pounds into the economy. Its programme of community engagement has also ensured that residents from across the county are not only able to enjoy the festival but also have the opportunity to get directly involved in it.

“I am very much looking forward to Lumiere 2019, which promises to be another spectacular event. Although the programme has yet to be announced, Heron is the perfect reminder of what we can expect next year.”

It is fitting that the city now known as ‘Place of Light’ should become the permanent home of some of the festival’s installations. On Tuesday 13th November, Heron, an illuminated homage to one of England’s most magnificent birds, will be unveiled as a permanent public sculpture on the banks of the River Wear.

Created by artist Jon Voss and debuted at the 2017 festival, this permanent acquisition has been made possible through the generous support of the Banks Community Fund. Heron adds to a growing collection of public art in Durham City, supported by the Fund and maintained by Durham County Council.

Mark Dowdall, Environment and Community Director at The Banks Group, said: “As a longstanding County Durham-based business, we are proud to be helping to further extend Lumiere’s local cultural legacy by enabling the eye-catching Heron to become a permanent part of the Durham City landscape.

“This is the third permanent Lumiere installation that we have supported through the Banks Community Fund, following Helvetictoc at Clayport Library and Lightbench at Freeman’s Quay, and we believe they all make a positive, long-lasting contribution to both local residents’ and visitors’ enjoyment of our wonderful city.”

Lumiere is made possible through the support of commissioning body Durham County Council, Arts Council England and a host of funders and supporters. Fundraising for the 2019 edition is underway with local developer Arlington being one of the first to sign up. Find out more about how to get involved by contacting Artichoke’s Development Director: sarah.coop@artichoke.uk.com

Places to Go: NORTH BERWICK

By on 11th October 2018in Places To Go
Berwick

Alex Nelson

North Berwick is a small town in East Lothian, Scotland, not to be confused with Berwick upon Tweed which is in England. The latter is on the East Coast Main Line from London to Edinburgh.  North Berwick is on a spur off the main line, and the local trains serve five stations whilst the main line trains pass through.  As a result, to get to North Berwick, passengers from the north east go fast into Edinburgh and come back out on the same route on the local stopping train.  I did this journey on 29th August, staying at the Marine Hotel, and visiting the Sea Bird Centre and Tantallon Castle, but missed out on a visit to the NB Distillery making gin fairly close to the Castle, which I only found out about when I was back at the hotel.  Shame!

I arrived by train and walked to the hotel along the road, but came back – minus my luggage, of course – along the edge of the golf course towards the beach.  I tried some seafood chowder from a little shack on the harbour which was delicious, and they even took my contactless card which saved me from having to find a bank for some cash.  The Sea Bird centre is in the harbour between the two beaches, and the shop and café were open to all, but admission is charged for an interesting exhibition about the life of the gannets and puffins and other sea birds which inhabit this stretch of coast.  There were also boat trips available to go out to the Bass Rock, covered in guano, a polite word for birds**t, and the other islands in the Firth of Forth, and I considered trip later in the afternoon.  But, as the forecast was fine for my trip, I had not brought any wet weather gear.  I thought the boat trip was a bit risky, and plumped instead for the bus trip three miles along the coast to the mystically named Tantallon Castle.

Tantallon, built in the mid 14th Century is in the care of Historic Scotland, so my English Heritage life membership purchased in 1988 proved its worth again.  The bus service 120 to Dunbar operated by a local firm called Eve’s runs every two hours, but the 1 ¼ hours the bus takes to go to Dunbar and back is ideal timing to see the Castle, built by the 1st Earl of Douglas to consolidate his power base in the area.  It stood proud and strong until 1651 when an attack by Oliver Cromwell during his invasion of Scotland reduced it to a ruin.  It was never repaired or inhabited again.   This highly romantic coastal ruin is one where you can climb up two staircases right to the top and walk around, whilst underneath there are proper dungeons too.

Eve’s bus brought me back to town and I found out more about the famous Witch Trials of 1590-2, visited the shops, and noted how the fortunes of the town were revived when the railway arrived in 1850.  Since that time there have been many regular commuters going into Edinburgh every day.  The journey time now is 33 minutes.  Traditionally there has been a ferry north to Anstruther in Fife, and a passenger boat still makes the trip infrequently.  But I took myself to the spa in the Marine Hotel.  I expected to head into town for dinner with my Tastecard which offers 50% off for single diners, but found my hotel offered the best Tastecard deal so headed back there for an excellent dinner.

Easy to Overlook Gems

By on 15th June 2018in Lifestyle, Places To Go
Stormfront Store

Apple reseller Stormfront’s Durham store

Not only is Apple the world’s most valuable company by market capitalisation, but it’s also one of the companies that attracts the strongest loyalty in customers. If you own Apple devices already, you might be excited about buying some others that have recently hit the market – like the PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, updated 9.7-inch iPad and power-packed iMac Pro.

If you fancy giving any of these devices a test run, you don’t necessarily have to journey to one of Apple’s own retail stores in Newcastle’s Eldon Square or Gateshead’s Metrocentre to do so. Durham’s Silver Street is home to a store of one of Apple’s premium resellers, the national retail chain Stormfront. This store offers many of the same benefits as an official Apple bricks-and-mortar outlet…

For example, you can experiment with a range of demonstration units of recently-released Apple gadgets. Employees at the store can give you specialist advice about these products – and if you have previously bought an Apple device that has broken but remains eligible for repair under warranty, Stormfront is authorised to carry out such repair for you.

Especially excitingly, when you purchase a new Apple device here, Stormfront will provide a three-year guarantee with it. That’s two years longer than the standard warranty provided by Apple; hence, you’ve got an extra-special reason to source your Apple supplies from this place rather than one of Apple’s own stores slightly further up north. We can already hear you cry: “iLove it!”

Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Darlington

You would expect an educational institution named after Tudor monarch Queen Elizabeth I to have a history going back centuries – and indeed, this particular college does. Well, to an extent. As a sixth form college, QE – as this establishment is commonly called – wasn’t founded until 1970. However, before this milestone, it was a boys’ school known as Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.

In June 1563, Queen Elizabeth I granted the Royal Charter for the school’s formation. James Pilkington, Bishop of Durham and Henry Neville, Earl of Westmorland were both instrumental in petitioning for this charter. Historical evidence suggests that, while a grammar school might have been attached to St Cuthbert’s Church since the early 13th century, it was both physically and financially beleaguered by the time Pilkington and Neville took the initiative with their petition.

Just over three centuries later, the school moved into its current building, an iconic structure designed by the esteemed architect George Gordon Hoskins, whose other works included the similarly Gothic-looking Middlesbrough Town Hall. The QE building, which can still be seen on Vane Terrace in Darlington, even includes a stone depiction of Elizabeth herself above the main entrance.

Today, QE has approximately 2,000 students in the 16 to 18 age bracket. The college’s academic reputation is stellar, while its alumni include Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham and Theo Hutchcraft of synthpop duo Hurts. We can’t help but think that the Faerie Queene herself would be impressed with how her namesake institution has flourished in the centuries since her reign.

Easy to Overlook Gems

By on 23rd May 2018in Lifestyle, Places To Go

Pontop Pike

When settling down on their sofas to watch Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation live on 2nd June 1953, many residents of the North East would have had a hill to thank for the privilege. No, not Harry Hill or Benny Hill – we do actually mean a raised area of land. Well, more to the point –a transmitting station built on that hill and named after it. The hill in question is Pontop Pike, where the transmission mast still stands between the County Durham towns of Stanley and Consett.

In conventional circumstances, many people of the region in the early 1950s might have actually been denied the opportunity to watch that momentous coronation live at all. However, the mast’s construction was, on the BBC’s initiative, brought forward. Test transmissions only started on 20th April 1953 before the mast first transmitted programmes on 1st May, although this still allowed a comfortable amount of time before the coronation took place on 2nd June.

Today, the mast broadcasts digital television programmes to not only County Durham, but also the neighbouring Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley areas on either side, plus further-flung places like parts of Northumberland and North Yorkshire. The transmitter has not, however, been responsible for analogue television since 2012. At 149 metres (489 feet) high, the mast towers above Pontop Pike itself – which, despite its name having been used for Pontop Pike Park and Pontop Pike Farm in the local area, remains most strongly associated with its transmitting station.

Beamish Open Air Museum

Coal wagon at Beamish Museum entrance

Do you often visit Beamish Museum? We wouldn’t be at all surprised if you do. After all, it’s an amazing open-air museum that proves rewarding with repeat visits – and just one £19.99 ‘Unlimited Ticket’ allows you to make those visits for a year at no extra charge. However, in travelling to the museum, you may have often been struck by the sight of the large coal wagon that stands just outside the museum’s entrance. Yes, the wagon with ‘189’ on it…

Except that, well, that wagon isn’t actually no. 189; instead, it’s no. 389. Yes, it’s incorrectly numbered. That inaccurate numbering has been captured in many photographs over the years – including one in which the museum’s founding director, Frank Atkinson, is sat beside the wagon in 1987. However, as recorded in a Beamish Museum stock list, the wagon – of the 4T cauldron type – is no. 389 and was built in the 1870s for use on the Londonderry Railway.

Many other wagons of the same type and origin are on display – or even operational – in the museum’s colliery area. The mention of ‘Londonderry’ in that previously mentioned railway’s name isn’t primarily referring to the Northern Ireland city also known as Derry. Instead, it refers to the Londonderry family responsible for the 1850s development of this railway, which ran between Seaham and Sunderland and was owned by the Londonderry family until 1906. At that point, ownership passed to the North Eastern Railway company, which helped to develop the UK rail network.

On your bike! Enjoy the local area on two wheels

By on 10th April 2018in Lifestyle, Places To Go
Cycling-mountain-biking-spotlight-1

We certainly live in a stunning part of the country; County Durham has no shortage of rural beauty and awesome architecture, and that’s before we even stop to consider that the area is sandwiched between Tyneside and Yorkshire, which have plenty of great attractions of their own.

However, what you might not have so readily realised is that getting around such places can be much more hassle-free on a bike. Here are some especially good reasons to take up cycling…

It’s a route! Where you can cycle in County Durham

Key to the appeal of cycling in County Durham is the wide choice of routes that you can take while on your bike. Although we don’t have the space to list them all here, we would eagerly single out the 100-mile Teesdale Way – along the River Tees from source to sea – and Link up the Loops, a largely off-road route running for 25 miles between Consett and Chester-le-Street.

If you fancy cycling beyond our county’s borders, we also recommend the C2C Cycle Route, so-called as it can take you from “sea to sea” – from Whitehaven or Workington on the Cumbrian coast, right through to Sunderland on the eastern coast. This is one of the UK’s most popular cycle routes.

Smash fit: get into better shape by cycling

You can also squeeze cycling into more routine aspects of your life, like getting to and from work – and to say that it can make you fitter would be putting it mildly.

In the United States, the National Forum for Coronary Heart Disease Foundation says that cycling regularly can give you the fitness level of a person a decade younger.

Don’t skip a proper equip: useful items for cycling

Obviously, before you can start cycling, you will need a bike. Any good working one will suffice for short journeys; however, if you want to use an old or second-hand bike, consider getting it serviced for roadworthiness first. You will also need a helmet for your own safety.

You could also invest in some good padded shorts to prevent an aching backside, while you can protect your eyes from bugs and stones if you wear sports glasses while riding.

Gym, be the best: if you can’t cycle outdoors

There might be occasions when you don’t want to cycle outdoors; for example, because the weather looks too brutal. However, gym classes of various forms can benefit cyclists.

Those forms include spinning, where you would cycle on fixed gear bikes. You also shouldn’t rule out traditional boxing exercises; they can exercise the upper body that can be neglected during cycling.

York in the road: eagerly anticipating the Tour de Yorkshire

Do you love watching others cycling? This year’s Tour de Yorkshire runs from Thursday 3rd May until Sunday 6th May. While this cycling race competition only started in 2015, last year’s event drew an estimated 9.7 million broadcast viewers, while more than 2 million spectators lined the route. Leeds, Scarborough, Doncaster and Barnsley are among the places the cyclists will visit this year.

Alex Nelson’s Places To Go: Darlington

By on 18th November 2015in Have Your Say, In & Around, Lifestyle, Places To Go, What's New?

Stationmaster Alex Nelson has been suggesting places to go by train every month for ten years. This month, he’s headed to Darlington…

 

 

Over the past few decades, County Durham has been getting smaller. First of all, the county lost Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Stockton and Hartlepool in 1974, followed by Darlington when it became a unitary authority in 1997.

With its population of over 100,000, Darlington is a town famous for many reasons, not least for the world’s first locomotive hauled railway service (from Stockton to Darlington) founded by Edward Pease and his business associates.

The company initially provided only the track, which was hired out to whoever wished to run a train, hauled either by horses or by steam. The transition to standard railway management was a gradual one, spurred on by frequent disputes between drivers over right of way, and by the dangers of the higher speeds of steam locomotives.

The town does have its own railway museum, but it’s been several years since I’ve visited, as opening hours are much reduced. This isn’t at the main Darlington station, sometimes known as Bank Top, but at the original station at North Road, a 20 minute walk north of the town. It’s the first stop on the branch to Bishop Auckland, which runs infrequently, but stops alongside the museum and the shed where the iconic new steam locomotive 60163 Tornado was built in 2008.

North Road Station Museum is known as the Head of Steam, and is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am-3.30pm. There is an admission charge of £4.95, with reductions for concessions and children. The big problem it faces, however, is that despite being a very interesting museum and incorporating the fascinating Ken Hoole Study Centre, it is dwarfed by the National Railway Museum off-shoot at Shildon, just up the line, which is much larger and benefits from free admission.

The Shildon museum is where people tend to gravitate, but on a day trip to Darlington, it’s well worth a visit to the original.

 

The town centre contains many interesting alleyways (or vennels), particularly between the High Street and Skinnergate, which runs parallel to the west, away from the railway station. There are many independent shops and specialist cafes on these vennels.

My wife and I enjoy many of the shows at the Darlington Civic Theatre, which is a more intimate performance space than the likes of the Sunderland Empire or Theatre Royal in Newcastle. The theatre is also close to the railway station for a ride home afterwards, but requires careful planning of train times if you’re to avoid a long wait after the show.

Darlington is also an excellent place to change trains, having a flat floor plan with no bridges or subways between platforms. Watch the indicators, though! Whilst southbound trains routinely leave from Platform 1, northbound from Platform 4, and locals to Middlesbrough/Saltburn from Platform 2/3, these are prone to swap around from time to time.

I learned this the hard way when I foolishly directed a lady on her way to Whitby (via Middlesbrough) to wait with me on Platform 1 whilst her train gently slid out of Platform 4… and it was her last connection. I wrote an apology in the Whitby Gazette and it won Letter of the Week, but the memory still fills me with dread.

On the railway, I’m supposed to know what I’m doing…

Alex Nelson

[cwa id=’test’]

Ramside Hall Hotel Receives First Award Of Its Kind

By on 10th November 2015in Lifestyle, Local Biz, Places To Go, What's New?

A North East hotel is celebrating being the first in the region to receive a new award given out by a leading recognition scheme…

This year the AA has introduced its Silver Star award for hotels which achieve particularly high standards. The Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham, is the only four star hotel in the area to have been awarded the new accolade.

AA inspectors gave Ramside Hall – which has benefited from a £16m investment in the last two years – the Silver Star for its “high standards of hotel keeping, superior level of quality, hospitality, service and cleanliness.”

To qualify, hotels also need to have a current Rosette award for “culinary excellence.”

The new entry in the AA guide for Ramside praises it for combining “the best of both worlds – convenience and tranquillity.”

It goes on to praise the variety of restaurant options and adds that, “bedrooms are furnished and decorated to a very high standard and include some stunning suites. A new addition to the property in 2015 is their spa and leisure facility; one of the finest in the country.”

John Adamson, owner of Ramside Hall Hotel, said he was delighted that the hotel had achieved the new award.

“We have invested heavily in the hotel and our new wing of rooms, second championship golf course and, now, our multi-million spa have all gone towards helping us achieve this Silver Star,” he said.

“It is great to hear our high standards of service and customer care being acknowledged in this way by such a prestigious organisation.                                

“To be one of the first to get the Silver Star and to get an 84 per cent rating from the AA, which is one of the highest in the region, is testament to all the hard work and investment which have taken place at Ramside Hall.”

For further information on the hotel visit www.ramsidehallhotel.co.uk and www.ramsidespa.co.uk.

North East Walks: Crawley Edge

By on 3rd November 2015in Lifestyle, Places To Go, What's New?

Gary Richardson, Darlington-based freelance photographer and writer, details the North East’s best walks. This month, he’s visiting Crawley Edge…

Route Info:

6¼ miles/10.0 Km with 800 feet/240m of ascent
Maps: 1:25K OS Explorer 307 or 1:50K OS Landranger 88
Start: Durham Dales Centre. Grid ref: NY995392 …. Post Code: DL13 2FJ
Parking: Durham Dales Centre car park.
Where to Eat and Drink: Durham Dales Tearooms, 9.00 to 16.00 Tel: 01388 527650

Route Map

A lovely autumnal walk combining riverside strolls along the wooded Stanhope Beck and Shittlehope Burn valley’s, with an airy walk along Crawley Edge, which gives outstanding views over Upper Weardale. The walk starts in the market town of Stanhope in Upper Weardale.

 

Leave the car park and go left along the main road, and walk into the market place. Cross the road and go left down ‘The Butts’ heading towards the river. At the bottom of the road, turn right onto the riverside path, which is followed upstream to the Stanhope Swimming Pool. Turn right past the pool to the main road, go left for a short distance, then go right along a track leading to Stanhope Hall (A).

 

Go right along this and follow it as far as the footbridge across the river. Don’t cross this, but keep on the west side of the stream and follow the path, initially fenced along field edges and then into the woods. Continue through the woods until another footbridge is reached. Cross this and climb the steep steps to join a wide track. Go left along this, through old quarries to reach some derelict mine buildings (B).

Just after passing a large single storey building on the right, take the track going uphill on the right following a wall through gorse bushes to reach a gate. Go right along the track which is followed through Heathery Burn to reach a road. Go directly across the road to reach an old mine track, turn right and follow this downhill. At the buildings go left and then leave the track. Follow the grassy track on the right alongside the wall/fence to reach a gate. Go left along a path through the heather onto Crawley Edge, and continue to reach a fork in the path (C).

Keep straight on along Crawley Edge to reach a road, then turn left uphill to a farm. Go left through the gate and then keep right to pass behind the farm. Find the stream and follow it downstream. As the woods are reached, cross the stream again and follow the path to reach a footbridge. Cross the bridge and go right downstream, following the path through the woods until the next bridge across the stream (D).

 

Cross this then cross the stile into a field. Keep right alongside the wall to a lane between houses. Go along this, then turn left along Woodcroft Gardens to the main road (A689). Turn right and follow this back through Stanhope to the dales centre.

For more of Gary’s work, visit www.garyrichardson.me.

What’s On? November Roundup

By on 2nd November 2015in Entertainment, Events, In & Around, Lifestyle, Places To Go, What's New?, What's On?

Haven’t picked up your copy of this month’s In & Around magazine yet?

Straight from the pages of the North East’s favourite monthly publication, here’s your handy guide to the region’s top events this month!

 

Friday 6th November
Seaham Firework Display
Seaham
Free firework display from 7pm. Find the best viewing point at George Elmy Lifeboat way, opposite Asda.

Saturday 7th November
Durham Does Vintage
The Gala Theatre
Vintage fair is set in the heart of the city. Expect exquisite vintage stalls supplying the finest vintage clothing, jewellery, homeware, kitchenalia, prints, and crockery. Whether you’re a discerning bargain hunter or avid vintage home lover, Durham Does Vintage promises the perfect purchase!

Thursday 12th – Sunday 15th November
Durham Lumiere
Durham
The UK’s largest light festival returns to Durham for the fourth time. Created by Artichoke, one of the UK’s leading arts producer, the world’s most innovative artists and light designers are brought together in a breath-taking and spectacular programme of artworks across four dazzling winter nights.

Saturday 14th – Sunday 15th November
Letters To Santa Weekend
Killhope
Write your letter to Santa and have it delivered by his own highly trained and responsible owls. Enjoy and owl flying display, papercraft activities, mine tours, live music, and a hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Thursday 19th – Sunday 22nd November
Dine In Durham
Durham
Look out for amazing £5, £10 and £15 meal deals in Durham City. If you’re a fan of food, you’ll be spoilt for choice by what’s on the menu. From large national chains to independent eateries, the food offering in Durham City is second to none.

Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd November
Wynyard Christmas Fayre
Wynyard Hall
Find a truly perfect gift among 150 stalls selling the finest local, handmade and artisan jewellery, fashion, decorations and treats. Capture the spirit of Christmas with crackling log fires, tasty mulled wine, and carol singers.

Saturday 21st – Sunday 22nd November
Designer Makers Market
Barnard Castle
Showcasing some of the very best designers and craftspeople from around the region. The emphasis will be on original and contemporary work, with a strong ‘up-cycled’ theme. There will be an opportunity to meet the designer-makers in person and buy unique handcrafted goods of gallery quality.

Saturday 21st November
Nightmare Before Christmas
Rockliffe Hall Hotel
Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine of preparing for Christmas? Before all the bright colours and warm spirits take control, join us in Halloween Town with a larger-than-life-size Jack Skellington and embrace the Halloween Christmas spirits.

Sunday 22nd November
Durham Christmas Light Switch On
Durham Market Place
Annual Christmas Light Switch On event where the lights will be turned on by Father Christmas himself!

Saturday 28th November
Christmas Gift Fair
National Railway Museum Shildon
Get ready for Christmas and enjoy a shopping trip with a difference! Browse a number of stalls including stained glass, ceramics, knitted toys, candles, jewellery, cakes and baked goods, wooden toys, hand-made cards, model railway, preserves and more.

ADVERTISERS