Belle View Holiday Cottage Weardale

19/09/2024

Its the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness! Belle View cottage has a few small apple trees in the garden which we planted when we arrived, and today we harvested our first crop. OK, its one apple (Laxton's Epicure) but we ate and enjoyed it!

Weardale looks glorious at this time of year with the autumn colours, the bracken on the moor turning brown and berries on the trees.

Have you booked your next visit?

12/09/2024

Yesterday our local tourism network held its meeting at Raby Castle, just a scenic ride over into Teesdale from Belle View Cottage.
The Rising looked amazing, with beautiful gardens and the backdrop of the castle.

01/09/2024

Coming back from the mine road towards Belle View cottage - the views are amazing in all directions!

28/08/2024

Step out of the door of Belle View Cottage and walk along the old mine road for a pleasant stroll. Just sheep and birds for company. From here you can walk up to Pawlaw Pike, a great viewpoint, or explore down the Hawkwood Burn with trickling waterfalls. Phil can offer plenty of suggestions to plan your day. The choice is yours!



Drone video courtesy of our friend Chugs (Kah Chung Chan)

26/08/2024

We have Dark Skies accreditation from Visit County Durham!

Belle View cottage is officially dark skies friendly - our cottage faces the moor, offering great views of the night sky. We include binoculars in the cottage for guests to use, and information about the night sky area or set your phone for one of the many apps to identify the stars and planets.

At the end of October there is also the North Pennines Stargazing Festival with organised events in the area: https://www.thisisdurham.com/whats-on/north-pennines-stargazing-festival-2024-p1121211

Great to welcome Belle View Holiday Cottage into our Accreditation scheme.

If you wish to join them and other 27 Durham businesses in promoting your business as Dark Sky friendly, check out our the helpful resource here 👇
http://tinyurl.com/5ydc2rxu

25/08/2024

Our friend Chugs came over for a few days. While he was here he took a few drone shots. Thought you might like to see the house and Belle View cottage from above,

25/08/2024

We have one week remaining before October for you to stay at BELLE VIEW COTTAGE in beautiful Weardale in the Durham Dales. Based up on the moors above Frosterley, the cottage sleeps 3 (one king, one single), has a spacious lounge, enclosed garden and free, ample parking. We welcome up to two dogs at no extra charge.
Walks from the door across the moors or along the Bollihope Burn, plus many lovely places to visit in easy reach - Beamish, High Force, The Auckland Project, Hadrian's Wall.

Friday 30 August to Friday 6 September available for £602. And you'd be here to enjoy the first of our annual agricultural shows - the Weardale Show at St John's Chapel.

https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

The calendar for 2025 is now open to secure your choice of week for next year, and we accept short breaks over the winter period.

15/08/2024

Colin one the guests staying in the cottage this week managed to see the Aurora from the bedroom. Thanks for for the photo Colin. I'm going to have to stay awake more often now :-)

14/08/2024

Up on the moor behind Belle View Cottage this evening the heather is in full bloom.

13/08/2024

If you are into Instagram, Belle View cottage now has an account if you'd like to follow!

0 Followers, 2 Following, 6 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Belle View Cottage ()

12/08/2024

Lovely sunset from the garden this evening.

10/08/2024

Not far from Durham is the lovely Finchale Priory, sited on the River Wear and founded in 1196 on the site of the hermitage of St Godric. Interestingly, there is also a well at Wolsingham dedicated to St Godric and St Aelfric. The priory is now a ruin, but the setting is glorious and also an ideal picnic spot.

06/08/2024

There's so much of interest in County Durham - as well as plenty of good things to eat including Weardale Cheese and Durham Mustard!
Start your journey of discovery by coming to stay at Belle View Cottage. Bookings for 2025 now open.

03/08/2024

Imagine yourself sitting here in the garden, relaxing, admiring the view, reading, listening to the birds - your next break at Belle View Cottage is waiting! Book now - https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

15/07/2024

Had a short walk a Blanchland. It's a lovely place and the drive over from Belle View Cottage is great. There is plenty of parking and a Pub and Tearoom.

30/06/2024

This week we discovered somewhere new to visit: South Tynedale Railway. We took the train from Alston Station to Slaggyford through beautiful Cumbrian countryside. At Slaggyford there is the Buffet Car cafe with some very tasty cakes.
Both stations are staffed by friendly, enthusiastic volunteers. On a nice day it is lovely to get off part way and walk alongside the track on public footpaths - there are wooden sculptures en route to amuse the children.
Back at Alston you can get a cuppa and visit the workshop - from the viewing gallery you can watch volunteers restoring stock.
At weekends there are steam trains and the Hub museum is also open.
Well worth a visit! See their website for more information and details of special events:
https://www.south-tynedale-railway.org.uk/
Just one of the many railway-related places to visit from Belle View Cottage.
https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

28/06/2024

A lovely young couple have just enjoyed a week at Belle View cottage and left this unusual, if amazing, review in the guest book!
https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

19/06/2024

Had a visitor in the garden today. Just in front of the cottage lounge window. It's a Woodcock.

17/06/2024

The 2025 calendar is now open for Belle View cottage, so this is your chance to secure your choice of dates for next year! We take 7 night bookings all year, short breaks in winter.

The cottage sleeps 3 (one king, one single), has a separate kitchen, enclosed garden, private parking and welcomes up to 2 dogs at no extra charge.

There are also a few weeks still available for this year.

Don't miss out!

https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

04/06/2024

Weardale is an ideal place to visit at any time of year, whether you want spring lambs, heather on the moor or to see the local agricultural shows. BELLE VIEW COTTAGE in Bollihope gives a great base to explore the area - plenty of walks from the door over the moors and down the streams, or go down the dale to see waterfalls and pretty villages, or a little further afield for some of the local attractions like Beamish living history museum or The Auckland Project.

We have a few weeks left over summer, or plan a short break with us in winter. Book online for the best price.
https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

30/05/2024

Here's something different! Take a drive all along the dale towards the market town of Alston, but stop off at Nenthead - a village that came into being through the lead and zinc mine. The mine is now run by volunteers and periodically they have open days with tours.
https://www.nentheadmines.com/

However, there is also a hidden gem! A miniature village created by a retired miner, Lowson Robinson. The model village can be seen from the footpath (its in his large garden) and he collects donations for local charities. Some of the buildings are replicas of local structures, others more famous (Graceland!!); some have sound effects and moving parts! The attention to detail is fantastic.

Its well worth a visit - just one more place to see when you stay at BELLE VIEW COTTAGE. https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

29/05/2024

August and September are great months to visit Weardale as we have the agricultural shows.

The first one is the Weardale Show which this year takes place on Saturday 31 August at St John's Chapel. It will be the 154th show with plenty to see and do, from the dog show and equestrian events, to dry stone walling, having a go at bale stacking, to the craft and produce tents.

The good news is that BELLE VIEW COTTAGE has that week still available - from Friday 30 August to Friday 6 September at a price of £651 for the week.

Book now so you don't miss your chance - and as previous posts have shown, there is plenty of things to do during the rest of your stay!
https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/availability
https://www.weardale-show.co.uk/

The 153rd Weardale Show is now complete. Thanks to all the visitors, competitors, exhibitors and sponsors for making it another fun day for everyone. We will soon be starting preparations for the Weardale Show. We hope to see you all again on for a bigger and better show than ever!. The links below....

28/05/2024

There is a wealth of choice of walks for guests to do from BELLE VIEW COTTAGE. If you want a short stroll, guests can go down to Bollihope and walk along the burn to the Forgotten Quarry. Those wanting a longer walk can tackle the Elephant Trees, Pawlaw Pike or sections of the Weardale Way.

One of our favourites is to walk up to the Hawkwood Burn, along the old mine railway track with great views of the fell - an ideal spot to sit and listen to the stream trickling past. Wherever you go, you will hear birdsong and have red grouse leaping up as you walk. And in season the fell is purple with the heather.

Get your boots on!
https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

27/05/2024

Another popular place guests staying at Belle View Cottage like to visit is the iconic HADRIAN'S WALL. Several sites including Steel Rigg, Corbridge, Vindolanda, Chesters and Housesteads are very accessible on a day trip from the cottage.

There is plenty to see, set in an incredibly wild and rugged landscape; whether you want to walk a section, visit the museums or the Roman forts.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hadrians-wall/
https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

26/05/2024

The Bowes Museum is a little bit different - imagine a French Renaissance chateau on the edge of Barnard Castle! It was built by John Bowes and his wife Joséphine to house their collection of objects d'art, and opened in 1892.

The rooms transport you back in time to the days of the Grand Tour, to an aristocratic lifestyle no longer enjoyed. There's plenty to amuse the youngsters too. One of the highlights, recently restored, is the 250 year old automaton silver swan, who performs daily at 2pm.

There's an award-winning cafe on site too! And again, Belle View guests can have a discount code.

Set just outside Barnard Castle market town, there's plenty to do for a whole day out.

https://thebowesmuseum.org.uk/
https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

25/05/2024

Another gem hiding in our dale is the Weardale Museum and High House Chapel at Ireshopeburn (pronounced Eyes-up-burn'.

Weardale Museum is located in the heart of Weardale. It is a small, volunteer run, folk museum dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of Weardale and its people. There are photographs, documents and ephemera and some furnished rooms to take you back in time - useful for both visitors and researchers.

Do your ancestors have links with this area? Weardale Museum is the home of the Weardale Genealogy service which maintains the family history for over 70,000 people and families linked with Weardale and the surrounding areas.

High House Chapel was in continuous use for over 250 years, making it one of the longest serving Methodist chapels. The chapel is now owned by the Trustees of Weardale Museum who aim to preserve this unique piece of history. The Chapel is not currently open to visitors as major restoration work is underway.

The Methodist Tapestries present the history of Methodism via the medium of needlework. Some panels are on display in the musueum and there are plans to display in the proposed Weardale Museum and Heritage Centre. In the meantime there are a number of exhibitions of the tapestries around the area - keep a look out!

Well worth a visit, and a lovely drive up the dale through the various villages from Belle View Cottage to reach it!

https://weardalemuseum.org.uk/
https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

24/05/2024

We're continuing our showcase of places to visit and things to do when you stay at BELLE VIEW COTTAGE with a look at our local heritage railway. The Weardale Railway has a station in Frosterley, just a couple of miles from the cottage (check out the fine example of Frosterley marble on the platform) or you may choose to drive to the next village of Stanhope to start and end your journey, as there is a the Platform One cafe as well as sales of local crafts (open Wednesday-Sunday in summer).

The line is open for 16 miles to Bishop Auckland, and passes through some beautiful countryside. Get a new view of Weardale!

Featured on Robson Green's 'Weekend Escapes' programme, the railway also offers some special trips - Afternoon Tea trains, Gin and Cheese trains as well as Driver Experiences.

This Bank Holiday your train ticket will also entitle you to 10% discount off entry to the Auckland Project including the newly opened Auckland Castle gardens. Guests staying at Belle View also get 10% off their rail tickets.

https://www.weardale-railway.org.uk/

https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

23/05/2024

We've been showcasing all the exciting places you can visit when you are staying at BELLE VIEW COTTAGE. However, I thought it worth pausing for a moment to remind you how lovely the cottage is! You might like to come and see for yourself - we still have some weeks available over the summer and short breaks in winter.

www.weardale-cottage.co.uk

22/05/2024

Often guests at Belle View Cottage decide some days they don't want to travel far - relaxing in the garden is too beguiling! Just over the hill, in the valley of Weardale itself, lie the pretty villages that make up Weardale. Only 6 miles away - with a stunning drive over the moorland and down Softly Bank is the village of Stanhope.

The village has a lot to offer. The Norman church of St Thomas in the centre of the village, who's treasures include a Roman altar, more fonts than many churches can boast, including one of Saxon origin and a fossilized tree in the churchyard.

Off the market place are two pubs, and by the church is the Durham Dales Centre, home to a variety of independent craft shops as well as the cafe and gift shop offering a range of quality goods.

Stanhope has a bakery, butchers and Co-Op as well as some more traditional local shops. If you're lucky you may catch the farmers' market that takes place twice a month in the church hall or hear Stanhope Silver Band playing at a concert in church or at the agricultural show.

https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/

21/05/2024

Continuing the posts of things to see and do if you come for a visit to Belle View Cottage, we are now moving to Bishop Auckland and one of the premier attractions of the county. The Auckland Project has taken on the Bishop's Palace and built a range of interesting places to visit, all set on the square which looks modern and inviting.

The BISHOP'S PALACE is set in lovely grounds and you can walk around the deer park. The castle itself has plenty of treasures to see and stories to tell.

Linked in to the castle is the new FAITH MUSEUM - looking at the development of different faiths from pagan stones to Christianity and beyond, through art and artefacts and an incredible art installation.

Back in the Market Place there is the MINING ART GALLERY with examples by many painters, including Norman Cornish, portraying the hard life many of the men of Bishop Auckland would have endured.

Just by the Gallery is the AUCKLAND TOWER which you can climb (or take the lift) to see panoramic views of the area.

Across the way is the SPANISH GALLERY - an incredible space showing religious and iconic paintings by Spanish artists which have been extremely well displayed. Next door is El Castillo tapas bar if you feel like extending your visit to Spain!

So there is plenty to see and do in Bishop Auckland! And again, guests staying at Belle View can have a discount code.

https://aucklandproject.org/

https://www.weardale-cottage.co.uk/