What a weekend, we had a fantastic time loved every minute all the staff were amazing from the guys greeting us to the servers to our reception brilliant and lovely people. I have to say a special shout out to arnold our waiter what a lovely guy and the fella who worked behind the bar in the compass bar you gyys gave us special treatment i cannot thank you all enough x

Lovely location on end of accessible prom. Good cup of tea and lovely cake and highlight was the local folk band who play live every Saturday morning. Fabulous experience.

Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, 15 miles (24 km) west of Middlesbrough and 20 miles (32 km) south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" and one of the largest settlements in North East England. The town is linked to London, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh by the East Coast Main Line and the A1. Darlington is a beautiful, historic borough right in the heart of the North East. As a shopping destination, Darlington is second to none. We have a thriving independent business scene, as recognised when the town centre was awarded with the title of one of top independent high streets in the UK in 2023. From luxury fashion to handmade homewares, and artisan bakeries to jewellery makers, we have it all! There's also a fantastic array of high street names and a department store to browse too. When the lights go down, catch a show at the wonderful Darlington Hippodrome or watch a gig at The Forum. See the latest film at Vue or the Odeon cinema and there’s also plenty of amazing restaurants, bars and clubs in the town centre. Try one of our award-winning cocktail or real ale bars in which you’ll find that great north eastern welcome. There’s also plenty of accommodation to choose from which suit a range of tastes and budgets. From 5-star golf resorts and spas to cosy bed and breakfasts. The area is justifiably proud of its world famous rail heritage, so no trip would be complete without a visit to the newly redeveloped railway museum, Hopetown. With support from National Lottery funding, the museum boasts new purpose-built and heritage buildings, new exhibitions, virtual 4D reality experiences and a playground.

Horrible histories Egypt was incredible. What an experience. My four year really enjoyed it. The second half in 3d was a fun surprise, a few little jumps that my son found funny. The three actors were spectacular and performed wonderfully. All credit to them for keeping a four yr old engaged for nearly 2 hours. The theatre is well kept, spacious, comfy seats. Excellent all round

Hopetown brings to you a captivating fusion of interactive railway heritage and family friendly fun. Quite attractive to the playful and curious minds. My kids and I had a fun filled day throughout our visit.

Really interesting venue! Great place to have a wander and a coffee. We also had a talk about the Pitmen Painters, an art club set up by minors which ran until the pit closures in the 1980’s.

Outstanding standard of accommodation with ALL mod cons + thoughtful, quality and generous welcome goodies. Spacious, Loads of storage, comfortable furniture & quality appliances Very clean!!! Location ideal, river view beautiful. Hosts are friendly, welcoming, hospitable & knowledgable about the area and shops , pubs, attractions - a wadge of hard copy info provided in the flat; clear about accommodation facilities without being intrusive.

Crook Hall Gardens is a little gem hidden away close to the centre of Durham city. It's a beautiful place to spend a couple of hours. The gardens are very relaxing and lovely to stroll around. There are some great spots for photographs, especially with the cathedral in the background. The maze was great for young and old. We visited on a bank holiday and it was busy but not too crowded. The café could just about cope and the staff did well to get through the queue as quickly as possible. Only downside was the wait for the toilets. Other than that, we loved it and will definitely be back.

Beautiful cathedral and very picturesque. It's free to go inside and if you are feeling fit enough, you can pay extra (£11) to climb the stairs to the top of the tower where you can have great views of the surrounding area.

We took the tour to be able to access the castle grounds and interior - much cheaper than expected and the hour long tour was very interesting. We visited 7 areas of the castle and learned a little about the history behind each room. There was an exhibit on display during our visit which was at no extra cost.

Lovely stay in this beautiful park. Reasonable facilities but showers and loos grubby and need renewing. A bit of a trek too. Reasonable Access to the lake and a nice cafe. Great location for visiting surrounding areas. Very helpful staff.

The tunnel itself is only part of the tour, it is the history that goes with it, that really makes it. That history was brought alive by Pete and Graham, fantastic, passionate social historians. I learnt a huge amount, and came away, being impressed by Victorian engineering. The other part of the story is all about the tunnel’s later use during the Second World War. Equally enthralling. Thank you both for a great experience, and who knew there was a legitimate use for the Daily Mail?

As a piece of architecture, this bridge is pleasing to the eye on many forms. It's presence is bold and demanding, you just have to look at it and figure out what it looks like without even moving. At night it is lit up to offer a beautiful spectrum against the blacked out background of the Tyne river. It also offers a beautiful view from a neighbouring Hotel we have stayed at several times. It was always a great little walk to wake up in the morning before diving back into the warm hotel for breakfast

It is a great building, there's view accross the river Tyne & the Millenium Bridge & the Baltic. Then you enter the venue where the music will be played & that looks fantastic. In come the orchestra, because I went there to listen to the music of Star Wars over the nine films, some were in "costume" Princess Leia, Chewbakka & the conductor with a Darth Vader mask. The ensemble the Royal Northern Sinfonia was really good, the accoustics fabulous & I had a really nice evening with the music of John Williams.

Fantastic few nights away. We had a superior double overlooking the forest so nice and quiet. Had all the amenities you'd expect except tissues! We ate out mostly but breakfast was delicious. Really friendly staff. Great location in the Dene and very close to shops and restaurants in Jesmond or a short hop in the Metro into town. Will definitely be back.

Definitely the best Wetherspoon I've ever been! Sitting outside by the river on a sunny day.. taking in the view of the magnificent High Level Bridge a stunning piece of engineering over a hundred years old.. with a well-chilled pint in hand is just somehow uplifting..

June 17th 2025 visit. English Heritage - free for members. Just a stunning location for a castle - one of the best castles to visit on a good sunny and windy day! Park near Dunstan Steads instead of Craster - and walk alongside the beautiful golf course. Some incredible history attached to this castle so get a guide book and find a sheltered place to sit and learn...! Brilliant all round. 5 out of 5.

Amazing place, it’s free entry and there is parking on site which is £2 but goes To English Heritage to help maintain the abbey. So close to Barnard Castle and Bowes Museum. Fabulous for a picnic or a quick visit.

I am delighted with the textile collection. The outfits are handmade, have a stunning cut, the models are incredibly complex and are made with jewelry precision in every detail. My great-grandmother had equipment for the full cycle of making fabric from flax and hemp. I know what a complex and labor-intensive process this is. I am amazed at the quality of the fabric on the suits, this is truly highly skilled work. Great bonus of electric car charging in the parking lot and free parking.

Cragside - A National Trust that just keeps giving. An absolutely stunning arts and craft house set in captivating grounds. The original owner, William Armstrong was an inventory, engineer and businessman. The family created an amazing place where you can explore the huge home which has wheelchair access to see the first floor but there is quite a number of floors both down and up that are only accessible by walking. There are many exhibits to see and rooms to explore including a Turkish style bath and a laboratory where you can learn about some of Williams work. The grounds are vast up and down a valley that could be challenging for many people with difficulty walking. Steps are inevitable but for able body walkers very much worth the route. There are various walks long and short with two lakes and places of interest all around the grounds. The gift shop and cafe are set in a beautiful courtyard with stunning stone built cottages nearby. If you do go, and I highly recommend a visit, you have to leave via the carriage drive. This is an enchanting road that goes around the grounds. It's narrow in place but large cars took the route with no issues. Definitely one of the best, most picturesque National Trust we have visited.

Beautiful walled gardens, in full bloom. The river walk is well worth the effort (2 miles) for the views, not forgetting to visit the Hall, which has been preserved well. The cafe served several gluten-free options, and my wife enjoyed the freshly baked cheese scone.

We were very fortunate to have the chance to have a second visit to this beautiful camp site last weekend, this time staying in 'Jean' the shepherd's hut. The hut is so lovely with autumnal touches all over. Gillian and Paul put so much care into the finer details making our stay memorable. We were super cosy and the log burner heated up the hut in no time. The compost loo was amazing, it was clean and absolutely no 'toilet' smells, the only thing I smelt was the lovely lemon fragrance from the sawdust that Gillian had added some natural lemon fragrance to. We met all the Alpacas, sheep and chickens and the surrounding scenery is stunning. We went to Tynemouth which was lovely. We had a wonderful time in beautiful countryside.

This was the second Hadrians wall venue we visited in one day (making use of the English Heritage membership!) It was surprising how different it was to the previous one. The kids had a little activity trail and it was really interesting to see the layout of the roman town! There is the option of getting a guide device (talks to you about elements of what you are looking at). The site has a parking area, although the lane running up to it is only wide enough for one vehicle, so you have to be a little careful. The site also has visitor toilets which was a must with the small people.

I was impressed by the beauty of the building and its surroundings. The historic architecture and peaceful atmosphere made for a lovely experience. The staff were also very pleasant and welcoming, adding to the charm of my visit.

Great day out at KillHope lead mining museum. Last time I was here I would of been 11 year old(many moons ago) Decided to take the kids for a day out and we weren’t disappointed. The whole experience was well worth the drive. Going into the old mine tunnels was definitely the highlight for me. The kids loved looking for galena and other types of minerals that are found around this area. Galena when smelted turns into lead, it’s a very pretty in colour. Staff are really good here, they have a wealth of knowledge about the mine and area. It is also currently free entrance.

Wow ! A great day out in a totally fantastic place. Booked my Dad in for the 2 hour Owl Experience for his birthday. Couldn't have asked for a better gift, he absolutely loved it. Knew roughly thanks to google maps where we were heading, but plenty of signage the nearer you got. Plenty of parking, a short walk up to buildings were we were greeted by two lovely girls and dogs. Invited to complimentary tea/coffee and asked to have a look around while waiting for other guests. What a wonderful set up of large enclosures for their wonderful collection of birds. I'd read the reviews which said it looked like you were arriving at someones house, until you went round the corner and my, my what a back yard that house has. No review can give enough star ratings as to what its like when you are actually there. It exceeds all reviews. Then Sophie our handler came to find us, we did a small, very informative tour, that girl knows her stuff and her love for each bird shines through. Then onto the handling experience, again, Sophie and her birds shone. She explained what would happen and how to behave with the birds. Dad managed several times to let the owls fly to his arm. Sophie used 3 owls and each one had their turn, then were allowed their lunch and another owl was brought out to do their thing. We had all fallen for the dogs that wandered around with us and were lucky enough to meet one of the puppies as well as a chance to hold a ferret, so not just birds. After the 2 hour owl experience their was no rush to leave, we could wander around the enclosures or sit and take in the view. This place is definitely worth a visit for any raptor enthusiasts.