CHRISTMAS IS OVER. WOULDN’T IT BE NICE TO HAVE A HOLIDAY BREAK TO LOOK FORWARD TO?

Bookings for 2020 are beginning to fill up.

What better place to start thinking about your next holiday break than in beautiful Upper Teesdale?  Cosy accommodation, beautiful scenery, variety of walks, places to visit and a good pub just over the road.  What more could you want? Take a look at our website to find out more and to check availability.

A DURHAM CHRISTMAS

We’re just back from another lovely weekend at The Barn.  We were especially looking forward to our annual visit to Durham Christmas Festival. Though we missed the spectacular Durham Lumiere which took place in November, we enjoyed the festive markets both inside and outside of the cathedral. 

There’s always lots to do in Durham – and its’ just about an hour away from the barn!  Click this link if you would like to find out more about what’s happening in Durham this month. But in this blog I would like to tell you about our unexpected `find’!

 A Relaxing Weekend At The Barn

On the last day of our lovely, cosy weekend at The Barn we took our usual `pilgrimage’ to Low Force. 

It was one of those gorgeous crisp, sunny mornings.  The quiet stillness of the autumn meadow was soon punctuated by the roar of the river.  The river was swollen; a reminder that November has seen high levels of rainfall which has caused severe flooding in South Yorkshire.

Point Of Interest

On the road back to the Barn we pass a gate.  You might be interested to know that at the other side of the gate these dry stone walls indicate a medieval roadway which carried on down to the river.  It’s fascinating to think of those people long ago living and working here.

On the return journey we stop to chat with our bovine neighbours … and cute baby bovine.

Further along the road it was good to pause a while and take in the view of the sunny, frosty landscape behind the barn as the sun begins to set: those long shadows of late autumn, the morning frost which stayed all day, the gorgeous colours of fields, hills and sky.

Enjoy the video … and yes, the sound isn’t muted, it really was as quiet as this!  What a fabulous contrast to the roar of Low Force.

Landscape art in Teesdale

The Hush installation at Bowlees Visitor Centre by Steve Messam

This impressive piece of landscape art consists of huge sails of saffron fabric suspended above and across a large gash in the fellside called Bales Hush. The Hush was formed originally by miners prospecting for lead and other minerals. To expose these minerals the miners would construct a temporary dam in a stream and once a small lake had built up the miners would breach the dam allowing a powerful cascade of water to rush down the small valley washing away the surface soil and rocks to expose the minerals.

The installation is thought provoking and has certainly divided opinion.Photographs in the press do not do it justice. An on site visit is certainly worthwhile and I do know of people who have come away after a visit with more positive views than they originally had.

The art work is a pleasant 3 km walk up through the woods and across the fields from Bowlees Visitor Centre. We visited it on a breezy day following prolonged rain the day before. A very handy free mini bus service runs frequently to/from the site and the visitor centre.

https://www.thisisdurham.com/whats-on/hush-a-monumental-landscape-artwork-by-steve-messam-p1003331

New stained glass art at Bowlees by Janet Rogers

Janet Rogers owns Crushed Chilli Gallery in Durham. She has recently completed glass workshops working with both children and adults on the theme of local flora and fauna. Janet was commissioned to complete two stained glass panels that make a great new addition to the centre. 

http://www.crushedchilli.co.uk/

Andy Beck at Bowlees

When we visited Bowlees last week we were lucky enough to meet renowned local artist Andy Beck. He had lots of photographs, drawings and watercolor paintings of local scenes. Andy is well known for his watercolour studies of northern mountain landscapes by Alfred Wainwright and he was doing a book signing at the gallery on the mezzanine floor of the centre.  

https://andybeckartist.co.uk/the-wainwrights-in-colour/

There was lots of snow all over the UK last weekend, sometimes causing chaos. But it was particularly lovely in and around The Barn at Holwick.

The roads were accessible; local farmers usually keep them clear so there has rarely been a problem getting to The Barn.  

We were looking forward to getting that gorgeous wood burner going and snuggling down to a cosy weekend of spectacular walks followed by a deliciious pint or two at The Strathmore Arms or a lazy coffee and cake at Eggleston Hall Cafe. 

Bird feeders were well stocked, not forgetting some treats on the ground for the pheasant who has frequently visited us this year.  After a hearty breakfast, using local free-range eggs, we set off for our snowy adventure.

We had a couple of gorgeous walks across snow laden fields – keeping of course to `Rights of Way’ –  to Low Force.  It’s hard to imagine the colourful meadow of the summer  now sleeping beneath the thick blanket of soft, white snow.

Low Force is just a leisurely 15 or 20 minute walk across the meadows behind the barn. (Keeping of course to established Rights of Way which are clearly marked.)  It’s a walk we often enjoy.  Today we expected a spectacular reward for our expedition across the snowy fields and we weren’t disappointed.  Although the water at Low Force was energetically throwing itself over the fall, it was collecting in a freezing pool that meandered into the distance downstream.

A leisurely walk across from Low Force to Gibson’s Cave gave us a breathtaking surprise when we turned the corner and saw the freezing waterfall a movie version of which you can watch on https://youtu.be/rfJD63xkbsU

Little Lola, a dog who isn’t a lover of `town’ walking, loves her trips to The Barn.  She had a fabulous time.