Discover Teesdale Holidays & Tourist Guidebook

The popular Discover Teesdale holidays and tourist guidebook costing only £3-99 has now been completely updated with its latest edition published recently. The first edition of Discover Teesdale, published as long ago as 1976, was then Teesdale’s most successful tourist guidebook publication. We now hope that the current edition and its companion guide, Explore Teesdale, will now enjoy the same accolade over the coming years.

Teesdale enjoys the reputation of being the most complete dale in the whole of England. Within its borders can be found numerous attractions, several of them being among the nation’s most important. Yet this unique dale, where it has been said that ‘Heaven meets Earth’, remains largely undiscovered! However, we must not forget that as well as Teesdale itself, there is also the surrounding area of the magnificent High Pennines. This includes the tributary valleys of Lunedale, Baldersdale, Deepdale, Langleydale, that of the River Greta and those of a host of smaller, though substantial, becks and streams.

The boundary of the area featured in this book is the river basin of the beautiful and spectacular River Tees in Teesdale. To the south it follows the Stainmore Pass; to the west it follows the Pennines’ western scarp as far north as Cross Fell where the River Tees is born and where we meet the watershed with South Tynedale; to the north our region is marked by the watershed with Weardale; whilst to the east we extend as far as historic Piercebridge. As a result this is a large, rich and varied area just awaiting your exploration.

The beauty and character of Teesdale is a direct result of the geology of the area. This is dominated by the shales, limestones and sandstones of the Carboniferous Period. These rocks have been modified, weathered and eroded in different ways and give rise to a variety of appealing landforms. Added to these we have the Whin Sill to which we can attribute the presence of many impressive features, including the waterfalls of Cauldron Snout, reputed to be England’s longest and largest cascade, and High Force, reputed to be England’s largest waterfall.

Other characteristics of the landscape include the relics of the lead mining industry which, according to local tradition, has its roots way back in history in Roman times. Saxon and Scandinavian people settled here after the Romans, but it must be remembered that the first visitors arrived thousands of years before the Romans. All these people have left their mark, but the more visible historical remains are the much more recent Barnard Castle, Raby Castle, Bowes Castle, Bowes Museum, Eggleston Hall & Gardens and Rokeby Park.

Another aspect of history of which little present day evidence remains is that of the battles: the Romans fought the Brigantes near Stanwick St John about AD70; the Viking, Eric Bloodaxe, was killed in battle at Rey Cross on Stainmore in 954; King Malcolm of Scotland defeated the English near Hunderthwaite in 1070; Bowes Castle was attacked in 1173 by the Scots – and besieged by Henry Fitzhugh in 1322; Barnard Castle was besieged in 1216 by the enemies of King John, taken in 1265 by baronial rebels, then fortified strongly against the Scots 1306-23 (as was Bowes Castle) and besieged and taken during the ‘Rising of the North’ in 1569.

Events throughout the year include the Barnard Castle Meet which dates back some one hundred years. Normally held at the end of May, it is a popular traditional event, though most of the traditional events in the dale are agricultural shows, such as the Bowes and Eggleston Shows held every September. Middleton-in-Teesdale has its own Carnival, normally held at the beginning of August. In addition there are the popular Barnard Castle Steam Fair and Teesdale Game Fair.

If you visit Teesdale then you will be in rather distinguished company, including the artist Turner and writers Charles Dickens and Sir Walter Scott. It has also been frequently visited by the Royal Family. Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, the late Queen Mother, had been a regular visitor as her family own land here – and Prince Charles, along with a number of politicians, have visited for the shooting.

Teesdale with its pretty little villages still enjoys its past reputation of being the most natural and most northerly of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. It can be easily explored by following the country lanes into the quiet ‘backwaters’ of open moors, green valleys and picturesque ‘lakes’. It isn’t surprising that this beautiful area of the High Pennines officially became part of ‘The North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.’ This designation as an AONB resulted from its unique wildlife and truly exceptional scenery. But more accolades came in 2003 when the North Pennines, including Upper Teesdale, became Britain’s first UNESCO European Geopark because this remarkable region has a world-class geological heritage. Then, in 2004, the North Pennines AONB & European Geopark also became a founding member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.

There is an enormous wealth of beauty, character and history stored in this part of the magnificent High Pennines. In fact it has benefited from being a less well-known tourist area. Fortunately, to the relief of the many farmers who struggle to make their living from this often inhospitable landscape, tourism has brought little change and there will be much care taken to preserve Teesdale both for the people who live there and for visitors. Furthermore, the government, in an attempt to ‘turn back the clock’ and adopt more traditional farming methods, has introduced a range of schemes. These include ESAs, Environmentally Sensitive Areas, which help ensure the protection of wildlife habitats threatened by modern farming.

The traditional life of the dales seems to have changed little over the years and a very marked degree of independence and great individuality is maintained. So whatever the reason for your visit, please help keep this area of outstanding natural beauty unspoilt and beautiful, and the dalesfolk, many of them farmers, still friendly and helpful.

Further information about all the up-to-date facilities in the area should be obtained from the Tourist Information Centres listed below:
BARNARD CASTLE Woodleigh, Flatts Road, Barnard Castle, Co Durham, DL12 8AA
Tel: Teesdale (01833) 690909
MIDDLETON-IN-TEESDALE 10 Market Place, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Co Durham, DL12 0QG Tel: Teesdale (01833) 641001

To find out more, then why not get a copy of our Discover Teesdale holidays and tourism guidebook, containing lots of full colour photographs? Simply give us a call or send us an email for details.

The Contents includes;

• Introduction to Teesdale
• Early Settlers & Landowners
• Farming in the Dale
• Lead Mining in Teesdale
• The Geology of the Area
• The Riches of Nature
• The Town of Barnard Castle
• Bowes Museum
• Egglestone Abbey
• Raby Castle, Park & Gardens
• Bernard’s Castle
• Eggleston Hall & Gardens
• Rokeby Park
• High Force Waterfall
• Cauldron Snout Cascade
• Low Force Waterfall
• Summerhill Force
• Bowlees Visitor Centre
• Bowes Castle
• Middleton-in-Teesdale
• The Life of a Dalesman
• Famous People in Teesdale
• Myths & Legends in Teesdale
• Sport & Leisure
• Crafts of Teesdale
• Historic Sites in Teesdale
• Natural Landforms in Teesdale

Serving the County Durham Dales of Teesdale and Weardale in North East England.

Telephone: 01388 601222 Mobile: 07971 888001
Email: enquiries@discoveryguides.co.uk Web: www.discoveryguides.co.uk
Discovery Publishing UK Limited, Suite 24, Innovation House, Longfield Road,
South Church Enterprise Park, Bishop Auckland, County Durham DL14 6XB