Stanhope
Take advantage of all local attractions in the area
Weardale is a beautiful area, which is beginning to grow in popularity as a tourist destination. Morningside offers guests the opportunity to enjoy a rural retreat in contemporary surroundings of a high standard. For long or short stays relax and enjoy the history of Weardale and sample what the North East has to offer.
Stanhope Ford
Stanhope has an open air pool available in the summer months, it houses the Weardale Dales Centre where you can purchase gifts, souvenirs, home made produce and the tourist information centre is housed here. The town offers pubs, workingman’s club, fast-food premises, beauty centre, shops and gallery, an annual agricultural show in September, organized walks and there is a tourist railway between Stanhope and Wolsingham.
The main source of employment in the area is the local steel foundry at Bond Isle Stanhope adjacent to the railway station. Hundreds of jobs have been lost with the closure of the cement works at Eastgate and the closure of numerous fluorspar mines.
The Velvet Path
For serious walkers the 73-mile Weardale Way follows the course of the river from Monkwearmouth to Wearhead, but pick any charming Weardale village and you'll find the start of at least one circular leisure walk, each no more than two hours duration.
Or call at the Tourist Information Centre in Stanhope and choose one of the slightly more demanding Weardale Walks which are also circular but are of an 8-10 mile distance.
Cycling too is popular in the Dale, the quiet near-deserted roads providing ideal cycling conditions and linking with the C2C long distance cycle route.