The Area

Lavender Cottage
Whorlton, Teesdale

Sightseeing

Barnard Castle is only 4 miles from Whorlton and, as a large market town, is the hub of Teesdale life. The town is the home of the Bowes Museum and the ruined castle the town is named after.

Staindrop is again only a few miles from Whorlton and the setting for Raby Castle.

High Force is a spectacular falls on the River Tees near Middleton in Teesdale.

South of the river Tees there are breathtaking drives over moorland into North Yorkshire to visit Swaledale and Wensleydale.

The Lake District is less than an hours drive along the A66 from Whorlton.

Outdoor and Sports

The whole area around Whorlton is great for walking and cycling as the Teesdale Way passes through the village. Apart from the incline down to the river, the land around the village is relatively flat, appealing to the less experienced walkers. Venturing slightly further afield though there are trails to challenge even the most enthusiastic walkers and cyclists.

For those who prefer to take to the water, the river is regularly used for canoes and kayaks with a variety of rapids and wiers to negotiate. If you've always wanted to try canoeing but never quite plucked up the courage to give it a go, there is a purpose built water sports centre about 35 minutes drive away at the Tees Barrage in Stockton on Tees. Here they can cater for absolute beginners or the more experienced who want to try the white water slalom.

Only 30 minutes way by car is Croft Circuit which hosts many motor racing events throughout the year including rounds of the BTCC Touring Cars. The circuit also run a full range of driving experience and track days.

For the golfer there are 18 hole courses close by in Barnard Castle, Richmond and Darlington.

Eating Out

The Bridge Inn in the village has an excellent restaurant and we have teamed up with them to offer Gourmet Breaks of minimum 3 nights duration (phone or email us for details). Pubs in the surrounding villages of Ovington, Hutton Magna and Caldwell also serve good quality food.

In Barnard Castle you are spoilt for choice with catering ranging from tea shops to high quality restaurants with everything from pubs to takeaways in between.

Shopping (If you really can't resist)

Be sure to spend some time in the antique shops of Barnard Castle. The town also has a large supermarket and full range of butchers, bakers etc.

Darlington is only 20 minutes away by car and has a typical range of shops including many of the larger department stores.

Out of town shopping is available in both Darlington (20 minutes) and Teesside (35 minutes) but the really serious shoppers will want to venture further north to the Metro Centre at Gateshead which is around an hour away.