Welcome to Weardale, centre of the Durham Dales

This is the website of the Weardale Visitor Network --- Bringing Tourism to Weardale.

For more information about the Network click here.

These stunning images by Network member Peter Elliott show Weardale in its Autumn glory. Weardale is beautiful at all times of year, the ideal place to walk, cycle, see rare upland birds and haymeadows or simply chill out. Check our accommodation and book now.
Peter is a member of Durham Dales Crafts in the Dales Centre Stanhope.

Weardale was once the hunting forest for the Prince Bishops of Durham, second only in size to the the King's New Forest. By the sixteenth century deer-parks had gone out of fashion and the Bishop was reaping huge rewards from Weardale's lead-mining industry and later in the nineteenth century from limestone quarrying in Weardale, which have both left a rich industrial heritage in the valley.

Today, as a tourist you can enjoy shopping in the Durham Dales Centre at Stanhope, Weardale, before taking a leisurely trip on the heritage railway line to Wolsingham with its cafe culture; explore underground at Killhope, Weardale's award-winning Lead-mining Museum or experience the peace and tranquility of the historic High House Chapel and Weardale Museum in Ireshopeburn.

Weardale is at the heart of the Durham Dales. With Teesdale on one side, and Derwentside and Allendale on the other, it is the perfect location for getting outdoor and active with a walking or cycling holiday. The North Pennines is used by thousands of the country's best cyclists in events like the Marie Curie Care Etape Pennines event in October. Discover our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty extending from the gentle rolling hills and valleys of  lower Weardale to the high, wild fells of the North Pennines with its beautiful hay-meadows and nesting sites for some of Britain's rarest birds. Hamsterley Forest offers a fantastic adventure playground of woodland walks, cycle routes and horse riding, while the Weardale Ski Club provides terrific winter sport on the fells above Westgate.

If its Family History information that you want then your first port of call should be the Weardale Museum   at Ireshopeburn, which holds many searchable records on computer including family tree information.

Click here to find more information about the rest of County Durham.

For those who wish to travel further afield Weardale is an ideal centre from which to explore other Durham Dales, such as  Teesdale, Derwentside and Allendale, the World Heritage Centre of Durham, Hadrian's Wall Country and The Lake District.

Coming Soon

The Polar Express returns to Weardale from the beginning of November to the end of December.

Book Now

Download our new Discover Weardale leaflet. (1.3Mb)

Top Banner Image courtesy of Tom Nattrass