St John's Chapel has grown around the church of St. John the Baptist which was built in the Weardale Forest in the 15th century to serve the Bishop of Durham and his friends during the times of their hunt. In 1750 the church was enlarged to serve the growing polulation of lead mining families who were settling in the area.
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St John's Chapel is the largest village in the upper dale with a population of about 300, a town hall with fortnightly cinema, a foodstore, post office/gift shop, two public houses (The Golden Lion and The Blue Bell) and Chatterbox Cafe.
Being situated in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, St John's Chapel is increasingly popular with cyclists doing the alternative C2C route, or trying their hand at the challenges. For walkers there is the long distance Weardale Way, quiet walks by the river and Harthope Burn or more strenous walks to the higher ground overlooking the valley.
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It's a great place just to chill out, watch the birds and have a quiet relaxing holiday in lovely countryside.
