Easter events in Northumberland - hiking, food, gardens, the stars, a beer festival, top quiz and barrel racing

A good walk - you could go to Hadrians Wall http://www.visithadrianswall.co.uk/
But if you want 5 places to visit these would all make anyone's top spots:
- The Beach at Bamburgh - a great walk and a top castle
- Roman Vindolanda http://www.vindolanda.com/ = our best Roman and historical site
- Kielder Water and Forest Park: http://www.visitkielder.com/
They win awards all the time!!
http://www.visitkielder.com/news/2013/05/kielder-water-forest-park-officially-the-best-tourism-experience-in-engl-
- Alnwick Castle and its magnificent Gardens http://www.alnwickcastle.com/
For spring flowers then I would probably pick Cragside: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside/
-It is a stunning house with amazing engineering everywhere and beautiful gardens filled with 40 miles of walks, rare flowers and so much more. It is a special place.
Two gastropubs holding spcial events:
- The Battlesteads Inn has a new observatory. It is a brilliant pub and has gone to great efforts to make itself a destination in its own right. Here is the report by the Courant: http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk/home/sky-s-the-limit-for-new-observatory-1.1202156
- The award winning Feathers Inn is showcasing so much this Easter that their festival runs for many days. If you have not been I urge you to go - it's won awards for its food and has a great community atmosphere: http://thefeathers.net/news/2014/12/bed-and-breakfast-special-offer/
There is a beer festival, and on sunday night Toby sets a mean quiz and it is a good night, and Monday sees the barrel racing.

And if you want to go to church then where better to go than Hexham Abbey: http://hexham-abbey.org.uk/

Battlesteads Inn, in Wark, Northumberland, wins Green Hotel of the Year - beating everyone including the Savoy!

The Battlesteads is one of my favourite pubs - we hold events there all the time and it is a major destination and boost to the Tourist Business of Northumberland. On Friday the Pub won the Green Pub of the Year awards at the Cateys, the leading Hotel award. My congratulations to owners Richard and Dee Slade and all the team at the pub. I saw Richard at my Green Deal workshop in Hexham on Wednesday, when he was discussing his new woodchip burning biomass boiler. If you have not been to Wark - please go - it is a special place.
Full details set out here:
http://www.battlesteads.com/
For reasons as to why The Battlesteads won I give you a flavour below of their Environmental Policy:
“We are committed to providing the greenest possible environment while ensuring the maximum comfort for our guests. We hope you share our appreciation of locally sourced food, consideration of our individual carbon footprint, joy of wildlife and the natural flaura and fauna of Northumberland.
“Our ethos is that it’s always better to work with the environment than to fight against it. Northumberland is one of the least spoiled areas of the country in terms of traffic impact, light pollution and urban sprawl - let’s keep it that way!”
Battlesteads proudly holds a Gold Award from the Green Tourism Business Scheme and is highly rated in the popular Alistair Sawday Guides to both the UK and Europe. In 2010, the hotel was crowned Best Green Pub and Great British Pub of the Year as well as scooping the Gold Award for Sustainable Tourism in the North East Tourism Awards.
Green CredentialsThe use of low-energy light bulbs throughout means that the whole hotel now uses less energy for lighting than the bar area alone did in 2006.
An innovative woodchip-burning biomass boiler supplies heating and hot water to the entire hotel using sustainable fuel from forestry only one mile away, meaning virtually zero fuel miles!
The surplus heat generated is used to heat two polytunnels, which provide herbs and salad vegetables even in winter months. We also have herb gardens and salad gardens on either side of the main garden area and we plant soft fruits and root vegetables in our kitchen garden throughout the year. Rainwater is captured in a huge tank to provide water for the entire garden and planters.
WildlifeThe walled garden visible from the conservatory is specially planted to encourage wildlife - the boiler house has a bat box and an owl box, we have lots of bird-feeders to encourage the many smaller species in the area. See how many you can identify - we have binoculars in the conservatory to help you.
And if you want to see Red Squirrels and stay in a nice setting - this is the place.

Battlesteads Inn - Wark Supper Club

To Wark for an amazing evening organised by Olive Archer and the Womens Committee - 50 came on an evening that was sold out weeks ago; a great night ensued as we were fed and watered well. The pub is going from strength to strength [find them in Sawdays] and Olive had organised a singer and two amazing local musicians to serenaded us through the evening with everything from Daniel O'Donnell to local songs and war time numbers - all accompanied by the two gents who played an accordian and harmonica.