Decided at short notice to get away after a few weeks at home getting
some maintenance completed on the house and gardens. This time travelled back
across the Scottish Border down the M8 and left at Penrith to join the A66 and
onto a campsite just north of the village of Cotherstone. Doe Park is a
beautifully set out campsite, very tidy with some clean facilities and
surrounded by some very picturesque countryside.
The friendly family run Doe Park Caravan Site. |
Cotherstone was originally part of the North Riding of Yorkshire but was
transferred to County Durham in 1974 and the architecture of the village
reflects that. Most people who own property here do not seem short of a few bob
as there has been extensive renovations but all done to a very high standard
and all in keeping with the original style and materials of the area.
Originally a railway run from Middleton-in-Teesdale to Barnard Castle
which like many other railway lines have been converted into walking paths
and/or cycle tracks. From Doe Park you can walk to the old track and then
across the Viaduct that crosses the River Balder just north of Cotherstone were
originally there was a railway station that is now a private residence. There
is also a short cut from the back of the site down into the village which has a
wee Post Office that doubles as a general store were you can also get a
newspaper including the local Northern Echo that describes itself as ‘The Great Daily of the North’ and is to
be fair a good read.
There is a bus service from outside the campsite that will take you into
the town of Barnard Castle. Named after the castle Barnard Castle is a bustling
wee market town full of antiquarian shops and old pubs and the main town in the
Teasdale area. There is plenty here to keep visitors busy including the
medieval castle itself. Now in ruins the castle has a long history dating back
to the 12th century when Guy de Baliol built a timber castle here overlooking
the River Tees. Rebuilt and redesigned many times throughout history this
English Heritage site is well worth a visit. Incidentally the castle/town was
named after Guy’s son Bernard that was pronounced Barnard.
Barnard Castle. |
View from the Castles fortifications. |
View from the Castle to the River Tees. |
Also in the market town is St. Mary’s Parish Church, which also dates
back to when the castle was originally conceived. Interestingly in a lecture by
Alan Wilkinson on the 6th July 2003 he points out that ‘to build a castle that is to be an administrative centre, a fortress,
and also an aristocratic family's home requires a very large work force. Then
it requires a staff ranging from professional administrators to those doing
more menial jobs. Some employees would be resident within the castle and others would be housed outside
the walls’ From all these people living outside the walls came the village
and a village community needs a church hence in 1130 the building of St Mary’s
Church began.
There is too much to see in the town of Bernard Castle in just one day
so the following day it was decided to return, again using a bus because of the
bad weather. This time it was the Bowes Museum that warranted our presence.
The French chateau style building was built to house a self indulgent
collection of fine art put together by the museums founders John and Josephine
Bowes, John providing the money and his French spoken wife providing the
vision. 125 years since opening the museum it houses ‘the most important collection of European fine and decorative arts in
the North of England’. The collection includes paintings by El Greco, Van
Dyck, Canaletto and Goya, also iconic objects like the Silver Swan musical
automation, which can still be seen working at 14.00 hours each day. Also it
houses an award winning fashion and textiles gallery, a large collection of
ceramics, glassware and an interesting range of historical furniture including
a writing desk attributed to Marie Antoinette the last Queen of France before
the populace took their revenge during the French Revolution.
One of many works of art. |
Marie Antoinette's writing desk? |
The Bowes were an interesting couple. John was the bastard son of the
10th Earl of Strathmore and his mistress Mary Milner and although he did not
inherit his father’s title did make a fortune from breeding and racing horses,
and because of his ownership of County Durham had extensive coal mining and
farming interests. His first wife Josephine was the daughter of a Paris
clockmaker and was an actress when Bowes met and fell in love with her. Both
had a passion for collecting art that was eventually housed in the purpose
built Bowes Museum that was opened in 1892.
John Bowes. |
This part of County Durham is ideal for some leisurely cycling with some
quiet back roads that give you a chance to see some of the areas wonderful
countryside. Because of the bad weather we were unable to use our bikes as much
as we had planed but an afternoons ride to Balder Head allowed quality if not
quantity. Heading south out of Doe Park cross over the bridge at Cotherstone
and turn right at the signpost for East Briscoe. Carry on to the first of the
reservoirs, Hury Reservoir. Be sure to stop and have a look around. From here
carry on up the hill until the road junction, turn left and continue along this
B road taking in both the Blackton and the Balderhead Reservoirs and on to the
end of the public road at Balder Head. On the way back via the village of Hunderthwaite
be sure to enjoy the views down the valley from the dam at the eastern end of
Balderhead Reservoirs.
Hury Reservoir. |
Looking down on Blacton Reservoir. |
A grand wee break, despite the weather, in a very beautiful area south
of the Scottish border. Doe Park, County Durham is well worth a visit,
surrounded by rolling green fields full of sheep and cows the campsite is a
credit to the people who run it. I don't mean to repeat myself but it's worth
restating that the facilities are first rate and the site itself is very clean,
well laid out and very restful. So next time your looking for a few days away
give this site and the area some serious thought.
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