Feeling the Force
Explores the many delights of County Durham
For anyone who’d like to road-test life in the country, I have the perfect location. Dreams of sheep-dotted dales and dry-stone walls are a reality in Middleton-in-teesdale, a picturesque market town popular with walkers in County Durham.
You can become the lead character in your very own Aga-saga if you stay at High Thearns, an immaculate, three-bedroom former cow byre, situated just a five-minute walk from the high street, which is full of independent shops and tearooms.
Listed with Sykes Cottages, the glossy magazine-style photos of Chesterfield sofas, log burner and enormous kitchen with luxury Smeg gadgets really do live up to expectations.
Spotlessly clean, cosy and so wonderfully restful, set back from the road and surrounded by hills and fields, you will be hit with that holiday feeling as soon as you arrive.
Once you’ve unpacked and soaked up the views from the patio, there is much natural beauty waiting to be explored from this gem of a base.
We started with one of the area’s most famous features – the mighty High Force waterfall in Upper Teesdale.
The River Tees has been plunging into this gorge for thousands of years – and the rocks there are even older – dating back more than
300 million years.
If you like a good hike, you could actually get there on foot from High Thearns and make a day of it.
Visiting in February half-term, and with a few ominous clouds lurking ahead, we drove to Bowlees Visitor Centre car park and started our walk at Low Force, an 18ft waterfall, four miles downstream.
Crossing the Wynch Bridge, a very wobbly single lane bridge, which was