Photographers and stargazers are being offered a unique opportunity to combine their skills with a new 'Introduction to Astrophotography' break at Battlesteads Hotel, Restaurant & Observatory.

The award-winning eco-hotel in Northumberland, which is the only hotel in the country with an on-site observatory, is running the course throughout January and February to provide expert tuition and a hands-on experience of the art of astrophotography.

Attendees of the two-day course will be able to get to grips with specialist cameras and master their astronomic skills, while enjoying the warm and welcoming hospitality of Battlesteads Hotel.

A dedicated Dark Sky Discovery Site, Battlesteads enjoys some of the darkest night skies in the country, where on a clear night the Milky Way can be seen with the naked eye.

The 'Introduction to Astrophotography' packages include two nights accommodation with breakfast, a five-course tasting menu on the first night and three-course dinner on the second night, attendance of a dark sky event in the observatory on the first night, a photography course on the second day covering long exposure photography, image processing and how to use specialist astrophotography cameras, with the final evening spent putting the skills into practice at the observatory, with the expert tutors on hand to help.

Introduction to Astrophotography breaks at Battesteads start from £215 per person, and are available on the following dates:

January

Wed 10 & Thursday 11
Friday 13 & Saturday 14
Wednesday 17 & Thursday 18
Friday 20 & Saturday 21

February

Wednesday 7 & Thursday 8
Friday 10 & Saturday 11
Friday 17 & Saturday 18
Wednesday 21 & Thursday 22

For more information and to book, call 01434 230 039.

Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant in Wark, Northumberland, is celebrating after being named Hotel of the Year at the 2017 North East England Tourism Awards.

Held at The Boiler Shop in Newcastle on Thursday 16 November, the North East England Tourism Awards celebrate the very best tourism businesses in the region.

Sustainable hotel, restaurant and observatory Battlesteads, which was also shortlisted in the Best Small Attraction and Dog Friendly Business Categories, will now go on to represent the North East at the Visit England Awards for Excellence in 2018.

Katie Meyrick-Scott, general manager of Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant, said: "We are thrilled to be named Hotel of the Year, in a category where we were up against three other really fantastic businesses. Battlesteads is a proud champion of the tourism industry in the North East, and we are looking forward to representing the region at the national Visit England Awards for Excellence."

The North East England Tourism Awards are organised and delivered by the NewcastleGateshead Initiative in partnership with the Northern Tourism Alliance. The winner of each category is automatically entered into the annual VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, which will take place in April 2018.

Sarah Stewart, chief executive at destination management and marketing organisation NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “Huge congratulations to all of tonight’s winners. It's been another brilliant year for entries and we received a high standard of entrants across all categories.

"The tourism sector in the North East of England continues to thrive, from our buzzing city centres to our beautiful coastline and varied countryside. Next year promises to be another exciting one for the region as we welcome the Great Exhibition of the North which will have a major impact on our visitor, and wider, economy."

More information about the awards can be found at www.newcastlegateshead.com/tourism-awards.

More than 250 people attended the 2017 Battlesteads Beer Festival, making it the biggest and busiest festival to date.

Award-winning hotel and restaurant Battlesteads, in Wark, has hosted the four-day festival for the past seven years, continuing to grow every year with new features such as a Prosecco Bar, new for 2017, and the popular Gin Bar introduced in 2016.

Beer lovers were treated to more than 20 different beers, ciders and foreign lagers, from breweries around the world. Taking place from Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 July, the festival reached its peak on Saturday with local band Alive and Kicking providing live music that had the whole garden jumping.

Katie Meyrick-Scott, general manager of Battlesteads, said: "Our 2017 festival was a fantastic celebration of beers from around the world, bringing together the local community for four days of entertainment. It was our busiest festival yet – so much so that the beer had run out by Sunday! We're already looking forward to next year's event, and hope everyone who came this year had a great time and will return in 2018."

All proceeds from ticket sales to the Battlesteads Beer Festival go to the Great North Air Ambulance. The total donation to the Air Ambulance this year will be approximately £1,200.

One of the highlights of the year for beer lovers across the North East, the Battlesteads Beer Festival, is set to return for the 7th year later this month.

The four-day celebration at the award-winning hotel and restaurant in Wark, Northumberland, will run from Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 July and will feature more than 20 beers, ciders and foreign lagers to try.

Hosted by Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant, the festival has been growing year on year, attracting hundreds of attendees looking to try a wide selection of beers from across the world from straw-coloured pale ales and ruby-red beers to fruity ciders and characterful bitters that pack a punch.

Entertainment will be provided with live music from The Stax Brothers, The Mudskippers, Alive and Kicking and The Happycats, while last year's popular gin bar will be returning alongside a brand-new Prosecco bar.

Katie Meyrick-Scott, general manager of Battlesteads, said: "Over the past six years our beer festival has gone from strength to strength, attracting more people every year. The introduction of our speciality gin bar last year proved popular with guests wanting to try something different, so this year we've added another exciting option with the new Prosecco bar set to bring some added sparkle to the weekend. The Battlesteads Beer Festival is a real community event that brings everyone together, and we can’t wait to welcome even more guests this year."

Admission to the beer festival is free on Thursday (6pm-11pm) and Sunday (12pm until the beer runs out). On Friday and Saturday tickets are £4 (12pm – 11pm) and all proceeds will go to the Great North Air Ambulance. A free transport service from Hexham is also available on Friday and Saturday.

Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant in Wark, Northumberland, has been named winner of the Tourism and Hospitality Award at the second annual North East Rural Awards, held at Linden Hall on Thursday 29 June.

The win comes hot on the heels of the eco hotel scooping the awards for Best Hotel and Overall Winner at the Northumberland Tourism Awards on 22 June.

Organised by the Newcastle Journal and Newcastle Chronicle, the North East Rural Awards are the only awards dedicated to championing the rural communities in the region.

Darren Thwaites, Trinity Mirror North East editor-in-chief, opened the awards by saying: "Rural life is such an important part of North East culture - and it’s also a hugely important part of our economy. With the general uncertainty around Brexit and the political environment in general, it's never been more important to champion rural issues and shout about our achievements."

Battlesteads is one of the country's leading sustainable tourism businesses, and having been recently recognised on a national stage winning Gold at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, the hotel and restaurant is championing Northumberland as a year-round tourism destination.

The hotel features 22 en-suite bedrooms including five eco-lodges, recently refurbished restaurant and bar, extensive kitchen gardens and polytunnels and is the only hotel in the UK with its own on-site observatory.

Owner of Battlesteads Hotel, Richard Slade, said: "At Battlesteads we love our local area and we play an important role at the heart of our local community, offering special lunches for pensioners and providing low-cost school meals for local children, as well as being a welcoming place for locals to pop in for a drink or something to eat. It’s fantastic for us to be recognised for this at the North East’s only awards for the rural communities and we look forward to continuing to represent tourism in the North East on a national scale."

Previous awards won by Battlesteads include the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence Sustainable Business Gold, the Hotel Catey Award for Best Sustainable Hotel, the AA Hospitality Award for Eco Hotel of the Year, the People.Energy.Action award for eco-friendly travel business and the Good Hotel Guide Editor’s Choice Award for Best Green Hotel.

Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant in Wark, Northumberland, is celebrating after being named Best Hotel in Northumberland and being awarded the title of Overall Winner at the Northumberland Tourism Awards 2017.

Described by the judges of the awards as "truly a jewel in Northumberland's tourism crown", Battlesteads has built a name for itself as one of the top sustainable tourism destinations in the country.

The hotel features 22 en-suite bedrooms including five eco-lodges, recently refurbished restaurant and bar, extensive kitchen gardens and polytunnels and is the only hotel in the UK with its own on-site observatory.

The judges of the inaugural Northumberland Tourism Awards, which aim to celebrate the accommodation providers, attractions and other tourism businesses that make Northumberland's booming visitor industry a success, also said of Battlesteads: "The attention to detail is amazing, from its sustainability policy and catering for disabilities to the incredible range of local produce on their menu."

Owner of Battlesteads Hotel, Richard Slade, collected the award at a ceremony held at Alnwick Castle on Thursday 22 June.

Speaking after the ceremony, Richard Slade said: "I am delighted that Battlesteads has been named not only the Best Hotel, but also the Overall Winner at the first Northumberland Tourism Awards. It’s extremely important to us at Battlesteads to celebrate and champion our home county, from supporting small local producers to representing Northumberland on a national stage within the hotel and hospitality industry."

Paul Larkin, editor of the Northumberland Gazette, which co-organised the awards, said: "The entry from Battlesteads Hotel was very strong and focused. It was a model that others should follow. The hotel has already performed extremely well at regional and national competition and proudly flies the flag for Northumberland. I'm sure guests to the hotel benefit from the considerable effort put in to looking after visitors to this wonderful county of ours.

"In a competitive category, where standards are naturally high, Battlesteads achieved Gold status and took Hotel of the Year crown. It also justly won the Overall Tourism Business of the Year award for 2017. Keep up the good work!"

Previous awards won by Battlesteads include the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence Sustainable Business Gold, the Hotel Catey Award for Best Sustainable Hotel, the AA Hospitality Award for Eco Hotel of the Year, the People.Energy.Action award for eco-friendly travel business and the Good Hotel Guide Editor’s Choice Award for Best Green Hotel.