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 in July 2017.

The four-day celebration 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.

Multi award-winning hotel and restaurant Battlesteads, in Wark, has scooped another prestigious accolade at the National CSR Awards 2017.

The Northumberland hotel was named ‘Clean and Green’ winner at the awards ceremony on Thursday 18 May, held at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

This latest award adds to a long list of honours received by Battlesteads for its industry-leading sustainability and green initiatives, including being named Sustainable Tourism Business category at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2017 last month.

Speaking after the ceremony, general manager of Battlesteads Katie Meyrick-Scott said: "We are delighted to win another fantastic award that celebrates our commitment to sustainability and the hard work the whole team here puts into running a successful business. Hopefully seeing what we have achieved will inspire more hotels and tourism businesses to improve their sustainability and introduce more eco-friendly initiatives."

Karen Sutton, CEO and founder of the awards said: "The standard of entries this year has been incredible and some categories were particularly hard fought. Every year just gets better and better. It’s a privilege and a pleasure to reward such fantastic achievements."

Other awards Battlesteads has won for its commitment to sustainability include 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, has been named the Gold award winner in the Sustainable Tourism Business category at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2017.

One of the UK’s leading eco hotels, Battlesteads’ sustainable credentials have seen them go from winning the North East England Sustainable Tourism Award in November 2016, through to being shortlisted by the national judges to compete against the Blencathra Centre in Keswick and the National Marine Aquarium in Devon, to win the coveted Gold accolade.

Owners of Battlesteads Hotel, Richard and Dee Slade, collected the award at a ceremony held in London on Monday 24 April.

Speaking after the ceremony, Richard Slade said: “We have won almost every leading hotel industry award for sustainability, as well as several North East Tourism awards, but to win the national Visit England Award for Excellence really is the icing on the cake. We are extremely proud of everything we have achieved and we hope to inspire more hotels and tourism businesses to improve their sustainability and introduce more eco-friendly initiatives.”

In 2016 Battlesteads won numerous industry awards for its commitment to sustainability, including 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.

VisitEngland chief executive Sally Balcombe added: “This year’s awards were fiercely contested and we had some terrific applications, showcasing not only the excellence on offer within English tourism but also the outstanding innovation and the sheer diversity of experiences throughout the country. From afternoon tea in a railway carriage to ‘Alice in Wonderland’ boutique hotel rooms, from great family friendly animal attractions to cottages for one, all well deserved the recognition of their quality and service.”

More information about the awards can be found at www.visitenglandawards.org

Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant in Wark, Northumberland, is one of the three finalists to be shortlisted for the Sustainable Tourism Award at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2017.

Battlesteads was named the winner of the three categories at the North East England Tourism Awards in November 2016 – Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Pub and Taste – and was subsequently put forward along with the winners from all of the other UK regions to the VisitEngland judging panel.

The eco hotel’s outstanding green credentials shone through, and it will now go up against the Blencathra Centre in Keswick and the National Marine Aquarium in Devon at the final of the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, with the winner announced at a ceremony on 24 April.

Katie Meyrick-Scott, general manager of Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant, said: “Winning three golds at the North East Tourism Awards was a fantastic achievement, but to reach the final three of the national awards in the sustainability category is amazing news. Over the past 10 years we’ve worked hard to create a sustainable tourism experience that provides inspiration to both our guests and the rest of the hospitality industry, and it’s fantastic to see that rewarded with the recognition from VisitEngland.”

In 2016 Battlesteads won numerous industry awards for its commitment to sustainability, including 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.

Award-winning Northumberland eco hotel, Battlesteads, is offering guests and local visitors the chance to try their hand at something new, with a packed calendar of experience days over the coming months.

From floristry workshops to polytunnel growing for beginners, the experiences available at the Wark hotel in March and April will appeal to green-fingered guests as well as anyone looking to experience something new.

Celebrating Mother’s Day on Saturday 25 March, Kate Norris from Northumbrian Flowers (and Battlesteads’ head gardener) will be inviting guests to learn how to create and wrap a beautiful bouquet of flowers, including British-grown flowers and foliage, at a short floristry workshop.

The workshop, which starts at 12pm, will include a glass of fizz and canapés on arrival and will be followed by a sumptuous afternoon tea, with Kate on hand to answer any further questions about flower arranging. Tickets are £55 per person.

For keen gardeners and those more interested in growing produce they can use in the kitchen, the Polytunnel Growing for Beginners experience day on Saturday 1 April will provide the perfect introduction to growing your own vegetables, herbs and salads.

Running from 9am – 4.30pm, the full-day event will also be presented by Kate Norris, who first started Battlesteads’ polytunnel growing systems back in 2007. Kate will cover the best design for polytunnels, which herbs, salads and vegetables will grow best, crop rotation and soil care, water management, maintenance and care and seasonal variations, with a practical session sowing seeds to take away.

Polytunnel Growing for Beginners will also include a tour of the Battlesteads grounds, materials for seed sowing, refreshments and a delicious three-course lunch with garden produce, all for £80 per person.

Katie Meyrick-Scott, general manager of Battlesteads Hotel said: “We know that guests visiting Battlesteads love having the opportunity to get stuck in to hands-on activities, and love learning new skills, which is why throughout 2017 we are organising regular experience days covering a huge range of topics and skills. Our head gardener Kate has fantastic expertise in gardening and floristry and can’t wait to help locals and visitors from further afield to try something new.”

Other workshops coming up at Battlesteads include a photography composition masterclass on Saturday 18 March and hot and cold smoking courses every Friday.

Award-winning Northumberland hotel and restaurant Battlesteads, near Wark, is inviting visitors to discover Britain’s brilliant dark skies at its Dark Sky Observatory during the National Parks Dark Skies Festival.

Taking place from Saturday 18 to Sunday 26 February, the National Parks Dark Skies Festival is now in its second year and aims to encourage more people to discover the fantastic stargazing opportunities in Britain.

Battlesteads, the only hotel in the UK with an on-site observatory, is offering budding astrologers the chance to enjoy a two or three-night break at the hotel, with tickets to the observatory and the hotel’s famous 8-course local produce tasting menu, from just £95 per room, per night.

The observatory is a Designated Dark Sky Discovery Site, meaning it’s one of the few places in the UK free enough from light pollution to see the Milky Way with the naked eye or even watch the Northern Lights.

Events and courses take place at the observatory throughout the year, from ‘get to know your telescope’ sessions to aurora hunting and deep sky astro-photography, with something for all levels of stargazer.

Katie Meyrick-Scott, general manager of Battlesteads Hotel said: "Since opening our observatory in 2015, we’ve been offering guests the chance to discover the beauty of Northumberland’s dark skies, which offer some of the best stargazing in the country. Our exclusive two and three-night packages, including bed and breakfast, observatory tickets and 8-course tasting menu, are available throughout the week of the National Parks Dark Skies Festival and throughout March."

Two night's bed and breakfast with an 8-course tasting menu on the first night and observatory tickets to use on the second night start from £95 per person, based on two sharing. A three-night package is available from £137.50 per person.

Both packages can be upgraded to accommodation in one of Battlesteads’ five new luxury eco lodges for £30 per room per night, and matched wines can be added to the tasting menu for £25 per person.