It's not just beer lovers who are eagerly awaiting the return of the Battlesteads Beer Festival – this year there’s something for everyone with an extensive selection of ciders and gins also joining the line-up.

Hosted by Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant and now in its eighth year, the Battlesteads Beer Festival is a three-day celebration of the finest brews from Northumberland, the UK and across the world.

Running from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 July, the event is set to attract hundreds of visitors to the pub in Wark, Northumberland.

This year will see the return of the popular Battlesteads Gin Bar, where guests can enjoy a refreshing summer tipple. This year's selection of gins will include Boe Violet, Gin Ting, Hepple, Hadrian’s Wall Gin, Cuckoo Sunshine, Peaky Blinder Spiced and Empress 1908.

On the main bar, ciders including Moonshine, Blueberry, Rhubarb and Devon Cyder will be on offer, along with 24 different beers from locally brewed golden ales and black porters to Belgian IPAs and German pilsners.

There will be live entertainment every day, with local bands including The Mudskippers, The Culprits, Jason Arnup, and Marty Craggs and Trevor Sewell.

General manager of Battlesteads Katie Meyrick-Scott said: "The Battlesteads Beer Festival is without a doubt the highlight of our year and has become a firm favourite with both locals and guests visiting from further afield. We love holding an event like this that brings all the local community together, and once again all of the proceeds will be donated to the Great North Air Ambulance – a worthy charity we are proud to support."

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). A free transport service from Hexham is also available on Friday and Saturday.

Beer-lovers of the North East rejoice – the Battlesteads Beer Festival is returning for its 8th year, with its most well-stocked bar to date.

The annual four-day festival hosted by Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant is a celebration of the best drinks the North East has to offer, from ales, lagers and stouts to gins and ciders.

Running from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 July, the event is set to attract hundreds of visitors to the pub in Wark, Northumberland, to sample beers from across the region, as well as around the world.

This year will also see the return of the popular Battlesteads Gin Bar, where guests can enjoy a refreshing summer tipple as an alternative to the beer.

There will be live entertainment every day, with local bands including The Mudskippers, The Culprits, Jason Arrup, and Marty Craggs and Trevor Sewell.

General manager of Battlesteads Katie Meyrick-Scott said: "The Battlesteads Beer Festival is without a doubt the highlight of our year and has become a firm favourite with both locals and guests visiting from further afield. We love holding an event like this that brings all the local community together, and once again all of the proceeds will be donated to the Great North Air Ambulance – a worthy charity we are proud to support."

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). A free transport service from Hexham is also available on Friday and Saturday.

Astronomy author and regular contributor to BBC Sky at Night magazine Steve Tonkin will be hosting two exclusive astronomy events at Battlesteads Hotel, Restaurant & Observatory this April.

Steve will be joining Battlesteads’ observatory team to host the special stargazing evenings on Saturday 7^th and Sunday 8^th April, which will be an unmissable experience for stargazers of all abilities.

Author of the Sir Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series book 'Binocular Astronomy', Steve will be giving a different talk on each evening, with Saturday’s talk being a light-hearted look at 'Ten Ways the Universe Tries to Kill You' and Sunday’s being 'Stargazing with Binoculars'.

The astronomy evenings are suitable for guests aged 14 and over, from complete beginners to experienced astronomers, with equipment included for a hands-on experience.

Katie Meyrick-Scott, general manager of Battlesteads Hotel, said: "We are delighted to be welcoming Steve to Battlesteads for what will be a once-in-a-blue-moon experience. Steve tours the country giving fantastically insightful and entertaining talks, and we can’t wait for him to come and share his experiences with our observatory guests."

Tickets to each evening with Steve Tonkin are £32.50pp, £25 for concessions and from £82.50 for families. The events will start at 8.30pm and finish at around 11pm.

Guests travelling from further afield can book an overnight stay at Battlesteads Hotel from £75pp B&B (two sharing).

Battlesteads Hotel, Restaurant & Observatory has announced new dates for its 'Introduction to Astrophotography' two-night breaks in March and April.

Following a flurry of bookings for the first breaks planned in January and February, the award-winning eco-hotel in Northumberland, which is the only hotel in the country with an on-site observatory, has added new dates in March and April 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 Saturday 10^th and Sunday 11^th February, Saturday 10^th and Sunday 11^th March, Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th April, and Saturday 19^th and Sunday 20^th May.