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.

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.