The handsome northern market town that’s perfect for a history-filled mini break

Not long after arriving in Barnard Castle – when strangers have called out a cheery greeting, a quirky shop has caught your eye or you’ve glimpsed a pretty riverside – you start to wonder why you’ve never been before. Chances are, had it not been for that Covid incident, you might not have even heard of this town, scooped in a curve of the River Tees, teetering on the edge of the Pennines. Yes, it’s small-ish (population: around 5,500), not that easy to get to without a car, and has limited Sunday openings – but that’s part of its charm. Along with its photogenic setting. The town grew around the Norman castle that sits perched on a rocky cliff on the banks of the river, and later became a market centre for the surrounding farmland (Wednesday markets and monthly farmers’ markets still take place). Don’t hurry along the streets with their handsome Georgian and Victorian buildings; there are independent shops to rummage through, side streets to explore, tiny cafes to chance upon and events to check at The Witham community arts centre. There are surprises, too: the hulking, French chateau-style Bowes Museum and the gardens and grand rooms of nearby Raby Castle. For more information, see visitcountydurham.org. A market at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens The essentials: How to get there and where to stay Nearest stations: Bishop Auckland (13 miles), Darlington (16 miles) Buses: The X75 and X76 travel between Darlington station and Barnard Castle (40 minutes). Stay: On the edge of town, Runa Farm is more Spanish finca than northern farmhouse, with Mediterranean hues, sun-bleached wood and Aztec patterns. The rooms, featuring beamed ceilings and rag-rolled walls, range from compact but colourful to airy with private hot tubs. Be aware it’s a popular wedding venue. Doubles from £170. For a rural escape, High Force Hotel is a former shooting lodge-turned-hotel, a 25-minute drive away in tranquil upper Teesdale. The 10 rooms have a smart but low-key country house style, while the bar and dining room are warm with fires and friendly conversation. Doubles from £190. Best places to shop The wide main streets flow into each other from Galgate through Horsemarket, Market Place and into The Bank (so named because it’s steep). Independents include two family-run butchers, traditional toyshop Teesdale Toys, Brooke’s “bespoke tailoring” and a tiny, crammed second-hand bookshop called McNab’s (with an excellent vinyl selection). For a small town it also has an astonishing number of interiors and lifestyle shops, and a deserved reputation for antiques dealers, including the Mission Hall Antiques Centre. The Vivienne Westwood exhibition at The Bowes Museum (Photo: The Bowes Museum) Three must-sees Six miles out of town is the well-preserved 14th-century Raby Castle. Within its battlements and impressively thick walls are richly furnished rooms including a frothy French-style pink-and-gold drawing room, and medieval kitchen, gleaming with copper utensils. Wander the grounds to discover a walled garden with two mini mazes, grand outbuildings with smart lifestyle shops and cafes, and deer roaming free in the parkland. By contrast, the town’s Norman castle, an open-to-the-skies series of partially ruined walls and towers perched on a rocky cliff, is less showy although impressively large and with dizzying views over the River Tees. Five minutes from Barnard Castle’s marketplace, the Bowes Museum takes first-time visitors by surprise. Styled as a French chateau, it was built between 1869 and 1885 by local Jonathan Bowes and his French actress-artist wife, Joséphine, to house their vast art collection (though both died before it opened in 1892). On permanent display are paintings by El Greco and Gainsborough, Meissen porcelain, a 19th-century French musical clock and an 18th-century silver swan automaton. The exhibitions are excellent too; Vivienne Westwood runs until 6 September, next year’s is David Bowie. Deer at Medieval Raby Castle (Photo: Roam Photography) Best places for an evening drink The Castle Tap takes a bit of finding – from Horsemarket, pass through a narrow archway to Bakery Mews – but is worth it if you like unusual bottled and canned fruit beers, stouts, IPAs, ciders and craft ales. There are cask ales, too, plus a patio garden. The Old Well Inn is a traditional Free House offering four or five cask ales and microbrewery guest ales. It’s one of the town’s oldest buildings; the beer garden wall is part of the castle’s medieval wall.The 20-minute drive north to Romaldkirk, with its picture-perfect village greens and Saxon church, is worth it for the smart and traditional bar of the Georgian Rose & Crown, usually with three draught ales on offer. The food is good, too, a mix of pub classics and stylish modern British dishes. Where to go for dinner Portions at Runa Farm’s The Smithy restaurant are staggering – Sunday roast comes on two plates – with modern European dishes such as beef ragu and spiced lamb koftas, plus burgers and fish and chips (mains average £19). For a good-value brunch, lunch or afternoon tea, the cafe at the Bowes Museum (no ticket required) offers home-cooked food in an elegant setting. There’s a good range of dishes, with options such as pizzas, Welsh rarebit, seafood chowder and tomato-and-courgette risotto. The sticky ginger cake flies off the stands (mains average £13). Take a walk in County Durham (Photo: Visit County Durham/Critical Tortoise) Best summer walks The Teesdale Way is a 92-mile trail following the Tees from source to sea, and you can pick up a roughly four-mile section by starting in riverside Demesnes Park and following the path downriver to Abbey Bridge. For a more strenuous 7½-mile hike, take the path behind the High Force Hotel through Dirt Pit down to the River Tees to pick up the Pennine Way, turning upriver and passing both Low and High Force waterfalls. Cross the river again near Cronkley Farm, head up to the B6277, turn right briefly, then left up a track that turns into a footpath back to the hotel.