Adult activity: Killhope felting workshop
2023-06-28 10:00 - 15:30 (Europe/London) | Killhope Lead Mining Museum, DL13 1AR
The felting workshop on 28 June 10am to 3.30pm will provide an opportunity for a small group of adults (18+) to explore the mining museum and create a piece of felt art work based on the beautiful display of Victorian spa boxes onsite. These were created by miners as a way of displaying the unusual rocks and crystals they gathered. Workshop participants will gather lead ore and minerals from the washing floor and incorporate these in a highly textured piece of 3D felt artwork. This artwork will be created using a technique called Shibori where objects are tied into the fabric and revealed as it is cut open.
Please use the link below to book.

National Meadows Day at Low Way Farm - family event
2023-07-01 10:00 - 15:00 | Low Way Farm, Holwick, DL12 0NJ
Join us on 1 July 10am to 3pm for a day celebrating the magnificent meadows and farming history of Teesdale. The North Pennines AONB contains almost half of the remaining species-rich upland hay meadows in the UK. As well as being a rare and important habitat for wildflowers, upland hay meadows also support a whole range of invertebrates and birds.
High Nature Value farming practices in the uplands mean that many of these meadows are being managed in much the same way that they have been for generations. These farming practices protect the unique habitats of the North Pennines whilst also producing high quality food. Whilst the management regime of meadows is similar now to 200 years ago, the machinery available to farmers has changed beyond all recognition from scythes to large tractors and mowers, and from handmade pikes of hay to modern balers.
We want to celebrate this important habitat and its cultural history with a variety of fun activities suitable for all ages. There is no need to book, come along and take part in activities:

display of farming machinery old and new
display of machinery used for meadow restoration
botany walk around the meadows
art and craft activities
a closer look at the special species of plants through a microscope
display of typical upland hay meadow species grown from hand-collected local seed
meadow restoration talk
display of historic hay-time photographs

Delicious tea and scones will be on sale made by the Farmhouse Kitchen.
Location : Low Way Farm, Holwick.
Car parking available, access from road the towards Holwick (follow signs for The Farmhouse Kitchen) ///addicted.proven.encloses
Or
Access on foot from Middleton or Bowlees via Pennine way: ///dark.releasing.going

Exhibition: With or Without (a camera)
2023-07-01 10:00 - 2023-07-31 17:00 | Bowlees Visitor Centre, Newbiggin, DL12 0XF
During July Bowlees Visitor Centre is hosting an exhibition of photographic images made with and without a camera, by artist Elaine Vizor.
Elaine will exhibit vintage cameraless photography, cyanotype prints, and both original and digital artworks. The traditional vintage cyanotype process is the oldest form of photography dating back to 1842. Cyanotype printing was used for botanical printing by early photographer and botanical artist, Anna Atkins, and Elaine uses botanical species for prints, particularly ferns which are abundant in this area.
The original digital art pieces on show, depicting Teesdale scenes, are images transformed into ‘artlike’ pieces using modern digital tools.
Elaine works as a freelance photographer, delivering occasional workshops in digital photography for beginners; photography walks and also cyanotype workshops. In bringing together the vintage and the modern, Elaine is bringing photography full circle from its very origins to its most modern contemporary form.
The title With or Without (a camera) comes from Elaine’s love of photography and, equally, a cup of tea, so it is a play on the quintessentially British question, ‘how do you like your tea, with or without?
Open during visitor centre opening hours (daily 10am to 5pm). Not wheelchair accessible.

Spirit of place: art activity
2023-07-05 10:00 - 13:00 | Bollihope
Join us on 5 July 10am to 1pm for a fun and friendly outdoor workshop to discover secrets of the lead mining landscape of Bollihope through drawing.
With guidance and demonstrations from North Pennine artist Lionel Playford we will explore ways of sketching, not just the appearance of this heritage landscape with its fascinating history, but something of the spirit of the place as it feels to each of us.
A member of the North Pennines AONB team will be answering questions about what we are drawing, the lead mining history and to help picture working life when the quarry and mines were operating.
You are welcome to bring your own drawing materials. There will also be a supply of sketchbooks; graphite, charcoal and watercolour pencils available.
The activity will be based at Bollihope Bottoms and is suitable for ages 8+.
Image: Lionel Playford
To book tickets please use the link below.

Image: Lionel Playford

Family activity: Felting workshop & mine visit
2023-07-08 10:00 - 15:30 | Killhope Lead Mining Museum, DL13 1AR
A felting workshop for families on 8 July, 10am to 3.30pm. This workshop is an opportunity to explore Killhope Lead Mining Museum before creating a piece of felt artwork inspired by the mining heritage and communities of the North Pennines. The felt artworks will be created using merino wool and other fibres. The workshop is suitable for children over the age of 6 years old, accompanied by an adult.
As participants will be going down the mine it is essential to bring waterproof clothing and waterproof footwear.
Please bring a packed lunch and drinks.
To book please use the link below.

Field day: in search of Appleby Street
2023-07-11 09:30 - 16:00 | Ravenbridge Mill, Ravenbridge Mill, Renwick, CA10 1JZ, United Kingdom
Join us for a volunteer survey day as we search for the lost Roman road of Appleby Street, as proposed by local historian Richard Brockington.
As a group, you will be taught key archaeological skills in landscape survey by DigVentures’ professional archaeologists at a site close to Raven Beck, south of Renwick, in the Eden Valley.
All tools and equipment will be provided for the surveys.
Absolutely no experience necessary; we will teach you everything you need to know. All you’ll need is a good pair of boots, waterproofs, and a level of fitness to spend the day on your feet in the landscape.
Bring your own packed lunch.
Booking for the survey is essential. Please sign up using the Better Impact volunteer platform

Part of the Fellfoot Forward Landscape Partnership Scheme, led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Children's archaeology taster days: Plover Hall
2023-07-15 10:00 - 16:00, 2023-07-16 10:00 - 16:00 | Plover Hall
An opportunity for children to spend a taster day alongside community archaeology group, Altogether Archaeology, digging at Plover Hall, Gilmonby. Children will spend the day exploring the history of the area, where Bronze Age hoards have previously been found. Hopefully more evidence of prehistoric activity will be unearthed during these exciting digs.
Suitable for children aged between seven and 16. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Full location/joining instructions will be provided nearer to event date.
Dates: 15 and 16 July 10am to 4pm
Please book using the link below.

Pennine Way Champions waymarking training
2023-07-19 10:00 - 16:30 | Alston Town Hall, Front Street, Alston, CA9 3RF
Learn how to waymark on the Pennine Way from Heather Procter, Pennine National Trails Partnership Manager and David Benson, Countryside Access Officer. The day will begin with a short presentation in Alston Town Hall followed by a 4 mile walk to address some waymarking issues in the real world. 19 July, 10am to 16:30pm.
Suitable for 16+. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. There will be a significant amount walking therefore a reasonable level of fitness will be required. We will be stopping for lunch while on the walk, therefore please bring a packed lunch with you.
We will finish the day with an informal get together at the Alston House Hotel, where tea and cake will be provided. For more information contact jack@northpenninesaonb.org.uk
Please sign up using the volunteer platform Better Impact

Wildflower seed collecting
2023-07-20 13:00 - 16:00 | Teesdale
Join us for a session of collecting wood crane’s-bill seeds from a site in Teesdale on 20 July 1pm to 4pm.
Wood crane’s-bill is one of the key indicator species of the best species-rich upland hay meadows. Its abundance in meadows has been reducing and collecting seeds will allow us to expand the population as we grow seedlings and plant plug plants into meadows in Teesdale. All ages are welcome; children must be supervised by an adult.
As part of the Tees-Swale: Naturally Connected programme, wildflower seeds will be sown at workshops in the Autumn and the grown on into plants which can be used as part of restoring and enhancing meadows in Teesdale.
Please sign up using our Better Impact volunteer platform.

Volunteer opportunity to remove invasive garden Lady’s-mantle
2023-07-21 10:00 - 16:00 | Langdon Beck
Join us for a practical day to help dig up and remove invasive garden Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla mollis) from an area around an Upper Teesdale beck.
This area of Upper Teesdale in the North Pennines AONB is especially important for the population of rare native plants that are found there. If the garden Lady’s-mantle is left to set seed, it poses a risk of spreading to further sites and possibly out competing and replacing the important native plant communities.
This activity requires a good level of fitness as well as the ability to navigate uneven terrain. Training will be given on the morning of the event.
Exact location will be sent 48 hours prior to the event. Suitable for all ages; children must be supervised by an adult.
Please sign up using the Better Impact volunteer platform. If you are not able to make this date but would be interested in helping at a future volunteer session (probably during August), please contact Will Bowman to register your interest.

Saturday stroll - Alston
2023-07-29 10:30 - 14:00 | Alston
Join us for a gentle walk at a relaxed pace on the last Saturday of each month. July’s walk is from Alston, starting at 10.30am and finishing at approximately 12.30pm. Following the walk, you are welcome to join us for free refreshments and a chat about what we have seen, finishing about 2pm.
Saturday strolls are designed for anyone who may not feel confident accessing the outdoors or would like more advice about getting out walking, but anyone at any experience level is welcome to join. All ages are welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult and must be able to walk or be carried as the paths may not be suitable for pushchairs). Well-behaved dogs on a short lead are welcome. The walks will be approximately 3 miles in length on mostly flat ground and with rest breaks along the way.
For each walk you will need to bring sturdy boots or shoes (walking boots or trainers with good grip are best), warm layers, and a waterproof jacket. You may also want to bring a drink and a snack.
Start point: Alston car park, A689
Please book places using the link below.

Exhibition: Farming, wildlife and landscapes
2023-08-01 10:00 - 2023-08-31 17:00 | Bowlees Visitor Centre, Newbiggin, DL12 0XF
During August Bowlees Visitor Centre is hosting an exhibition celebrating the farming, wildlife, and landscapes of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) by amateur artists Janet Love and Alison Lamb.
Janet enjoys painting in mixed media and drawing in graphite. The exhibition shows her artistic interpretation of the farmland, flowers and wildlife found in the North Pennines. Janet’s inspiration comes from her joy of taking extensive walks in the Teesdale area.
Alison, who lives and works on a traditional livestock farm in Teesdale, shares her passion in the exhibition for not only the area in which she lives but also the love of the landscape, wildlife and domestic farm animals. Alison’s inspiration comes from what she describes as ‘the stunning and varied landscape of the North Pennines’.
Open during visitor centre opening hours (daily 10am to 5pm). Not wheelchair accessible.
Featured image above, by Alison Lamb
Image below by Janet Love

Wild Wednesday: Mining the past
2023-08-02 10:30 - 12:30 | Bowlees Visitor Centre, Newbiggin, DL12 0XF
Join us on 2 August 10.30am to 12.30pm, at Bowlees Visitor Centre, for an interactive activity discovering how the mines of the North Pennines were built and how they were used.
Wild Wednesday activities are suitable for children up to the age of 12. Children need to be accompanied by an adult.
Please book using the link below. The cost is £3 per child (accompanying adults are free and do not need to book a place). All donations are used to help us support more people to access the outdoors, through our visitor centre at Bowlees, improvements to access and rights of way, and digital and printed information for visitors.

Bowlees Explorers
2023-08-03 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-08-10 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-08-17 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-08-24 10:00 - 12:00 | Bowlees Visitor Centre, Newbiggin, DL12 0XF
Outdoor fun for under 5s and their families. Each session will feature hands-on nature-themed activities to get you exploring. This event runs on Thursdays in the school holidays starting 13 April. 10am-12pm.
Booking is essential. Cost is £1 per child. Adults are free, and all children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. No dogs allowed.
Please come dressed for the outdoors, whatever the weather.
Please book using the system below.

Wildflower seed collecting
2023-08-08 10:00 - 13:00 | Teesdale
Join us for a practical session 8 August 10am to 1pm collecting melancholy thistle and Lady’s mantle wildflower seeds from populations in Teesdale.
Melancholy thistle and Lady’s mantle are both present in the best species-rich upland hay meadows. Their abundance in meadows has been reducing and collecting seeds will allow us to expand the population by growing plug plants and planting them out into meadows in Teesdale.
As part of the Tees-Swale: naturally connected programme, the wildflower seeds we collect will be sown at workshops in the Autumn, and then grown on into plants which can be used as part of the restoration and enhancement of meadows in Upper Teesdale.
To sign up please use our Better Impact volunteer platform.

Wild Wednesday: Under the surface
2023-08-09 10:30 - 12:30 | Bowlees Visitor Centre, Newbiggin, DL12 0XF
Join us on 9 August 10.30am to 12.30pm, at Bowlees Visitor Centre, for interactive activities exploring what’s under your feet in the North Pennines. We will be investigating rocks and soils through science and art.
Wild Wednesdays are suitable for children aged five to 12 years. Younger and older siblings are welcome. All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Please book using the link below.

Wild Wednesday: Campfire cooking
2023-08-16 10:30 - 12:30 | Bowlees Visitor Centre, Newbiggin, DL12 0XF
Join us on 16 August 10.30am to 12.30pm for a foraging walk around Bowlees, collecting herbs and fruits of the season to then use to cook on the campfire. We’ll have the opportunity to cook bread on a stick and enjoy an infusion of tea made from our foraged herbs.
Wild Wednesday activities are suitable for children aged five to 12 years. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Please book tickets using the link below. The cost is £3 per child (accompanying adults are free and do not need to book a place). All donations are used to help us support more people to access the outdoors, through our visitor centre at Bowlees, improvements to access and rights of way, and digital and printed information for visitors.

Calaminarian seed collecting
2023-08-16 13:00 - 16:00 | Teesdale
Join us for a volunteer session collecting seeds from rare calaminarian plant species in Teesdale, on 16 August 1pm to 4pm. The seeds will be sown at workshops this autumn and grown on into plants that can be used as part of the Tees-Swale: naturally connected programme’s habitat restoration works which are being carried out on sites affected by historic diffuse metal deposits.
Suitable for all ages; children must be supervised by an adult.
Please sign up using the Better Impact volunteer platform.

Volunteer opportunity to remove invasive garden Lady’s-mantle
2023-08-17 10:00 - 16:00, 2023-08-24 10:00 - 16:00 | Langdon Beck
Join us for a practical day to help dig up and remove invasive garden Lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla mollis) from an area around an Upper Teesdale beck.
This area of Upper Teesdale in the North Pennines AONB is especially important for the population of rare native plants that are found there. If the garden Lady’s-mantle is left to set seed, it poses a risk of spreading to further sites and possibly out competing and replacing the important native plant communities.
This activity requires a good level of fitness as well as the ability to navigate uneven terrain. Training will be given on the morning of the event.
Exact location will be sent 48 hours prior to the event. Suitable for all ages; children must be supervised by an adult.
Please sign up using the Better Impact volunteer platform.

Fellfoot Sounds
2023-08-19 13:00 - 2023-08-20 13:00 | Into the Woods, nr Glassonby, Glassonby, Cumbria, CA10 1NP, United Kingdom
This event is sold out.
Day, night and dawn amongst the trees and stones.
This relaxed daytime and one night campout is a small environmentally friendly event in a stunning dark skies area where you can listen, make, enjoy live performance, music and workshops. Taking place at Into The Woods, Glassonby, Cumbria, it is delivered by the North Pennines AONB Partnership with artists who create work in and about the environment. The venue is a relaxed space with camping around a large field, find out more here.
Join artists, including Jennifer Reid, Ore, Tim Shaw, Jayne Dent (MeLostMe), Noize Choir, and Jorge Boehringer, for live performances and workshops on the campsite, in St Michael and All Angels Church next door, and a 15 minute walk away at Long Meg and Her Daughters Neolithic stone circle for a special sunset performance.
Get creative and curious in this stunning location – making sounds with BlueJam Arts, enjoying family friendly nature activities with Stomping Ground, and taking short guided walks led by historians, artists and ecologists to experience nature at night, bird song, heritage, and soundscapes. Find the programme of performances and workshops and artists’ biographies here.
Hot food and drinks will be on sale and you can bring your own. Other than guide dogs/assistance dogs, no dogs are allowed at this event. Read our FAQs here.
Please email us with any ticketing queries and we will answer as soon as we can (please note this email is not manned 24/7 so there may be a delay in replies, particularly at weekends).
This is a not-for-profit event funded by Arts Council England, Westmorland and Furness Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Children's archaeology taster days: Gueswick Hills
2023-08-22 10:00 - 16:00, 2023-08-23 10:00 - 16:00, 2023-08-24 10:00 - 16:00 | Cumbria
An opportunity for children to spend an archaeology taster day investigating an Iron Age settlement at Gueswick Hills. Previous finds from the area include a paved surface and a brooch from circa 4th Century. Unearth children’s fascination with history.
Suitable for children aged between seven and 16. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Please book using the link below – please book a place for participants. Accompanying adults do not need to book a place. Full location / joining instructions will be provided nearer to the event date.
Dates: 22, 23 and 24 August, 10am to 4pm

Tree seed collecting
2023-08-22 13:00 - 16:00 | Teesdale
Join us for a practical session collecting bird cherry tree seeds from a site in Teesdale. The seeds collected will be used to grow local provenance trees at our Tree and Wildflower nursery at Bowlees Visitor Centre. Bird cherry is a small, widely-distributed, deciduous tree. Bees and hoverflies visit the flowers and birds gorge on the berries in the late summer.
Exact location will be sent 48 hours prior to the event. Suitable for all ages; children must be supervised by an adult.
Please contact patrick@northpenninesaonb.org.uk if you have any queries or would like to volunteer at the Tree and Wildflower nursery.
Please sign up using the Better Impact volunteer platform.

Wild Wednesday: Rivers, above and below
2023-08-23 10:30 - 12:30 | Bowlees Visitor Centre, Newbiggin, DL12 0XF
Join us on 23 August 10.30am to 12.30pm, at Bowlees Visitor Centre, for a river hunt to delve underneath the rocks to see what weird and wonderful creatures make their homes in our river habitats. We’ll be looking out for signs that the river is healthy and explore the nature that lives around and in Bowlee Beck.
Wild Wednesday activities are suitable for children aged five up to 12 years. other siblings are welcome and all children need to be accompanied by an adult.
Please book tickets using the link below. The cost is £3 per child (accompanying adults are free and do not need to book a place). All donations are used to help us support more people to access the outdoors, through our visitor centre at Bowlees, improvements to access and rights of way, and digital and printed information for visitors.
