Exploring Upper Teesdale, the Durham Dales and The North Pennines AONB

Teesdale is a wonderfully green and beautiful dale incised into the magnificent scenery of the Durham Dales and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Historically it was the most northerly of the famous Yorkshire Dales and today it is the most beautiful of the Durham Dales and thought by some to be the most complete dale in the country. It has been said that Teesdale is where heaven meets earth… and there are many notable reasons for this.

The typical magnificent Pennine geology and landforms is ever-present here, but the uniqueness of the igneous intrusions of the Whin Sill quartz dolerite millions of years ago, has added an additional range of spectacular and breath-taking landforms.

These include the dramatic landforms of Cronkley Scar, Falcon Clints and Holwick Castles, as well as magnificent waterfalls such as Cauldron Snout, England's longest cascade, High Force, England's largest waterfall, and Low Force, also known as Salmon Leap.

Nature abounds with such as the internationally famous Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve and the Bowlees Visitor Centre at Bowlees near Low Force. In addition, the dale has many reservoirs that bring another pleasing dimension to the landscape and wildlife. The largest is Cow Green near the head of the dale, not far from Cross Fell, the Pennine's highest peak at 2970 feet / 893 metres amsl. Five others, known collectively as the Teesdale Lakes are found along narrow country lanes leading up the valleys of the River Lune and River Balder not far from Mickleton Mill Caravan Park.

The area is rich in history and has a wealth of historic sites including Barnard Castle, Raby Castle, Bowes Castle, Eggleston Hall Gardens, Rokeby Park, Eggleston Abbey. Piercebridge Roman Fort and the internationally-famous French château style Bowes Museum… whilst there are the nearby attractions of the South Tynedale Railway and the Weardale Railway, plus the North Pennines Lead Mining Museum.

And finally let us not forget the quaint and pretty stone built country villages and market towns such as Romaldkirk, Middleton-in-Teesdale and Barnard Castle. All in all, there is a veritable treasure chest to discover and explore from your holiday base at Mickleton Mill Caravan Park.

Mickleton Mill Caravan Park is a wonderfully peaceful and scenic family owned and managed caravan site and holiday park located in beautiful Lunedale and Teesdale and offering a range of Static Caravans, Touring Caravans or Self Catering Holiday Caravan Hire services. Whether looking for a static caravan pitch, a tourer pitch or a pitch for a seasonal tourer in Upper Teesdale, County Durham and the North Pennines AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), then the magnificent setting, peace, tranquility, facilities and personal service in what was once the most northerly of the Yorkshire Dales, is absolutely tremendous and second to none. We are located near to the beautiful stone-built villages and towns of Mickleton, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Romaldkirk, Eggleston, Cotherstone, Lartington, Barnard Castle and Staindrop and as a centre for exploration, not far from the City of Durham with its famous World Heritage Site of castle and cathedral, Weardale, Swaledale and even the Lake District and the North Yorkshire Moors and Coast.