Property Info

General Info

Nestled on the edge of the charming town of Middleton-in-Teesdale, is the delightful property Heather Brae located in 2.5 acres of beautiful grounds. Although a former luxury hotel, it’s been a holiday let for many years. This well-appointed, environmentally-friendly property using biomass and solar power, accommodation provides a fabulous space for large groups for family and friends alike to join and celebrate in style. As you will see from our visitor’s book when you arrive, which dates back >10-years, we are fortunate to welcome back guests year after year. The underlying feedback we receive from our guests is that the “pictures just do not do the property justice!” We appreciate that time is a commodity that you just can never get back, and therefore we are committed to making your stay as pleasant and as memorable as possible, so your visit to Heather Brae becomes one of those timeless memories, shared with either your family or friends. Heather Brae is located in the North Pennines, which was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1988 for its moorland scenery, its mountains and the river Tees. We are also only a short drive from Barnard Castle and the High Force Waterfall and less than 40 miles from the Lake District National Park, so great for those varied days-out or visiting those English Heritage Sites such as Durham Cathedral, Durham Castle, Barnard Castle, or the Bowes Museum. For those of you who want an activity-based holiday, this is an amazing place for walking, cycling, exploring, rock climbing, watersports, car racing, or enjoying a game of tennis on your very own tennis court. We are also collaborating with local partners to provide fly-fishing, shooting experiences and much, much more and we can try and help to organise these events if you contact us well in advance, subject to availability, of course. We can build you a great package (given sufficient time). For those of you who want to just chill-out, there is a range of great eateries and hostelries and excellent farm shops for those who want to take advantage of the striking oak farmhouse kitchen or BBQ on our terraces. This can be followed by a relaxing time in our two hot tubs overlooking the Teesdale valley in our extensive grounds. We have an abundance of outside seating, a rope swing, tree house and a football pitch to keep the children entertained. For those who want to take a rest from cooking, you can also arrange a private Chef experience, as we are an official partner of Dine and Dulge, who can cater for those special events. For those of you who have a special dietary requirement and need to prepare your food separately, we have a second fully stocked kitchen in our annex. The annex also has its own living room for those people who may have to work, whilst others play. When you enter Heather Brae, you will be greeted into an airy hallway, where you can place down your bags and take off your coats and make yourself feel right at home. Wander into the peaceful snug, curling up on one of the traditional leather armchairs as you lose yourself in an enthralling book from our library, or gather with friends in the games room for some friendly competition playing pool. Lounge on one of the many plush sofas located in the living room as you watch the flames from our open fire and catch-up with your nearest and dearest whilst music plays from the Smart TV. Grab a bottle of wine from one of the wine drink’s fridge located within the pantry, or a beer from our beer fridge and take a seat at the dining table to map out your plans for the coming days, as the chef of the group takes to the striking oak farmhouse kitchen and prepares a mouth-watering three course dinner with the help of the impressive stainless steel range cooker. Continue the evening out in the garden with a dip in the hot tub, admiring the outstanding views of the rolling countryside as the sun begins to set on yet another wonderful day in the Pennines. When you begin to feel tired, carry yourself off to one of the many bedrooms available; with a total of ten bedrooms set over two floors, there is something to suit everyone. Choose to stay in one of the luxurious super-king-size or king-size bedrooms boasting their very own en-suites where you can indulge in a rejuvenating shower or relaxing soak in the bath. Guests have the option to stay in the spacious family bedroom, complete with both a super-king-size bed, two singles and the benefit of a tranquil en-suite bathroom featuring both a bath and a separate walk-in shower. Discover an old housekeeper's lodge located on the second floor, home to a king-size bedroom, a double and a twin, as well as a chic bathroom and additional cloakroom for your convenience. Prepare a hearty breakfast in the housekeeper’s kitchen with the help of the handy electric oven and hob, before heading through to the snug living area, settle into the sofas by the warmth of the woodburning stove as you catch a movie on the Smart TV. Show off your tennis skills with a quick match out on the courts before grabbing your bikes from the storage area and heading out on a peaceful cycle. Hop in the car and head for the nearby town of Barnard Castle where you will find an enchanting castle, impressive art galleries and the striking ruins of Egglestone Abbey. Spend your days on scenic hikes through the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or enjoy a relaxing stroll along the Tees Valley Railway Walk, before exploring Summerhill Force and Gibson's Cave. Book a stay at Heatherbrae for an unforgettable group holiday to the fantastic Middleton-in-Teesdale. Read More

Property Info

Ground Floor: Large farmhouse kitchen / dinner with dual aspect wide-ranging views over the dale – tables can seat up to 26 people. SMEG Range cooker with electric oven and gas hob, electric oven and hob, fridge, fridge/freezer, microwave, 2 x dishwashers Utility / laundry room with washing machine and tumble dryer Boot room Wine fridges WC Sitting room with open fire Snug with woodburning stove and library Games room with pool table. Upper Floors: Ten bedrooms and 6 bathrooms 1 x second-floor super-king-size (zip/link, can be twin on request) with TV and en-suite walk-in shower, basin and WC, 1 x super-king-size with TV, 1 x second-floor super-king-size with TV, 1 x second-floor king-size with TV, 1 x double with TV, 1 x family room with king-size and a single with trundle with TV, 1 x family room with super-king-size, single and cot with TV and en-suite bath, walk-in shower, basin and WC Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC Shower room with walk-in shower, basin, and WC Second-floor bathroom with bath Separate WC Cloakroom. Annexe: 1 x super-king size with TV, 1 x double with TV, 1 x twin with TV Bathroom with bath, basin, and WC Separate WC Open-plan living space with kitchenette, dining area and sitting area with woodburning stove. Fuel and power inc. in rent and starter pack of wood and kindle for stove Read More

Facilities

BT Fibre To The Premises 900Mbps. 13 x TVs/Smart TVs and WiFi, selection of books, pool table. No smoking inside the building – smoking place available on the terraces. Bed linen and towels includes in rent – professionally laundered. Enclosed rear garden with lawn, furniture, two hot tubs, barbecue, and a tennis court. Tree house. Terraces. Rope swing. Bike storage shed. Off-road parking for 10 cars. Two cots, a third cot is available by prior request, two highchairs. Additional Z-Beds are available upon request. Pets: We know for those of you with pets, that going away can sometime be challenging as you want to take them with you, so we after several requests we have changed our policy and welcome pets, but these must remain on the ground floor only. As we live in a farming community, anyone with large or energetic dogs or dogs likely to stray off the property must be kept on a lead whilst in the garden. You can also arrange deliveries from major supermarkets, please contact the owner for more information. Pet allergies: If anyone who has already booked and has pet allergies, or wants to book in future, please kindly contact me and we will make special preparation prior to your visit to ensure that you enjoy your stay. Food & Drink: The village is <1 mile away and has a range of shops, a hotel, pubs and eateries and take aways. Very reputable farm shops close to Barnard Castle with excellent range of fresh produce. Local craft brewery who can deliver – please contact the owner well in advance of your arrival date. Executive chef can be provided for those special occasions, please contact the owner well in advance of your arrival date. Note: Please be considerate of neighbouring properties, the hot tubs are available in the evening, but please be mindful of the noise after 10pm. Note: Groups under the age of 25 are welcome but only with prior approval from the property owner, so please contact Sykes before you book. Note: We would welcome both hen parties and stag parties, only with the express pre-approval of the property owners and following a telephone discussion, please therefore kindly contact Sykes before you book - special booking conditions “may” apply, depending on the booking party - please kindly follow the guidance otherwise the good housekeeping bond may be withheld; and you may be asked to leave the property where there are serious complaints - whilst we want everyone to have a thoroughly enjoyable stay, and hopefully be a returning guest, we also value the relationships with our neighbours and kindly ask that guests follow our guidelines. Note: We have additional pull-out singles and z-beds, and have catered for up to 28 guests with these beds being deployed in existing bedrooms. Read More

The Hot Tub

    Location

    Reviews

    Disappointing return visit

    Having previously enjoyed a fabulous family celebration at Heather Brae, our return visit was met with sloppy standards and extremely poor customer service. A change in ownership has clearly come with a disappointing deterioration in approach. A glaring tear in the pool table, flies in the annexe, luke warm water throughout and one of the two hot tubs not heated to temperature for 50% of our stay meant we received nothing like the luxurious stay we had paid for. Not an instruction booklet in sight and a complete lack of suitable resolution, any kind of compensation or forthcoming apology from the owner: “getting hot tub repair companies is not like getting a plumber, you know!’ Expecting a customer to pay the sums of money we did and be satisfied with a housekeeper’s (albeit noble) attempt to fix a pool table green with superglue is utterly laughable! Two of the main selling points for us were the pool table and the two hot tubs (not one hot tub, two, there were 20 of us after all!) and none of these features were fully workable. We can forgive errors and we can forgive breakdowns but we cannot forgive the sheer absence of customer service. Messages that were ignored, an unhelpful, dismissive attitude and lack of appreciation for the impact this had on our experience. Thanks for nothing Julian…we overpaid and you definitely under-delivered, leaving a 70-year-old mother and grandmother celebrating her big birthday frustrated and saddened.

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