Barnard Castle — “Barney” to locals — is a handsome Teesdale market town of steep streets running down to the river, named for the ruined Norman castle that still stands above the Tees. Its unlikely showpiece is the Bowes Museum, a vast French-château built by John and Joséphine Bowes to house their art collection, complete with a famous mechanical silver swan. The town makes a good base for upper Teesdale and the walk to the Meeting of the Waters. Darlington is the nearest mainline station, about 25km east.
© Bob Harvey / Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
