Old Hollinside

The ruins of Old Hollinside sit quietly on the edge of Stanley, a place where the industrial North East meets genuine countryside. What remains is basically a collection of stone foundations and walls from what was once a proper working settlement, probably dating back several centuries. You're looking at the skeletal remains of buildings set among overgrown grass and the occasional tree - it's atmospheric rather than spectacular, and that's rather the point.

Walkers get the most from this place. It's not a destination you'd drive across the region for, but if you're already exploring the area around Stanley, it's well worth a detour to piece together the physical history yourself. There's something oddly compelling about reading the landscape, figuring out where the hearths were, imagining what daily life looked like generations ago. Twenty minutes to half an hour does it justice unless you're genuinely into archaeology, in which case you could spend longer examining the stonework.

Historically minded visitors and serious ramblers will find more satisfaction here than casual tourists. Kids might get restless fairly quickly unless they're the type who enjoy a bit of exploratory scrambling about old walls. Free admission, obviously - there's nothing here to pay for.

If you're based at Beamish Glamping or Beamish Holiday Park nearby, Old Hollinside makes sense as a quieter counterpoint to Beamish Museum's open-air village experience. It's raw archaeology without the gift shop - which is either exactly what you want or not quite enough depending on your mood.