Dont know the area but i bet there are travelodges nearby - often have £15/£26 room deals and they have family rooms - clean, comfy but basic - fine as a base. You can do a search by the area on the travelodge site. I know they have lodges in Sunderland, Durham, Newcastle areas so within 10-15 miles if not nearer?

Premier travel inns are better size/quality wise but more expensive.

Beamish is somewhere id love to visit one day!

Alison

Thanks. The travel lodge is coming up at £50 a night per family but the express by holiday inn is £59 per family and includes brekkie. So we reckon we'll go there.

Here's a few within 6 miles.

http://www.bw-derwentmanorhotel.co.uk/

http://www.ravencountryhotel.co.uk/

http://www.knitsleymill.co.uk/index.cfm

http://www.4hotels.co.uk/uk/hotels/harperley.html

http://www.beamish-park-hotel.co.uk/

Hope you get sorted.

Cazz.xx

Thanks for that cazz. We went to the express by holiday inn at washington and it was ideal with a toby carvery for dinner and then all fall into bed.

And did you enjoy Beamish?

It was fantastic. We ended up leaving later than originally planned but we managed to see quite a bit of it and the children loved the trams and looking in all the old buildings. They loved the old fashioned school too. Bought ds aged 4 a tram and he told his class at school that he didn't know the name of the place he'd gone to but the shop was called gift shop. His teacher found it cute. Would try to use my tesco vouchers next time as we ended up spending over £100 on entry, lunch, sweet shop and in the gift shop.