Hi there John, what exactly do you want to know about Stockton?

Have visited the Swallow for receptions/parties - never stayed there so can't comment on the rooms etc. Overall it's about as 'posh' as Stockton gets.

.....er it's still rather a long way away from Beamish though!

Unless you are getting it cheap I can't imagine why you are going to Stockton at all.

Other attractions for the Stockton area would be the various river activities (white water canoeing, etc) and a trip over the Tees to various of the Captain Cook birthplace stuff.

As the first reply says, it's a long way to Beamish from Stockton, so why not consider somewhere nearer like the hotels around the Metrocentre

John, unless you have a specific reason for wanting to be in Stockton, why not consider Sunderland? There's a couple of Travel Inns on the outskirts of the city and a Travelodge in the centre. (You can get a room online for £26 pn) You'll also find plenty of other upmarket hotels on website or Yell.com. Sunderland is a good base for all travel around the North East and has lots of cultural interest as well as some great clubs and pubs. The Empire theatre has been newly refurbed and now has West End shows. The Winter Gardens and park are lovely. The Metro system links are brilliant to Newcastle and the coastand there is a good bus service throughout the region (try Nexus.org for timetables). As for Beamish, it's a great place to visit - I have been several times and each time it enthralls me, and it's only 'up the road' from Sunderland. Hope this is a help to you, John and that you enjoy the visit