Local Amenities
Morrisons
Whether you’re in need of a full supermarket shop or just need to pick up a few bits, the Morrisons on Front Street in nearby Consett is your best bet, a 15-minute drive from Village Green. As well as groceries, facilities include a car wash, photo processing, an ATM, petrol station and café. It’s open 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
Postcode: DH8 5RE
Boots Pharmacy
A quarter of an hour’s drive from Village Green, the Boots pharmacy at Station Yard in Consett is open until 5.30pm every day (noon closing on Saturday and closed on Sunday). They offer a wide range of services including NHS prescription, blood pressure checks and vaccinations, alongside other pharmacy provisions and a store.
Postcode: DH8 5YB
Telephone: 01207 205535
Shotley Bridge Community Hospital
Only 15 minutes from Village Green, Shotley Bridge Community Hospital in the north of Consett provides a minor injuries and illness service (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm) and an out-of-hours urgent treatment centre (6pm to midnight, with 24/7 weekend and bank holiday service). This is not a walk-in service and you must call 111. Shotley Bridge also provides outpatient services, and has a dedicated cancer care unit plus elderly care / rehabilitation ward.
Postcode: DH8 0NB
Shotley Bridge Dental Care
This busy practice in situated in the old doctors surgery buildings on Queens Road in Consett. They offer a range of preventative, restorative and cosmetic treatments for NHS and private patients, and are open Monday (9am to 7pm), Tuesday (9am to 6pm), Wednesday and Thursday (8am to 6pm) and Friday (8am to 5.30pm), but closed at weekends. The practise also offers line smoothing treatments.
Postcode: DH8 0BH
Telephone: 01207 50262
Westway Vets
Established in 1975, Westway has 15 branches across Tyne and wear, Durham and Northumberland including in Consett, a 15-minute drive from Village Green. It offers a range of small animal veterinary services including microchipping, vaccinations and nurse clinics and is open 8.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Postcode: DH8 5HE
Telephone: 01207 509997
Consett Library
Located on Victoria Road next to the bus station, with the nearest car parking in Albert Road or next to St Patrick’s Church Hall, Consett Library provides all of the expected library services alongside computer access, self-service photocopying and printing and a book request service. There is a weekly creative writing group plus a weekly toddler group, and the library open Monday (9.30am to 5pm), Tuesday and Thursday (9.30am to 7pm), Wednesday and Saturday (9.30am to 12.30pm) and Friday (9.30am to 1pm), but closed on Sundays.
Postcode: DH8 5AT
Things To Do
Beamish
Living history is a relatively new concept – and Beamish is one of the forerunners of this remarkable way of presenting an insight into the past. Just a half hour’s drive from Village Green, and spanning several hundred acres to explore, Beamish presents the region’s mining and industrial past in a unique way. It recreates working class life during the 1820s, early 1900s, 1940s and 1950s through a series of farms, authentic town streets and period shops (including a traditional confectioners and bakery, a 1950s toy shop plus several stalls in the 1900s Town). There are several themed sit-in cafes as well as takeaways plus a museum shop. Dogs are welcome (though there are restrictions on indoor spaces they can visit), there is a large, free car park, and Beamish is open year-round (with seasonal time changes to opening times). Adult tickets are around £40.
Postcode: DH9 0RG
Terris Novalis
Art lovers, or even just those with an interest in the unusual, will find Terris Novalis great fun. A 15-minute drive from Village Green, these two huge stainless steel sculptures of 19th century surveyor’s instruments stand ‘on freaky feet’ on a small rise near Consett. An engineer’s level (used for high level horizontal accuracy) and a theodolite (used to measure horizontal angles) are presented at more than 20 times the size of the regular instruments and are designed to reflect the historic industries of the region. They provide an excellent opportunity for photographers.
Postcode: DH8 7EQ
Hall Hill Farm
A mere 20-minute drive from Village Green, the award-winning Hall Hill Farm is a great place to keep young ones occupied. There are countless activities including tractor rides, mini jeeps safari, animal handling and feeding (cows, goats, sheep, alpacas, llamas, wallabies, donkeys and ponies), indoor soft play and outdoor play and even crazy golf. Entry costs around £12 per person, food and drink is available at the Hungry Highland café, and there is free car parking.
Postcode: DH7 0TA
Derwent Waterside Park
This beautiful area just a few minutes away from Village Green offers a tranquil escape with a variety of outdoor activities. Visitors can enjoy scenic walks along the shores of the reservoir, take part in cycling events such as the Tour of the Reservoir and explore the nature trail. The park is home to diverse wildlife, including various small mammals plus red kites and even ospreys. Derwent Waterside also provides fishing opportunities for keen anglers, with lots of bank space and the chance to catch specimen trout up to 20lbs (permits must be booked). There are picnic areas and a giant play park at Waterside, while a self-serving café offers refreshments and snacks, and there is a gift shop.
Postcode: DH8 9TT
Pow Hill Country Park
Just a five minute drive from Village Green, Pow Hill Country Park lies in the north of the wider area of Derwent Waterside, overlooking the scenic reservoir. The name Pow derives from Old English and means ‘slow-moving stream’, referring to the boggy, waterlogged area in the park’s northern section, which supports plant species such as bog asphodel, cotton grass, ragged robin, marsh thistle, heather moorland, grassland and conifer woodland. Wildlife lovers might be able to spot red squirrels, adders, common lizards and green hairstreak butterflies, and there is plenty of birdlife. Visitors to Pow Hill can enjoy a return to nature with walking paths and extensive woodland, picnic spots and reservoir access. There are three parking areas, open 8am to 8.30pm.
Postcode: DH8 9NT
Places to Eat & Drink
The Derwent Arms
This fantastic pub in Edmundbyers serves traditional menus including light bites, traditional pub grub, fish Fridays and Sunday roasts, focusing on seasonal and local produce. There are also plenty of local ales available. The Derwent Arms is open Monday to Wednesday 5pm to 11pm (drinks only), and Thursday to Sunday (12noon to 11pm for drinks and / or food). It’s also kid friendly (with a kids menu available) and dog friendly, and has ample outdoor space for summer plus a roaring log fire in the winter.
Postcode: DH8 9NL
The Baa
This unique, eccentric, cosy micropub-style bar is located within Low House in Edmunbyers, and offers a decent selection of local ales, including Penine Pale. The drinks menu also includes popular beers, wines and a growing list of gins and tonics. It’s open Friday to Sunday (noon to 11.30pm) and Monday to Thursday (4.30pm to 9.30pm). The Kitchen, also within Low House, offers homemade pizzas every day.
Postcode: DH8 9NL
Eagles Head
This charming village pub in Over Kellet, near Carnforth, serves great food and beers, at lunchtimes and in the evenings (there’s no food available on Tuesdays). There’s a fireplace in the welcoming bar plus outdoor seating, and the Eagles Head hosts quiz nights and live music on a regular basis.
Postcode: LA6 1DL
The Manor House Inn
Five minutes north of Edmunbyers is the Manor House Inn, a classic British pub with a touch of modern flair. It serves traditional food, cooked to order and can get extremely busy, particularly at weekends, so booking is always advised. The Manor House Inn serves a very popular Sunday Roast Menu on Sundays. There is outdoor seating, parking, free Wi-Fi and well-behaved dogs are welcome.
Postcode: DH8 9 LX
Sale Pepe
This family-owned Italian restaurant in Shotley Bridge was established in 2004 and has built a strong reputation for serving delicious fresh, homemade food including pizzas, pastas and meats and fish. Sale Pepe is open Wednesday and Thursday (12noon to 10.30pm, with last booking at 8.30pm), Friday and Saturday (12noon to 11pm, with last booking at 8.45pm), Sunday. (12pm to 6.30pm, with last booking at 4.30pm). It is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Booking online is advised.
Postcode: DH8 0HH
