This national annual celebration of English tourism takes place between Saturday, March 25, and Sunday, April 2, and the focus is on visiting attractions near to home.
To mark the occasion the centre is teaming up with the Teesdale Mercury to uncover some Teesdale Treasures.
The North Pennines AONB Partnership, which runs the centre that won Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2016 North East Tourism Awards, is putting on three days of special events called Behind the Scenes at Bowlees.
Nic Cullens, visitor services officer at Bowlees Visitor Centre, said: “When we think of being a tourist we normally think of travelling away from home to discover new places but often the best places to explore are right on your doorstep.
“Behind the Scenes at Bowlees is about showing people just what a wonderful place Teesdale and the wider North Pennines is.
“You don’t have to travel miles and miles to find somewhere new and three of our staff have prepared some special events, which are all free, to help you get to know the area better.
“And we want people to show us what they’ve seen over the week by posting photos on social media using the hashtag #teesdaletreasures and #ETW17.”
The stunning landscape of the North Pennines has inspired many artists and the AONB Partnership’s Simon Wilson, whose dramatic paintings of the local landscapes are exhibited throughout the North East, will be leading an outdoor art class by Low Force.”
Worth a Thousand Words is a three-hour workshop for all abilities and ages and you need to book a place via www.northpennines.org.uk.
Mr Wilson said: “There’s nothing more exhilarating than getting out into the open air and painting the beauty that’s right there before you, you can’t beat it because the work you produce doesn’t come just from what you can see, but it’s also from what you can hear and even smell.
“It’s a very sensory experience, painting outdoors.”
On Saturday, April 1, the AONB Partnership’s director, Chris Woodley-Stewart, will lead a circular walk from Bowlees south, along the Tees and back to the centre via Holwick Scar.
The Director’s Cut, which is a 2.5-mile walk (4km), starts at 10am and finishes about 12pm. Mr Woodley-Stewart said his aim was to give people an insight into the nature of the area and what makes it so special.
He said: “There’ll be some geology, a little archaeology and a look at some of the birds of the meadows, river and riverbank. There’s bound to be walk-on parts for participants too – no one’s just an extra in this Director’s Cut.”
The final event of the weekend on Sunday, April 2, will give people a chance to take part in a celebration of the season when the AONB Partnership’s biodiversity lead, Rebecca Barret, sets out in search of new life.
In Search of Signs of Spring is a short 1.5-mile walk around Bowlees quarry, taking place between 11am and 12.30pm and again between 2pm and 3.30pm.
Ms Barret said: “We will seek out plants, insects and birds but special attention will be given to springtime birdsong.
“We’ll be listening closely to identify just which bird is singing and also looking to see if we can spot them.”
Both the AONB Partnership and the Teesdale Mercury will be reposting images posted throughout the week and will be selecting some of the best to published in the paper in the coming weeks.
Editor Trevor Brookes said: “If you live and work here, it’s easy to take Teesdale for granted.
“But it isn’t just for tourists and that’s why we’re so pleased to be supporting this initiative.
“So get out and about exploring Teesdale, snapping away on your cameras or phones and join one of the events.”
To take advantage of the free scone offer please take the coupon below right. Anyone who wants to share their photo of Teesdale taken during English Tourism Week but doesn’t use social media can email them to editor@tees
dalemercury.co.uk or send them to the Mercury’s office in Barnard Castle.
For more information on the events, visit www.northpennines.org. uk
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