Those looking for an escape from it all this Christmas could find just what they're looking for under the calming night skies of rural Northumberland.
While families are caught up in hectic plans for Christmas, just as depressing news of the rise of Omicron cases takes the edge off any excitement, The Twice Brewed Observatory has expanded its Christmas stargazing schedule to include more magical nights under the stars.
The observatory, at Bardon Mill near Hexham in the heart of Northumberland 's Dark Skies Park, now has added stargazing events on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve.
The observatory - adjacent to The Twice Brewed pub, which was named the Countryside Alliance’s North East Rural Pub of the Year 2021 - has added the dates to its December 20-24 programme, with the last date in the calendar no doubt seeing telescopes trained for any chance of spotting a busy Santa Claus.
Further sessions run from Boxing Day up to New Year’s Eve.
The Twice Brewed’s resident stargazer Wil Cheung said: “The stargazing sessions are really going from strength to strength and we’ve had some phenomenal skies over the past couple of weeks.
“We wanted to give people every opportunity to explore the sky throughout the Christmas holidays and have added some extra sessions to make sure we can keep up with demand!”
Also up for grabs for anyone looking for a more unusual Christmas present are family stargazing packages; overnight stays; meals; beer collections and a festive edition of the inn's popular Pub In A Box gifts idea. There is also an online shop.
For more information on the stargazing programme see here.
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