A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish

Beamish is considered by most to be one of the top attractions in the North East and I have been super excited to read about the £17m expansion plans to create a 1950's village and an 1820's coaching inn where people can stay over night! Eeeek! How exciting! We usually visit Beamish a couple of times per year - most recently was last September when we combined a trip with a stay at the Marriott in Sunderland. Our annual pass has expired though and as I am always looking at ways to save money I was intrigued to learn that you can receive 25% off your annual pass or day ticket if you travel to Beamish via a Go North East bus. Simply present your bus ticket at the admission desk on arrival (full details here) and you'll receive 25% off your ticket. This sounded like a good deal to me so we took the Waggonway service from Newcastle which is every 30 minutes.There are also buses available from Durham, Gateshead, Chester-le-Street and Sunderland (timetables here).

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Beamish Bus Stop
Go North East stop right at the museum entrance

The Beamish annual pass is honestly superb value for money. I think we've visited Beamish maybe 10 times now and every time we visit there is something new to explore and discover. I have never visited during an 'event' as always suspected they would be very busy. Perhaps we were lucky but that was absolutely not the case during the 'Horses of War' event. We could still see and join in with everything without it being too crowded. The weather on our visit was C-R-A-Z-Y. I was planning on creating a video but it was freezing cold and there were periods of rain, hail, snow and sun! Vlogging just wasn't practical. The nice thing about Beamish though is that you are never far from a cosy house with a warm fire so there were plenty of places to shelter when things took a turn for the worse.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - rainy fairground

We usually catch the free tram to travel around the various areas of Beamish however as we are trying to lead a healthier lifestyle we decided to walk it. Although the trams are very exciting and tempting, if you've been to Beamish a few times I would highly recommend giving this a try. It was lovely to see Beamish from a different perspective and the paths are accessible and in good condition. Dogs are welcome too if you'd like to bring your four-legged friend. We measured we'd walked 5 miles on our iPhone which is pretty good going!

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - walk around beamish
Walking around Beamish

Every time we visit Beamish we try something different and during our most recent visit we maybe took in around 1/4 of everything there is to do and see. We will be back with our annual pass a few times across summer to explore some of the other areas in greater detail. 

1900's Town


We started our day at the bandstand in the town square to enjoy our picnic under cover. It started to hail just as we were biting into our sandwiches! Best of British and all that! We didn't actually get too wet and the bandstand provided cover but in hindsight I think we should have headed to the Tearooms or Tavern in the town for lunch.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - 1900's town

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Horse parade in town

We loved watching the cavalry marching past just as we were finishing lunch and this gave us a flavour of things to come. It was still raining at this point so we decided to pop into Florence Smith's house. We found a lovely warm fire in her kitchen and listened to the tales told by the live actors about Florence's life as we warmed our hands and shared some of the scones the ladies had made in her kitchen.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Florence Smith's House

Florence was a music teacher and was left her home on Ravensworth Terrace. There is no way a lady would have been able to buy a house by herself in that era. Her house is the most Edwardian-like in the terrace which explains the dark colours and highly patterned wallpaper. We learned that her front room would be kept for absolute best and most of her time would be spent in the kitchen where there was a fire. Everything had to be on display in this era as the more 'things you had', the more wealthy you seemed. Thank you so much to the actors in this house who really brought Florence's story to life. 

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Florence Smith's House
Florence's front room - kept for best

There is a lot more to explore in the town such as the bakery, sweet shop, co-op store, dentist and garage but the rain was clearing so we headed over to spot the train that was just departing from the station. Train rides are included in admission and are definitely worth taking during your visit. 

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Steam train

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Steam train

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - horse and cart

We walked past the station and fairground up to the Beamish stores which is a place we didn't know existed before.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - fairground

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - carousel ride


Beamish Stores


The Beamish Stores are a really interesting place to have a nosy around. Here you will find artefacts and collections that are being stored from previous and future exhibitions. I loved the already growing selection of 1950's memorabilia and Heidi couldn't wait to have a turn in the vintage hairdressers.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Beamish stores

Walking around we spotted lots of horses pulling carts and ploughing fields. It was really interesting watching them all work and seeing their role in the war brought to life.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - horse and cart


1940's Farm


The farm is one of our favourite areas of Beamish. The kids love seeing the animals and I love the warmth and comfort of the Farmhouse. 

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - chickens at the farm

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Sheep and lamb

As our visit was in spring there were lots of lovely lambs to admire - they really are the cutest! We had to say hello to the farm's resident pigs, geese and chickens too. 


I love all of the quirky and unique details at Beamish, the attention to detail really is fab! During our trip to the farm we stumbled upon this air raid shelter for the first time. The kids couldn't wait to get a closer look and it really brings to life the reality of war when you can actually see it in front of your eyes. 

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - air raid shelter

1900's Pit Village


I love wandering around the pit village as I like to think of it as how my home town of Cramlington would once have been.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - 1900's pit village

The Pit Village is where the majority of the 'Horses at War' event was being held and we could say hello to lots of horses who would have had various roles in the war including this friendly fella:-

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - white horse

There was a special re-enactment of a military hospital and base area which we could wander around. All of the actors were in uniform and really brought the war to life. Some were even cooking sausages just as they would have back in the day. The event was very well organised and worth the extra trip to Beamish just to see I think. 

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - vintage military ambulance

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - military camp

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - vintage military ambulance

There were two lovely ladies in the village who were spreading the word about 'The Brooke' which is a registered charity who help alleviate the suffering of millions of horses, donkeys and mules overseas. It was really interesting to learn of their work and we happily donated our spare change which the charity were really grateful for. The ladies gave the kids some stickers and told them that our help would buy some hay for poorly horses to help them get better. 

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - military camp

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - military camp

A trip to the village always includes a trip to school and H, H and J love going back in time and comparing school then to school now.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - village school

We had lots of fun in the school playground playing with traditional outdoor toys.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - village school traditional playground games

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - village school traditional playground games

If we weren't watching our weight we would have definitely popped into Davy's Fish and Chip Shop where the Fish and Chips are made using traditional methods and beef dripping! Oh my word the smell was amazing. We'll save this for a summer treat though I think.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Fish and chips at Davy's Fried Fish

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Fish and chips at Davy's Fried Fish

1900's Colliery


Our final stop of the day was the 1900's Colliery. We didn't head down the mine this time but loved watching some of the horses in the yard at work for the special event.

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Horses at the Colliery

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Horses at the Colliery

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Shire Horse at the Colliery

We spent around 3.5 hours at Beamish - we could have spent soooo much longer however the weather just wasn't on our side. Day time events are included with an annual pass and provide extra value and a reason to return to Beamish time and time again. There are lots of events throughout the year and I have my eye on the Georgian Fair (2nd-5th June), Festival of the Fifties (14th-17th July) and the Beamish Leek Show (10th & 11th September).

A Bus Trip to the Horses at War Event at Beamish - Go North East Bus Home
Time to wait for our bus home



I'd love to hear if you've been to Beamish and which areas and events are your favourite. 










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18 comments

  1. This looks just like the black country museum, I love how they stay in character, even when the kids are driving them round the bend! :)

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  2. What a wonderful place! I love the 1900's town! The school playground and playing with traditional playground toys looks like fun, too! Beautiful photos and lovely post. xx

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  3. I've never heard of this places but it sounds interesting with a lot of character. I can't believe how much you've been! x

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  4. We go every year but have yet to visit when an event is on. The kids want to go at Halloween and Christmas this year!!

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  5. It was lovely wasn't it. We managed to pop down on the Sunday for a couple of hours. I love Beamish and love living so close.

    Cat x

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  6. What a fab day out! I've never even heard of this but its the type of place I'd love to take the kids. H x

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  7. I can remember visiting Beamish as a child with my school. We went two or three times, I loved it.

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  8. Oh wow - this looks an incredible place - we love visiting places like this. It is a wonderful way to learn about how things used to be. Kaz x

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  9. what fun this looks. Mine would love the horses and the bus trip

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  10. We love Beamish too, I have been on the bus before with Chloe a few years ago and I could not believe how easy and quick it was! We also walked around last year too as we had two buggys with us and it was fine managing everything with buggys. It looks like you had a great day out, even in the rain xx

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  11. What a fascinating step back in time! I LOVE these kind of atractions - so much history, and you literally learn something new with every visit. xx

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  12. I love Beamish, especially if you manage to visit in the sun!

    boyinthenorth.wordpress.com

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  13. There's parts in this post that I didn't even know existed at Beamish! I don't think I ever knew about the farm, the bunker house or the fish and chip shop. I haven't been for years so I'm wondering whether these parts are new or if we just totally missed them last time.

    The horses of war event looked good, have you ever visited at Christmas?

    My favourite part is the sweet shop, I love watching them make the boiled sweets mixing the colourings and putting them through the shape cutter. I really want to go again now!

    Ami x

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  14. Haven't been to Beamish in years! I remember my dad teaching us to put a penny down on the train track so when the train rolled over it it squashed it flat, must go back sometime, for the sweet shop alone!

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  15. I pass beamish every day and yet haven't been for years. I need to correct that as I'm sure my boys would love a day out there. The horses at war day looked really well put together. Shame you had crazy weather!

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  16. I really do love Beamish, such a wonderful day out, hope to take the twins again this year x

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  17. Can you believe I live in the North East and have never been to Beamish? Your visit here looks fab, I love your photos! I really must go soon. #LoveNorthEast

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  18. We love love love beamish and we just discovered a oerfect place to eat a picnic in bad weather and stay warm and dry ( I'll rell you next time we talk I dont want to give the spoil or special hideout!) #LoveNorthEast

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