Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland

The village lies on a rise above the upper reaches of the Wear valley.

To the west of the village the land rises to Hamsterley Common at the eastern edge of the fell country which lies between the valleys of the Wear and the Tees.

Near to the village is Dryderdale Hall, a grade II listed mansion built in 1872 by the architect Alfred Waterhouse for the Backhouse family.

[2] An episode of Time Team in 2008 examined a large stone structure in nearby Hamsterley Forest known as "the Castles", with walls five metres thick.

[3] Media related to Hamsterley (near Bishop Auckland) at Wikimedia Commons