Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant in Wark, Northumberland, has cemented its status as one of the most sustainable hotels in the country by massively reducing its carbon footprint.

Well-known for its ‘green’ credentials, Battlesteads’ carbon footprint report reveals the hotel and restaurant’s emissions have decreased by 77.5% since 2012 to just 5.23kg CO2 per room per night in 2015. Despite the hotel’s increased occupancy following the addition of five new eco-lodges in 2015, Battlesteads is continuing to set the standard for sustainable hotels across the country.

Whilst the hotel’s carbon footprint is already considerably lower than the industry average of 31.1kg CO2 per room per night, Battlesteads isn’t stopping there and owners Richard and Dee Slade’s key objective for this year is to reduce their carbon footprint even further, with the aim to achieve less than 4.5kg CO2 per room per night by the end of the year.
One of the biggest influencing factors in the reduction of Battlesteads’ carbon footprint has been the switch to green energy provider ‘Ecotricity’ in January 2014. In addition to producing green energy, Battlesteads generate solar energy on site, 50% of which is used by Battlesteads and 50% which is sold to Ecotricity.

Battlesteads has been recognised for its commitment to environmental practices with multiple awards and has recently been shortlisted for Eco Hotel of the Year at the AA Hospitality Awards.

The shortlist recognises Battlesteads’ clear commitment to sustainability, demonstrated through good practice and policy to make a positive contribution to reducing its impact on the environment.

Richard Slade, owner of Battlesteads said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for Eco Hotel of the Year. Sustainability is something we pride ourselves on and the award really reflects our commitment to environmental practices. Since extending the hotel to offer more accommodation it was always going to be tough to keep up with our commitments to the environment so it’s great to see we’ve been able to sustain our eco principles and reduce our carbon footprint so greatly”.

Other awards given to Battlesteads for its sustainability include the Considerate Hoteliers Special Commendation Award 2015, a Platinum level rating in TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders Programme in 2014, Hotel Cateys Green Hotel of the Year 2011 and a Gold Star Award at the 2011 Green Tourism Awards. The hotel and restaurant also has Three Star Sustainability Champion status, awarded by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

Join us for an odds on winning day of fizz, fillies and fabulous food at Battlesteads to celebrate Ascot Ladies Day on Thursday 16 June. Enjoy all the action of Royal Ascot from the comfort of the bar and restaurant as we bring the thrill of this exciting event to Northumberland. It’s the perfect excuse to get together with friends, dress to impress and don that statement hat.

Ascot Ladies Day at Battlesteads costs £20 per person and includes:
Glass of fizz on arrival Summer buffet lunch Selection of desserts Bar side Tote
So pick your winners and head over for starters orders from 12.30pm

Plus free entry to the Battlesteads ‘Best in Show’ competition for the best hat or fascinator worn. Your chance to win dinner for two on us worth £55.00. Winner will be announced after the last race of the day. The stakes are high for a fun day out.

To reserve your trackside place email info@battlesteads.com or call 01434 230209

Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant in Wark, near Hexham, has been named the Best Pub in the North East at the National Pub & Bar Awards.

The accolade was presented to Battlesteads at an awards ceremony on Tuesday 24 May, held at London’s BAFTA theatre. The sustainable hotel and restaurant was previously chosen as the county winner for Northumberland by a judging panel from leading industry magazine Pub & Bar, before being voted as the best in the region.

Entrants to the awards were judged on all aspects of pub hospitality, from perfect service and product range to aesthetic design and entertainment. Battlesteads was chosen for its friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable staff, wide range of local and national cask ales, well-travelled list of sustainable and biodynamic wines and fantastic food featuring home-grown ingredients and locally sourced produce.

Battlesteads beat tough competition from across Northumberland, Durham and Tyne and Wear to walk away with the title of Best Pub in the North East. The award was presented by one of the UK’s leading food and restaurant critics and journalist for The Observer, Jay Rayner.

Speaking after the awards ceremony, owner of Battlesteads Richard Slade said: “When we found out we had been chosen as the county winner for Northumberland, we were absolutely delighted. To then go on to be named the best pub in whole of the North East is a great honour and the whole team is celebrating this fantastic achievement. We are proud to be flying the flag for all of the other brilliant pubs in the North East and we’d like to thank the judges for choosing us as the winner.”

Tristan O’Hana, editor of Pub & Bar magazine said: “This is a brilliant achievement for Battlesteads, and for all our county and regional winner – they can now celebrate the fact that they are the best in their area. It was an absolute pleasure to reward and acknowledge these incredible businesses at what was none other than a celebration of standout hospitality and business practice. This selection of pubs and bars shows just what a fantastic industry the UK on-trade is.”

Thursday 21st July to Sunday 24th July
Over 20 beers, ciders and foreign lagers to try

NEW FOR 2016 GIN BAR
Selection of 8 fabulous gins

Bands include:
Friday 22nd The Stax Brothers
Saturday 23rd (afternoon) The Mudskippers
Saturday 23rd (evening) Alive and Kicking

Admission
Thursday evening 6pm until 11pm FREE
Friday and Saturday 12noon until 11pm £4
CAMRA members £3
Sunday afternoon 12 noon until the beer runs out FREE

Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant in Wark, Northumberland, has officially opened its on-site observatory, with local MP Guy Opperman doing the honours of cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony.

Sitting at the edge of the Northumberland National Park, the observatory has been awarded Dark Sky Discovery Site status. This means that it is one of the best sites in England for stargazing away from light pollution and offers the opportunity to see the Milky Way with the naked eye under the guided eye of professional astronomer and teacher, Roy Alexander.

Battlesteads is the only hotel in the UK to have an observatory within its grounds, fully accessible to guests staying in the hotel’s five eco-lodges which were completed earlier this year.

Facing south, it can accommodate up to 25 budding or seasoned astronomers and is equipped with the latest telescopes chosen for their technical prowess and ease of use. These include a Celestron C11 OTA on an EQ8 mount, an enormous set of 25 x 100 mounted binoculars specifically for guests with wheelchairs, plus a range of smaller telescopes targeted at true beginners.

The observatory runs courses targeted at all levels of stargazer, from introductory ‘Get to know your telescope’ sessions to sessions focusing on identifying and tracking some of the night-sky’s star performers.

Commenting on the Dark Sky Observatory, Richard Slade, owner of Battlesteads, said: “We are delighted to have the observatory up and running and be able to offer our guests the chance to discover our beautiful skies here in Northumberland’s Dark Sky Park. Astro-tourism is an emerging and growing leisure market. With such a world-class environment for studying the stars on our doorstep it made sense to embrace this and add to the many reasons to visit Battlesteads and the county of Northumberland.”
The official opening of the observatory comes as Richard and his wife Dee celebrate their 10-year anniversary of owning Battlesteads.

The couple took on the hotel, pub and restaurant in October 2005, and in the years since have turned it into one of the UK’s top sustainable tourism destinations with numerous awards under their belts.

A need to improve energy consumption resulted in business-wide sustainable practices that have led to Battlesteads winning prestigious awards such as the Considerate Hoteliers ‘Good Egg Award’, Green Hotel of the Year at the Hotel Cateys, a Gold Star Award at the Green Tourism Awards and a Platinum level rating in TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders Programme. The hotel and restaurant also has Three Star Sustainability Champion status, awarded by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

Richard and Dee have become ambassadors for sustainable tourism and are often invited to speak to audiences across the country about their journey and the lessons they’ve learned.

Courses at the Battlesteads observatory are priced starting at £15 per person and the eco-lodges are priced at £165 per night for bed and breakfast based on two people sharing.

Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant in Wark, near Hexham, has been awarded a 2015 TripAdvisor Service Excellence Award for consistently high visitor reviews.

The award, announced on Friday 14 August, puts the Northumberland hotel among the top 10 per cent of businesses listed on TripAdvisor.

Only outstanding hospitality businesses which maintain an overall rating of four or higher, from a high volume of traveller reviews, are eligible for the Service Excellence Award.

This award follows Battlesteads achieving a Platinum level rating in TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders Programme in 2014, for reaching the highest standard of environmental friendliness and sustainability.

Recent reviews of Battlesteads on TripAdvisor have included comments such as “I am so pleased we chose Battlesteads Hotel, it was lovely. I wish we could have stayed longer, and definitely would return when we get the chance”; “Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant was an absolute delight” and “I thoroughly recommend a stay at Battlesteads. Excellent value, great food, comfortable rooms, lovely welcoming staff and in a pretty village surrounded by stunning countryside.”

High praise has also been given for Battlesteads Restaurant, with one reviewer saying “the standard of food is excellent, and portrays the professionalism of the chef in the kitchen” and another adding that “dinner in the restaurant was delicious, and good value for money, the choice at breakfast was also very good and the full Northumbrian breakfast was very tasty indeed”.

Richard Slade, owner of Battlesteads said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive the TripAdvisor Service Excellence Award and to be rated one of the top hotels in the area. We strive to provide a fantastic experience for everyone who stays in our hotel and eco lodges or eats in our restaurant, and we love receiving such positive feedback through TripAdvisor reviews. TripAdvisor is incredibly influential among travellers and receiving this award will help assure guests booking a stay here that they are making the right choice.”