A wetter day and hard to choose where to go. We went back to Beamish and it was less busy, apart from the same quantity of school children infestation. We were among the first in, and visited a 1820s farm first. Very educational - I learnt that haversack comes from a Viking word for bread with sack, from when workers would take sacks of oat biscuits out into the fields. We were also shown illegal contrivances for making candles! The British government taxed windows so people bricked up windows and used candles. Then the British government taxed candles to grab money to pay the ruling class instead.

We thought we were lucky when a bus came just as we left the 1820s farm, but it was full of schoolchildren so we walked up to the 1930s town. Very rich place to visit. The marvellous shop recreations with items of the long forgotten. A dentistry to make you glad for modern times. A real bricks and mortar bank with physical coins. We should have gone to the tea rooms but I opted for an ice cream place which just about did.

Caught a bus to see Home Farm where a giant pig rested, and ducks enjoyed the drizzle. Waited ages to catch a tram back round to the entrance but we wanted to leave in style!

We had our evening meal at the Beamish Hall Hotel in their converted stables. A bit harder to get to but a very stylish and grand place indeed.