IN SPITE of October doing its best to live up to its reputation as the month of storms, there were some glorious days, full of sun and autumn colour.

Unable to take our hoped-for autumn break, we treated ourselves to a day out on one of those days, with a pleasant drive up to the Bowes Museum for the current exhibition, Toulouse Lautrec and the Art of the Poster, some early stocking-filler shopping in the museum shop and an excellent carrot, lemon and cumin soup in the caf.

And it was still only 2pm. Where now?

"I know," I said, "We'll go and meet the Middletons," and we drove out of Barnard Castle towards the upper dale. The threatening drizzle thought better of it and the sun came out again as we walked down towards the Co-op store in Middleton in Teesdale.

The Middletons live over the Co-op and in the Victorian era but they arrived in the town only a matter of months ago.

Meet the Middletons, which opened earlier this year, introduces visitors to a family in the town when it was dominated by the London Lead Company.

Mr Middleton and his son work for the company, and Mr Middleton keeps some livestock and tends a vegetable garden. Mrs Middleton is a good housewife and is teaching her younger daughter the skills. Big sister is, of course, "in service".

Our "explainer" gave us the background as we climbed the stairs, then left us to wander round an exhibition pitched nicely between adults and children.

In the modern way, it's very interactive at the children's level, though I defy the adults not to have a go with the working diagram of a "hush" for extracting lead or to learn nothing new about roof timbers. If you insist on being properly grown up, sit and watch the aerial tour of Teesdale on video, read about local characters in the gallery or admire the chainsaw-sculptured sheep.

Our explainer was coming and going all the time so was around to answer questions - and I had no special privileges as a member of the Press, I went in off the street as an ordinary punter.

Then there's the Cartographer's Caf, with its map-topped tables, a play area, and a gift shop which aims to support local suppliers and craft workers. After a short closure in the second week in December, a typical Teesdale Christmas begins on December 13 - details from 01833 640333.

On the way home, on the principle of trying not to return the way we went, we turned on to the B6279 towards Staindrop. I must have used that road before so how on earth had I missed, or even noticed and forgotten, the stunning panoramic view right across the dale. As I wasn't driving, I could just gaze and enjoy the open sweep of hills and valley, with the sun picking out the golds and bronzes of autumn.

It was one of those moments when I thought that, whoever's in power and whatever they visit upon us, they can't take our countryside away from us.

Then I remembered the gloomy predictions on the longer-range effects of mid-term reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and I wasn't so sure.