Remote working has made location flexible in a way that wasn’t possible for most people five years ago. The question isn’t just where you have to be, it’s where you want to be while you’re working. For a growing number of people, the answer to that question isn’t the home office, at least not every week.
A workcation isn’t a new concept, but finding somewhere that genuinely works for it, rather than just tolerating a less than ideal setup, takes a bit more thought.
What makes the difference
The basics have to work before anything else. Here at Plawsworth Hall, high-speed Wi-Fi is included in every property, reaching throughout the accommodation and across multiple devices. It’s included in the rate, no separate arrangement, no need to ask at reception for a password.
Each property has separate living and sleeping spaces, which matters more than it sounds. When your working day ends, you want to be somewhere that doesn’t still feel like your desk. A self-contained cottage or apartment with its own living area, bedroom, and kitchen gives you that separation in a way a hotel room, however comfortable, simply can’t.
The dining tables across Plawsworth Hall’s properties double naturally as work space. The one-bedroom apartments have an open-plan lounge and dining area; the larger two and three-bedroom options give you more room to spread out if needed.
The setting
Plawsworth village is quiet. That’s not a euphemism for remote or inconvenient, it’s a small village of around 40 houses, countryside on most sides, with Durham city centre ten minutes by car. The 40-acre estate has communal gardens and walking tracks that don’t require any planning to use. Stepping outside between calls or at the end of a working day is genuinely easy here in a way it isn’t when you’re based in the middle of a city.
For people who spend most of the week on screens, the mental shift that comes with a different environment, particularly a quieter, greener one, is a real thing. Plawsworth Hall offers that without making you feel cut off from everything. Durham, Chester-le-Street, the A1(M), all within easy reach.
On travel days
Chester-le-Street station is around five minutes from Plawsworth. Direct trains run to Durham in eight minutes and to Newcastle in twelve. For remote workers who need to get to London occasionally, or to a client meeting elsewhere in the north, the rail connections from Chester-le-Street are practical without requiring a drive into the city first.
Free on-site parking handles the days when a car is the better option. There’s space for larger vehicles too, which matters if you’re travelling with equipment.
The kitchen and laundry
Both come into their own on working stays. Cooking your own breakfast before a busy day, not having to leave the property for every meal, being able to do laundry without planning a separate trip, these are small practical advantages that add up over the course of a week. The fully equipped kitchen covers everything you’d need: oven, hob, fridge-freezer, microwave, kettle, toaster, full cookware and crockery. Most properties have their own washer/dryer; there’s also a shared laundry facility on site.
For stays of a week or more, weekly housekeeping and linen changing are included. The property stays in good order without any effort on your part, useful when you’re actually trying to get work done.
Who this suits
The workcation audience at Plawsworth Hall tends to be people who’ve made remote working a longer-term arrangement and want a change of scene, rather than someone on a specific corporate assignment. Professionals who can work from anywhere and have decided, for a week or two, that anywhere should be the Durham countryside. People who want the rhythm of a working week but a different backdrop for it.
It also suits people who are part-remote, working a few days from Plawsworth and using the rail links for the days when they need to be somewhere else.
In practice
The minimum stay is two nights, so a long working weekend is entirely possible. For a full week or longer, rates beyond the standard nightly rate are available directly by phone or email — worth asking about rather than assuming the online rate is the only option.
Book direct with us at plawsworth.com/book-a-stay or call our team on 0191 371 0251. For longer or more flexible arrangements, email plawsworth@aol.com.
