Explore The North of England

Durham is an amazing county - explore breath taking scenery, discover award-winning attractions and enjoy world-class exhibitions, festivals and events. From city breaks to coast and countryside escapes - a warm welcome awaits.

‍Durham City is home to one of the most recognisable landmarks in the UK, majestic Durham Cathedral. Together with adjacent Durham Castle,  this UNESCO World Heritage Site forms one of the most stunning city panoramas in Europe.

The county is home to many more treasures too; step back in time at fascinating heritage attractions, or seek out hidden gems in market towns and villages. Relax and enjoy peace and tranquillity, or get outdoors and active with walking and cycling routes revealing unforgettable views.  

And when it’s time to refuel you’ll be spoilt for choice with award-winning eateries and delicious local produce.

‍Click here to visit the This Is Durham website.

England's largest National Park provides the perfect environment for a host of activities from rock climbing and parascending to more gentler activities such as a boat trip on lake Windermere, England’s longest lake. Boasting Scafell Pike – England’s highest mountain, and Wastwater – England’s deepest lake 'The Lakes' offers some of the UK’s most stunning scenery, inspiring artists such as Turner and Ruskin to some of the country’s best loved writers, such as William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. With such a wealth of beauty, culture and hospitality it isn’t hard to see why the Lake District remains the perfect setting to explore and enjoy.

‍Click here to discover more about The Lake District National Park.

A picturesque drive over The Stang Forest takes you into the Yorkshire Dales. Reeth, Leyburn, Hawes and the famous Wensleydale Creamery are within easy reach.

The Yorkshire Dales has many moods; it can be wild and windswept or quietly tranquil. It includes some of the finest limestone scenery in the UK, from crags and pavements to an underground labyrinth of caves. Each valley or 'dale' has its own distinct character, set against expansive heather moorland tops.

Stone-built villages sit amongst traditional farming landscapes of field barns, drystone walls and flower-rich hay meadows, and show how the area has been shaped over thousands of years by the people who have lived and worked here.

Spectacular waterfalls and ancient broadleaved woodland contrast with the scattered remains of former mine workings and other rural industries which remind us of the area's rich industrial heritage.

Together, nature and people have created a special landscape of immense beauty and character.

‍Click here to find out more about the Yorkshire Dales.

While 2,000 years have passed since Hadrian gave his orders, sections of the Wall running through Northumberland are largely intact. Today Hadrian’s Wall is the nation’s greatest Roman monument.

Five of the eight remaining Roman Forts visible today are in Northumberland, the most well known being the carefully excavated sites of Vindolanda and Housesteads.  Discover just what Roman life was like 2,000 years ago and wonder over Roman treasures from military helmets topped with local red moss to the famous Vindolanda Tablets.

‍Click here to discover more about Northumberland.

United by seven bridges across a spectacular riverscape, Newcastle (a city on the north bank of the River Tyne) and Gateshead (a town on the south bank) form a single, diverse and extremely vibrant visitor destination.

With so many different areas each offering new sights, sounds and experiences, you’ll be amazed at how much is on offer whatever your tastes. World-class culture, vibrant nightlife, award-winning dining, inspiring heritage, fantastic shopping and acclaimed architecture are linked here, as nowhere else, by the famous Geordie spirit.

Cilck here for up to the minute information about Newcastle and Gateshead.