The Great Outdoors



"Countryside, wild, rugged, unmanicured and as historically resonant as it is matchlessly beautiful."
David Cannadine

The North Pennines and long stretches of the Northumberland coast are designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Cheviot hills and parts of Hadrian's Wall are included in Northumberland National Park, and the Cleveland Hills are part of the North York Moors National Park.

The vast and impressive North Pennine landscape gives rise to the great rivers of the north: the Tees, Tyne and Wear. This is a wildlife haven where Hen Harriers breed, where Merlin and other rare species can be seen and where the plaintive cries of the curlew echo in spring and summer accompanying Pennine Way and other walkers.

The great river Tweed, famed for its salmon, starts in Scotland and meets the sea at Berwick, and Kielder Water is the largest man made lake in Britain.

With such resources, it is not surprising that Northumbria offers a wide range of outdoor sporting and leisure activities for all ages.

Worth a visit:
Cragside House and Country Park
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Washington
Wallington Hall and Gardens
Kielder Water, Northumberland