England Guide
The Northeast
England's northeast (principally the counties of Durham and Northumberland) is, in many ways, a land apart from the rest of England – more remote, less affluent, its accents often impenetrable to outsiders. Yet it also has the very stuff of English history etched across its landscapes. Romans, Vikings and Normans all left dramatic evidence of their colonization, while the Industrial Revolution exploited to the limit the northeast's natural resources and its people. The essential sights start with Hadrian's Wall, built by the Romans to contain the troublesome tribes of the far north; these days it's best visited from the appealing abbey-town of Hexham.
The kings of Northumbria, who dominated the region from 600 until the 870s, nourished the region's early Christian tradition, which achieved its finest flowering with the creation of the Lindisfarne Gospels on what is now known as Holy Island. The monks abandoned their island in advance of the Vikings' destruction of the Northumbrian kingdom, and only after the Norman Conquest did the northeast again become part of a greater England. The extravagant ramparts of the island's nearest mainland town, Berwick-upon-Tweed, signal the imminence of the Scottish border.
When it comes to urban centres, most tourists dodge the industrial areas and veer instead to Durham, a handsome university city dominated by its magnificent twelfth-century cathedral. The alternative big-city draw is Newcastle upon Tyne, distinguished by some fine Victorian buildings, the revitalized Quayside, and a vibrant cultural scene and nightlife.
The northeast's main long-distance footpath is the Pennine Way, which crosses Hadrian's Wall and then climaxes in a climb through the Northumberland National Park; the Hadrian's Wall Path meanwhile provides access along the whole of Hadrian's Wall. Cycle routes include the 140-mile Sea to Sea (C2C) from Whitehaven/Workington to Sunderland/Newcastle, and Hadrian's Cycleway which runs the length of Hadrian's Wall.
Highlights
1 Durham Cathedral Awe-inspiring Romanesque church towering above the River Wear.
2 Killhope Lead-Mining Museum An excellent family day out from Durham – put the kids to work down t'pit.
3 Hadrian's Wall Put your walking boots on to make the most of this extraordinary monument.
4 Chillingham Wild Cattle Don't get too close – this herd of cows, resident near Wooler, has been seeing off intruders for over 800 years.
5 Holy Island Cradle of early Christianity, with a brooding, isolated atmosphere.