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England > Northumbria (Northumberland)

The ancient kingdom of Northumbria is England's most northerly region, with huge expanses of untouched countryside marked by castles set on rocky coastal outcrops, the rugged moorlands of the North Pennines and the line of Hadrian's Wall, built by command of the Roman Emperor Hadrian to keep the warlike Picts and Scots at bay. Northumbria's capital is Viking-founded Newcastle. The countryside ranges from the wild & spectacular Northumberland National Park surrounded by the brooding Cheviot Hills, to the picture postcard perfect towns and small villages of the Durham Dales.

Lively Victorian resorts give way to the bird life of the Farne Islands. Northumberland National Park offers 400 square miles of wooded valleys and rolling hills, plus Europe's largest man-made lake, Kielder Water. Much of the coastline has been declared an area of outstanding natural beauty, and you can see why - and it's all unspoiled. Northumbria is also perfect for bicycling with many hundreds of miles of bicycle tracks and paths, as well as a great network of quiet "bicycle friendly" roads. Durham and the Tees Valley is a region rich in heritage and history. After the arrival of William the Conqueror, the Bishops of Durham were granted the right to rule as Prince Bishops, which allowed them to mint their own coins, raise their own armies and run their own courts.


County Durham was the cradle of the world's railways, with the world's first passenger railway opening there in 1825. In August 2000, the 175th anniversary will be celebrated with a Millennium Cavalcade of Steam. If you've never seen 40 steam engines all at once, this is your chance.

The great Norman masterpiece of Durham Cathedral stands on the site of an earlier Saxon cathedral. Its vast nave (completed in 1128) was the first to use pointed arches in England. Durham Castle has been much altered by various residents over the centuries (since being erected in medieval times), but is worth a visit.


Barnard Castle is a town as well as a (ruined) castle. The castle adds dramatic appearance but the main attraction in Barnard Castle (the town) is the Bowes Museum, a treasure house of painting and decorative arts assembled in the 19th century by local businessman John Bowes and his French wife Josephine. El Grecos, Canalettos and Goyas are all here, if you hunt. An 18th century mechanical swan in the lobby performs twice daily.


The open-air Beamish Museum, about 10 miles north of Durham, recreates a colliery village in 1913 and a 1920s North Country town. It's most convincing and holds your attention for longer than you might think. There's a vintage steam railway as well. Hartlepool, an old seafaring and shipbuilding town, recently opened Hartlepool Historic Quay and Museum. It recreates the sights, sounds and smells of an 18th century seaport at the time of Nelson and Trafalgar. Adding to the atmosphere is HMS Trincomalee, the oldest warship afloat in Europe.


Newcastle Upon Tyne was founded by Vikings and built upon coal. Newcastle was a big coal-exporting port in the 19th century. The Romans built the first bridge here across the Tyne River (Hadrian's wall begins not far away) and the original New Castle (Castle Garth) was commenced in 1080 AD - which adds a fresh dimension to the word "new". Newcastle's inhabitants are called Geordies. The local accent is fascinating and rather impenetrable - it's considered to owe quite a bit to the Vikings. Some Geordies still look rather like Vikings. Newcastle United is the local football team, and there's a lot of pride in it. Since the Romans built the first bridge, others have sprung up. There are now six, the best known being the Tyne Bridge, built in 1925-28. Visitors from Australia may feel an odd sense of déjà vu when they view this one. The Tyne Bridge is similar to, but smaller than, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was modeled on it and opened several years later.


Emperor Hadrian started his wall near Newcastle at Segendunum, Wallsend. (The International Ferry Terminal is close by, but Hadrian didn't let that put him off.) A working Roman bathhouse and a visitor centre are due to open this year at Segendunum. Nearby, you can see Tynemouth Priory perched above the North Sea.


As Hadrian's Wall marches west, it passes near the market towns and villages of Corbridge, Hexham, Haltwhistle and Brampton, all of which hold local markets and fairs. Jarrow, five miles east of Newcastle, was the home of The Venerable Bede (673-735 AD), England's first historian and one of Europe's finest scholars. Bede's World recreates the era, with exhibitions and a working Anglo-Saxon farm (with buildings and animals) on a single site. You gain insights into day-to-day life in medieval Northumbria. Heatherlaw Corn Mill at Berwick on Tweed is a 19th century working water mill by the River Till, on the Ford and Etal Estates. It's signposted from the A1 and A697 and it includes guided tours, art gallery and gift shop.


The National Glass Centre at Liberty Way, Sunderland, presents demonstrations of glass blowing and the best of British glass, housed (aptly enough) in a glass building.
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