Northern England – Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire

NORTHERN ENGLAND INTRODUCTION
Northern England extends from west to east coast and comprises the counties of Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria, Lancashire and those of Yorkshire. It is an area that includes four National Parks – Northumberland, The Lake District, The Yorkshire Dales and The North York Moors – plus part of a fifth – The Peak District. On the fringes of these outstanding landscapes are great cities. It is, then, an area of huge contrast and diversity. The Pennine Range of hills form the ‘backbone of England’ separating east from west. Here are huge, lonely moorlands topped often by purple heather and divided by dales of character. To the north-west of the area lies the unsurpassed beauty of the English Lake District, to the north-east the rounded summits of the empty Cheviot hills, to the east there are the North York Moors and Heritage Coast separated from the Pennines by the great agricultural swathe of the Vale of York. The Lancashire coast offers the razzmatazz, fun-filled, pleasure seekers paradise of Blackpool whilst the Northumberland coast boasts wonderful stretches of white, sandy, empty beaches. It is indeed an area of contrast.

HISTORY & HERITAGE
Traces of Neolithic settlement abound and the world’s first ‘factory’ has been located half up a Lake District mountain ( it appears to have been for the making of axe-heads) dating from the stone age. But it is the Roman occupation of nearly 2000 years ago which has left the most thrilling historical legacy. Hadrian’s Wall running between the Solway and the Tyne captures the imagination of everyone who sees it. York has Roman origins (as do so many places in Northern England) but it is the Viking connection and the fabulous Minster which captivates today’s tourist. Another stunning cathedral – Durham – has close ties with the beginning of Christianity in Britain. Wonderful castles and fortifications are the legacy of a long fought over boundary with Scotland and the great rivalry between the House of Lancaster and the House of York stems from the 15th century Wars of the Roses.. There is such a rich history in this area with a multitude of castles, halls, abbeys and museums that it is impossible to do more than invite you to go and find out for yourself!

CUSTOMS & CULTURE
The ceremony of Up-Helly-Aa is rooted in Celtic tradition, though nowadays mostly associated with the Vikings . At Lerwick in the Shetland Isles, on the last Tuesday of January, a ceremonial Viking longship is burnt and pushed out to sea amidst truly moving scenes. Probably the best known of all the Scottish customs is that of ‘first footing’ when the New Year is heralded in as only the Scots can. The great shipyards of the Clyde spawned a generation of fine engineers and very few of the old steamships set sail without a Scottish engineer aboard. However, Scotland’s best known tradition has it’s roots firmly in the land and especially in the waters flowing on it. No trip to Scotland would be complete without sampling a wee dram and a visit to one of the hundreds of Whisky distilleries is a must. Loch Ness may have its monster but it is Robert Burns’ ‘wee timorous beastie’ which is celebrated by the piping in of the haggis on Burns’ Night in January.

LANDSCAPES & LANDFORMS
The culture might at first seem to be a legacy of industrialisation, but Wordsworth certainly found his inspiration in the awesome beauty of the Lake District where mountain, lake, woodland and valley come together in a harmony of perfection. Northumberland is a magical kingdom where castles stand atop stunning beaches and empty hills fill the skyline. Remarkable contrasts are found in County Durham where the man made magnificence of Durham Cathedral is matched by nature’s wonderful dales and breathtaking waterfalls of the Pennines. The Yorkshire Dales offer Britain’s finest limestone scenery, whilst the Yorkshire Moors encompass an area of green dales and wide, purple moorland some 40miles long. Similar, though much less visited moorland is to be found in Lancashire’s Forest of Bowland. Mile for mile this area possesses Britain’s finest scenery and in its greatest variety.

PLACES TO VISIT & EVENTS
There is no finer introduction to the scenery of Northern England than Ingleton’s famous waterfall walk, the almost unknown viewpoint of Low Fell (Lake District) is so wonderful it defies description. Hadrian’s Wall incites imagination to run amok and is especially appealing in the Housteads area. Bamburgh Castle breathtakingly dominates mother nature herself and where in the world are the buildings to rival Durham Cathedral and York Minster if only for their settings? Blackpool’s Illuminations have to be visited at least once in a lifetime or, for a complete contrast, visit Kettlewell’s Scarecrow festival. The list is endless so come and find out for yourself.

SPORTS & LEISURE
The Pennine Way traverses the whole length of the region from North to South whilst the Coast to Coast bisects the area from East to West and apart from the industrial areas walking is the most frequent pastime of visitors. Climbing is strong in the Lake District as is sailing on England’s largest lake – Windermere. There’s no finer caving than in the limestone of the Southern Yorkshire Dales. Fishing is especially well catered for on both flanks of the Pennines. Hang-gliding is good on the Yorkshire Moors and Wolds. Spectators are offered world class football in most of the large cities and Yorkshire Cricket Club boasts some of the sport’s greatest names among its members. Rugby League was once only played in this area those fanatics amongst you should come and visit its homeland.