Things to do in North East England
60 places worth stopping for and 15 places to stay on a road trip through North East England.
See and do
- History
History · Bamburgh
Bamburgh Castle and beach
A huge basalt-rock castle above a wide, empty beach on the Northumberland coast.
- Town
Town · Holy Island
Holy Island of Lindisfarne
A tidal island with a priory, a tiny castle and a causeway you can only cross at the right time.
- Activity
Activity · Kielder
Kielder Observatory stargazing
Public stargazing nights under some of the darkest skies in England.
- History
History · Bardon Mill
Vindolanda
A working Roman dig where soldiers' letters on wooden tablets were found.
- Museum
Museum · Stanley
Beamish, the Living Museum of the North
An open-air museum with working trams, a pit village and a 1950s town.
- Activity
Activity · Seahouses
Farne Islands boat trip
Boat trips from Seahouses to see puffins, grey seals and huge seabird colonies up close.
- Walk
Walk · Craster
Dunstanburgh Castle walk from Craster
A mile and a half along the shore to a ruined castle on a headland.
- Town
Town · Low NewtonHidden gem
Low Newton-by-the-Sea
A tiny seaside square owned by the National Trust, with a sheltered beach and a pub on the green.
- History
History · Bardon Mill
Housesteads Roman Fort
The best-preserved fort on Hadrian's Wall, set on a crag with huge views in both directions.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Middleton-in-Teesdale
High Force waterfall
One of England's biggest waterfalls by volume, dropping over a black cliff in Teesdale.
- History
History · Durham
Durham Cathedral
A huge Norman cathedral on a river bluff, with the castle next door; a World Heritage Site.
- History
History · Alnwick
Alnwick Castle
Home of the Duke of Northumberland, with huge state rooms and a few famous film locations.
Lake · KielderHidden gem
Kielder Water and Forest Park
England's biggest man-made lake, ringed by forest, with a quiet loop road and trails.
- Town
Town · StaithesHidden gem
Staithes
A cramped old fishing village between two headlands, with a tight harbour and artists' studios.
History · Rothbury
Cragside
A Victorian mansion that was the first in the world lit by hydroelectric power, in a huge wooded estate.
Beach · WiddringtonHidden gem
Druridge Bay
Seven miles of sand and dunes with room for everyone, often almost empty.
Walk · RothburyHidden gem
Simonside Hills ridge walk
A sandstone ridge above Rothbury with big views to the Cheviots and the coast.
- Walk
Walk · Bardon MillHidden gem
Allen Banks and Staward Gorge
Ancient woodland and a steep river gorge, a short drive from Hadrian's Wall.
- Town
Town · Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle Quayside and Millennium Bridge
The Tyne's bridges, galleries and bars in one walkable stretch, with a tilting footbridge.
- Walk
Walk · Bardon Mill
Sycamore Gap and Steel Rigg
The dip in the wall made famous by one lone tree, on the best short section of the Roman wall.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · Gateshead
Angel of the North
Antony Gormley's 20-metre steel angel, standing beside the A1.
- Walk
Walk · Great Ayton
Roseberry Topping
A pointed, half-collapsed hill with wide views over Teesside and the Moors.
- Garden
Garden · HowickHidden gem
Howick Hall gardens and coast
Arboretum and gardens linked to Earl Grey tea, a short walk from a quiet rocky shore.
- History
History · ChillinghamHidden gem
Chillingham Castle
A medieval castle with a reputation as one of England's most haunted, plus a dungeon and torture room.
History · RothburyHidden gem
Brinkburn Priory
A roofed 12th-century church in a bend of the River Coquet, reached by a short woodland walk.
- Walk
Walk · HamsterleyHidden gem
Hamsterley Forest
Weardale's biggest forest, with a toll drive, mountain bike trails and quiet picnic spots.
- Museum
Museum · CowshillHidden gem
Killhope Lead Mining Museum
A preserved Victorian lead mine and crushing mill high in the North Pennines.
Garden · Rowlands GillHidden gem
Gibside
A Georgian landscape park with a Palladian chapel and a column towering over the trees.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · Saltburn-by-the-SeaHidden gem
Saltburn cliff lift and pier
The world's oldest operating water-balanced cliff lift, plus a Victorian pier and a surf beach.
- History
History · Warkworth
Warkworth Castle
A hilltop keep above a river bend, with a pretty village at the bottom.
- History
History · Tynemouth
Tynemouth Priory and Longsands
Ruins on a headland above a big surf beach, with a market in the old station on weekends.
- History
History · HaltwhistleHidden gem
Cawfields Quarry and Milecastle 42
A flooded quarry with one of the best-preserved milecastles on Hadrian's Wall right beside it.
- Walk
Walk · GreenheadHidden gem
Walltown Crags
A high stretch of Hadrian's Wall with steep drops, reached from a quiet country park.
- History
History · Chollerford
Chesters Roman Fort
A cavalry fort on the North Tyne with a well-preserved Roman bathhouse.
Waterfall · BowleesHidden gem
Low Force and Wynch Bridge
A wide cascade on the Tees with a little suspension footbridge, a short walk from the road.
- History
History · Staindrop
Raby Castle
A large 14th-century castle with moat, deer park and walled gardens.
- Museum
Museum · Barnard Castle
The Bowes Museum
A French-style chateau in a Teesdale market town, home to a clockwork silver swan.
- Beach
Beach · SeahamHidden gem
Seaham sea glass beach
A colliery-coast beach where waves wash up smooth, coloured sea glass.
- Beach
Beach · South ShieldsHidden gem
Marsden Bay and Marsden Rock
A sea stack and noisy kittiwake colony under limestone cliffs on the Tyne and Wear coast.
- History
History · South Shields
Souter Lighthouse and The Leas
A red-and-white striped lighthouse, the first purpose-built to run on electricity.
- Town
Town · Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed town walls
England's most northerly town, ringed by Elizabethan ramparts you can walk round.
Walk · WoolerHidden gem
The Cheviot from Langleeford
A day walk on the highest hill in the Cheviots, through quiet glens and boggy tops.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · BellinghamHidden gem
Hareshaw Linn waterfall walk
A woodland walk with bridges and a hidden waterfall at the end, a short way from Bellingham.
- History
History · Whitley Bay
St Mary's Lighthouse causeway
A lighthouse on a tidal island, with a rock-pool causeway you can walk at low tide.
- History
History · Barnard CastleHidden gem
Egglestone Abbey and Abbey Bridge
Free-to-visit ruined abbey above the Tees, with a beautiful old stone bridge nearby.
- Museum
Museum · SkinningroveHidden gem
Land of Iron (Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum), Skinningrove
Former Loftus ironstone mine turned museum, with a drift tunnel and hard-hat underground tours.
- History
History · MiddlesbroughHidden gem
Tees Transporter Bridge
Working transporter bridge, one of the few left.
- Beach
Beach · BeadnellHidden gem
Beadnell Bay
Sweeping sandy bay, quieter than neighbouring Seahouses.
- History
History · Bishop Auckland
Auckland Castle
Former palace of the Prince Bishops of Durham with a world-class Spanish art gallery.
- Garden
Garden · Belsay
Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens
Greek Revival hall, medieval castle and a dramatic quarry garden.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · HousesteadsHidden gem
Cuddy's Crags
Classic Whin Sill crag section of the wall, west of Housesteads.
- History
History · EtalHidden gem
Etal Castle and village
A small border castle in a tidy village, with a heritage railway along the River Till.
- History
History · NorhamHidden gem
Norham Castle
A ruined border castle above the River Tweed, painted by Turner and rarely busy.
- History
History · SunderlandHidden gem
Penshaw Monument
A giant Greek temple on a hill that you can see for miles around Wearside.
- Museum
Museum · Hartlepool
Hartlepool maritime museum and HMS Trincomalee
A Napoleonic-era frigate and a paddle steamer, moored in a recreated Georgian quay.
- Museum
Museum · Middlesbrough
Captain Cook Birthplace Museum
A museum in a Middlesbrough park near where James Cook was born, with a replica cottage.
- History
History · Hexham
Hexham Abbey
A big Saxon-and-Gothic abbey in the middle of a handsome market town.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · StaithesHidden gem
Boulby Head and the Cleveland Way cliffs
Highest cliffs on England's east coast, with a quiet clifftop stretch of the Cleveland Way.
- History
History · EscombHidden gem
Escomb Saxon Church
One of the oldest complete Saxon churches in England, built around 670.
- History
History · DurhamHidden gem
Finchale Priory
Ruined priory in a riverside loop of the Wear.
Food stops
Places to stay
Campground · KielderHidden gem
Kielder Campsite
Camping in England's biggest forest, under one of Europe's darkest skies.
Campground · Twice BrewedHidden gem
Winshields Campsite and bunkbarn
A basic farm campsite right on Hadrian's Wall, a five-minute walk from the Twice Brewed Inn.
Campground · KielderHidden gem
Kielder Village Camping and Caravan Site
A simple three-star site in Kielder village, inside a certified dark sky park.
- Campground
Campground · HaltwhistleHidden gem
Herding Hill Farm Touring Park
Camping on the doorstep of Hadrian's Wall.
Campground · Haltwhistle
Herding Hill Farm Caravan and Camping
A family farm site near Haltwhistle, a short drive from Hadrian's Wall, open all year.
Lodge · Once Brewed
YHA Once Brewed
A hostel beside Hadrian's Wall with private rooms and dorms, close to the Sill centre.
Campground · CrasterHidden gem
Dunstan Hill Camping
Camping near Craster's famous kippers and the walk to Dunstanburgh Castle.
Campground · BealHidden gem
West Kyloe Farm caravan site
Small, quiet farm site near Holy Island with 12 hook-ups, tents by arrangement and a lot of wildlife.
Campground · WarkHidden gem
Stonehaugh Campsite
Flat, tidy campsite in the Wark Forest near Kielder with 12 hook-ups, free e-bike charging and a good shower block.
- Campground
Campground · Beadnell
Beadnell Bay Camping and Caravanning Club Site
Club site a short walk from Beadnell's sandy bay, with hardstanding and grass pitches.
Holiday park · Craster
Proctor's Stead Caravan Park
A four-star touring park of about 60 pitches near Craster and Dunstanburgh Castle.
Holiday park · Seahouses
Seafield Caravan Park, Seahouses
A holiday park in Seahouses with hardstanding touring pitches, a bistro and a leisure club.
Campground · BellinghamHidden gem
Demesne Farm Campsite, Bellingham
Flat, sheltered farm campsite with 30 grass pitches near Bellingham, 13 with hook-up, and an old cobbled yard.
Campground · Acomb
Fallowfield Dene Caravan and Camping
Dog-friendly site near Hadrian's Wall with secluded pitch areas named after Roman terms and an old Roman toilet block nearby.
- Campground
Campground · Morpeth
Tranwell Farm campsite, Morpeth
Family farm near Morpeth with off-grid pitches, glamping and a dedicated dog-walking field.
Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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