The Northumberland Countryside

'I am delighted to learn - though not at all

surprised - that Northumberland has been voted

England's most tranquil county'

Bill Bryson

Northumberland's countryside is a scenic treasure trove. Officially the most tranquil county in England, Northumberland's wide-open landscapes are a great place to get away from it all, providing room to breathe and space for contemplation.

Northumberland has not one but two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty - a breathtaking golden coast scattered with castles and charming towns and villages and the dramatic North Pennines. Between the two lies the Northumberland National Park, spanning 60 miles from the rolling grasslands of the Cheviot Hills on the Scottish border to Hadrian's Wall in the south. The National Park is a tapestry of open moorland, rivers and burns, flower-rich hay meadows and ancient woodland, with breathtaking vistas and idyllic river valleys - each offering distinctive terrain from rugged upland hiking country to undulating grasslands and sheltered picnic spots by cooling streams, often without another soul in sight. Close by lies Kielder Water, with its tranquil waters and dense forest, a fantastic place to discover the great outdoors.

Hadrian's Wall Country overlaps the southern tip of the National Park, containing the most spectacular upland sections of the World Heritage Site. This beautiful, rugged landscape rises sharply into the dramatic uplands of the purple heather-clad North Pennines. To the east, the soothing country and copses of Hexham and the Tyne Valley provide a lovely contrast and a changing canvas of scenery throughout the seasons, from hazy summer days to winter frostscapes.