The North East is one of those parts of Britain that doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves. It’s rarely the first name on a tourist’s itinerary, and when it is mentioned, it’s usually followed by phrases like “gritty charm” or “unexpected beauty,” which is British code for “we didn’t think it would be this nice.”
But let me tell you, it is this nice.
This is a land of big skies and bigger personalities, of industrial history and staggering coastlines, of ruined abbeys, windswept moors, and a footballing passion so fierce it could power a small village. The North East is a place where past and present live side by side, not always peacefully, but with a sort of affectionate bickering that’s very much part of the charm.
The cities, character in every cobble
You’ll find cities like Newcastle, which somehow manages to be both grand and scrappy, elegant and unapologetically rowdy. It has the architectural confidence of a city that once ran the industrial world, and the nightlife of one that doesn’t really remember it. The bridges are a thing of wonder, the people will talk to you like you’ve known them since primary school, and there’s always something happening, even if no one’s entirely sure what it is.
Then there’s Durham, which is basically what happens if you drop a cathedral the size of an aircraft hangar onto a picturesque medieval town and then wrap the whole thing in a river for extra drama. It’s got a university older than most countries and cobbled streets that could qualify as extreme sports.
The countryside, castles, coast, and quiet roads
Venture further out and you’ll hit the wilds of Northumberland, which is England’s least populated county and seems to take that as a point of pride. You can drive for miles and see nothing but sheep, stone walls, and the occasional castle, of which there are roughly 700 (this may be a slight exaggeration, but not by much). Bamburgh Castle, perched heroically on the coast, looks like it was designed by someone who wanted to win an argument about who had the best castle and was willing to go all in.
The coast, drama on every tide
And the coastline! If you haven’t stood on a beach in Tynemouth, fish and chips in hand, watching the North Sea hurl itself dramatically against the rocks, then frankly you haven’t lived. The sea here is enthusiastic. It doesn’t lap, it attacks. But the views are worth it, and the chips are usually excellent.
The moors and the wall
The North York Moors sneak into this region too, like a sheepish cousin invited to the party at the last minute. Vast, heather-clad and oddly calming, they’re the perfect antidote to city life, assuming you enjoy being slightly lost and entirely windswept.
And let’s not forget Hadrian’s Wall, which is one of the greatest ancient structures in Britain, built by the Romans as a sort of giant “do not disturb” sign. You can walk along bits of it and imagine legions of soldiers squinting into the northern mist, wondering if they’d upset someone in Rome to end up stationed here.
The spirit, proud, generous and gloriously grounded
The North East is proud, funny, resilient and more generous than it has any obligation to be. The accents are musical, the welcome is genuine, and the scenery, once you’re out in it, will knock your socks off (and possibly your boots, depending on the wind). It’s a place where history isn’t tucked away in museums but sprawled out all over the landscape, and where every town seems to come with a story and a favourite pub.
So yes, gritty, definitely. But also glorious.
Come curious. Leave with stories. And maybe a mild sunburn from a day you didn’t expect to be sunny.
