Ashington - Some fifteen miles north of Newcastle, and close to the sea at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Ashington was very much a mining town. Today the story is told in the Woodhorn Colliery Museum, part of the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Country Park. There is also an attractive riverside park by the Wansbeck which offers a 2 mile walk to the sea.

Bamburgh - The most magnificent of all the Border castles, standing high on a rock overlooking the North Sea, built on the site of the castle of the Kings of Northumbria. In the churchyard is the grave of Grace Darling.

Blyth - A modern seaport, exporting coal at the mouth of the river of that name, with a pier a mile long. Sandy beach. Close by is Seaton House, designed by Sir John Vanburgh.

Corbridge - Beautifully situated on the Tyne, it has a 17th century seven-arched bridge. Its 7th century Saxon Church is the oldest in the country. The Roman town of Corstopitum lies close by.

Haltwhistle - A good centre for the Roman wall, in a neighbourhood specially rich in pele towers, on the banks of the South Tyne. Has a Roman Army Museum recreating the life of the guards of the wall.

Hexham - 15 miles west of Newcastle. A picturesque and ancient town overlooking the Tyne. Abbey here is masterpiece of early English Gothic architecture with a crypt below from a Saxon church built around 674AD by St. Wilfrid. Wide stone staircase leads from the body of the church to the Monks' dormitory (the only one of its kind in England). Town also has a Museum on Borders history. An excellent centre for exploring Hadrian's Wall.

Morpeth - Twelve miles north of Newcastle. A clean, bright Northumbrian town with a striking 14th century church, and a clock tower in the middle of the street that was once a prison. Bagpipe Museum. Nearby is Belsay Hall, neoclassical mansion with interesting variety of gardens. Nearby is the wooded glen of the Wansbeck.

Newbiggin-By-The-Sea - A church on a headland is a familiar north coast landmark above this Northumbrian seaside resort. At one time it was a port in its own right importing grain, but the coast has changed. Even the graves on top of the cliff are falling down to the beach!

Prudhoe - Town some five miles up the River Tyne from Blaydon. On a bluff overoooking the river are the ruins of a 12th century castle in the care of English Heritage. The town also has a modern indoor fun pool and on the banks of the river the Tyne Riverside Country Park.

Seahouses - On the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Seahouses is a port set into a cramped natural harbour on what is otherwise mainly a coastline of long fine sandy beaches. From here you can join boat excursions to the Farne Islands which are to the north - about an hour's voyage. Close by to the north is the mighty Bamburgh Castle.