Newcastle and North East Travel Guide

The North East offers miles of beautiful and unspoiled scenery, a rich Roman, religious and industrial heritage. The Romans marked the northern extent of their Empire by building Hadrian’s Wall - coast to coast across the North of England. The wall starts on the River Tyne, just a few miles east of Newcastle at Wallsend.

The North East's two biggest cities are Sunderland and Newcastle. Both were once industrial powerhouses but have re-invented themselves in the past decade or so.  Close by is the smaller city of Durham, home to one of the UK's best and oldest Cathedrals and England's third oldest university.

The region is steeped in industrial heritage. It played a leading role in the Industrial Revolution and was home to such men of genius as George Stephenson (father of the railways), Sir Joseph Swan (inventor of the lightbulb, born in Sunderland) and Sir Charles Parsons (inventor of the steam turbine).