The Northumberland National Park
The National park covers about a quarter of the County and is an area that has been largely protected from development and intrusive agriculture. It is an region of outstandingly beautiful landscapes, most of it over 800 feet above sea level, that covers over a thousand square kilometres and contains several areas including the Cheviot Hills, the Kielder Forest and vast areas of moor land. It stretches from the Scottish border to Hadrian's Wall in the South. The coast has also been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Northumberland is the most sparsely populated county in England.
Geography
Northumberland has a varied landscape. The coastal region is low and flat and the land rises to mountainous hills towards the west and northwest. The Cheviot hills and Whin Sill are formed from igneous rocks, mainly granite. There are also carboniferous limestone areas either side of Whin Sill and coal deposits in the south east of the county. The Farne Islands of the coast are of igneous rocks. The climate in Northumbria, especially in the highlands produces on of the coldest regions of England. Along the coast, the temperatures are mush higher and the rainfall much lower. The major river is the Coquet which runs for 40 miles from the Cheviot Hills eastwards to the sea at Amble and Warkworth Harbour and Castle. It is a river of extreme beauty and winds through stunning landscapes. It is a well known salmon and trout river.
Economy
The economy of Northumberland is one of the weakest in England, partly due to its location but also its geography. Tourism is rapidly becoming a major factor in the local economy and over 1.5 million visitors from the UK and abroad visit the county. In response to this demand, a great number of bed and breakfast and self catering properties have been created.
History
The area was once part of the Roman Empire which built the famous Hadrians Wall, right across England to keep out the Britains and Picts to the north. When the Romans left, some of the Germanic mercenaries who had been stationed at York formed a Kingdom called Diera. A breakaway force went north and founded a separate Kingdom called Bernica from lands seized from the Celtic Britons, with its capital centered on the fort at Bamburg. Eventually, under the Bernican Dynasty, both Kingdoms were united but the history of the Kingdom is a litany of strife between the two former kingdoms and in times of hardship, Northumbria often fell apart into the older kingdoms ruled by their old Royal families.
The Kingdom grew largely at the expense of the British Kingdoms to the west and the British and Pictish Kingdoms to the north in what is now Scotland rather than from any conquest of the southern Anglo Saxon Kingdom of Mercia, although they were at times bitter enemies. The kingdom lasted from 654 to 878 when it was effectively destroyed by the Danes although they never fully conquered Bernica, which held out in the northern hills and the impregnable fortress of Bamburg. The men of Northumbria were always very independent and a struggle for independence was still in evidence until late Tudor times. At its greatest extent, the Kingdom covered area from the Humber, north to the Firth of Forth in Scotland and from the North sea coast, west across the Pennines to Cumbria and Chester. Edinburgh is named after the Northumbrian King Edwin who took it from the British Celts. At its peak, Northumbrian culture was the most advanced in Europe and produced remarkable works of art and literature, much sadly destroyed by the Danes.
The dialects of Northumberland are closely allied to the original Germanic language with many similarities to modern Scots dialects. The old name of the Kingdom of Northumbria, whilst not officially recognised, is still used within the County for several official bodies, for example, the police force is called the Northumbria Police.
Accommodation
There are Self Catering and Bed and Breakfast properties in many parts of the county, both in the National Park and in the coastal towns. Many old farmhouses and outbuilding have been sympathetically converted to provide holiday accommodation. However, given the isolated nature of the landscape, the provision of such accommodation is limited and holidays should be booked well in advances to avoid disappointment.
Places of interest:
Alnwick, Bamburg Castle, Cheviot Hills, Churnsike Lodge, Coquet Island, Cragside, Dunstanburgh Castle, Farne Islands, Hadrian's Wall, Hexham Abbey, Kielder Water, Lindisfarne, North Pennines AONB, Northumberland National Park.
Tony Lucas has spent many years in the travel and tourism market, has travelled in many parts of the world. He has lectured and worked freelance for many of the major Hotel corporations. He writes extensively on all matters to do with Britain and tourism in the British Isles.
More information on http://www.stayinbritain.co.uk
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