North Pennines

North Pennines AONB

The North Pennines are an Area of ​​Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in the north of England . The North Pennines are the northern end of the Pennines Mountain Range . The AONB falls in the counties Cumbria , Northumberland and Durham and with 2.6 km² also in the county North Yorkshire . The North Pennines AONB is the second largest in England (only the Cotswolds are larger) and as a nature reserve it is otherwise only surpassed by the National Parks of the Lake District and Snowdonia .

The North Pennines landscape is characterized by heather and moors . The River Tees with its Cauldron Snout and High Force waterfalls is one of the North Pennines visitor attractions. At these points, the river has exposed the rock layers underlying the region. The AONB became the UK's first Geopark in 2003 and is also a UNESCO Global Geopark.

In this AONB the highest elevation of the Pennines, which is 893  m ASL High Cross Fell . The Pennine Way reaches its highest point at the Cross Fell. Another hiking trail through the North Pennines is the Issac's Tea Trail loop .

In addition to small towns, there are also numerous traces of historical settlement in the North Pennines. The Tortie Stone is a largely unexplained worked stone from the Neolithic , the Brackenber burial mound near Appleby-in-Westmoreland dates from the Bronze Age . The Roman camp Whitley Castle and medieval monasteries such as Muggleswick Grange show the continued settlement of the area, the landscape of which still shows traces of the later mining of lead .

The poet WH Auden was a great lover of the North Pennines and mentions them repeatedly in his works.

Web links

• North Pennines AONB

Coordinates: 54 ° 44 ′  N , 2 ° 8 ′  W