Activities & Sport

With a fantastic coastline including the soaring Boulby Cliffs in Tees Valley; the rolling Cheviot Hills, soft Durham Dales and dramatic Pennine moorland, we have one of the biggest adventure playgrounds right in our back garden. You can take it as wild or as gentle as you like.
Ever wanted to parachute jump or go white-water rafting? Or let the kids drive a JCB? Now's your chance! Maybe you fancy walking Hadrian's Wall? There are plenty of shorter walks, too. Take the family to Kielder Forest, hire bicycles and find some of the extraordinary sculptures hidden amongst the trees. Or take to the water on one of our reservoirs and try your hand at sailing or canoeing. Surfing dudes will head to Tynemouth, home to the O'Neill British Surfing Championships or Saltburn-by-the-Sea, two of Britain's finest surfing beaches.

You can relish the salty breeze in your face as you view our coastline from a galloping horse. If you're a golfer, you could choose a different course each day and never visit them all. Or slow the pace right down, pack your lunch and find one of our quiet little fishing spots.
Whilst you're out and about you can't fail to notice our fantastic wildlife. It's birdwatching heaven with curlews, hen harriers, peregrine falcons and seabirds galore - and you may also be lucky enough to see otters, wild deer and red squirrels.
Of course, you can sit back and let us entertain you. We're crazy about sport (just in case you hadn't noticed) and have top-class venues for football (naturally), cricket, athletics and horse-racing. That's just for starters!