next to it.
Nature
With so much unspoilt countryside and coastline it’s no wonder our region is so rich in flora and fauna. The unique landscape of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has led to its designation as a UNESCO European and Global Geopark and is home to rare black grouse, golden plover, merlin, short-eared owl, hen harrier and peregrine falcon. Rare moorland plants also flourish in the limestone soil: the beautiful spring gentian grows in Upper Teesdale – one of only two locations in the British Isles.
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Get back to nature
The Northumberland National Park is the least populated in the UK, unless you’re talking wildlife. Rare red squirrels, goldcrest and buzzard can all be found here in the fragrant pine forest and upland valleys.
Head for the Northumberland Coast and take a boat trip to the Farne Islands to see breeding puffins from May-July and grey seal pups in autumn. See the seals on the 2009 TV Advert.
Further south, the grasslands and dunes of Durham Heritage Coast support thirteen species of nationally scarce plants, purple sandpiper and Northern brown argus butterflies among other species.
