Weardale

Lead mining left its mark everywhere here. Ancient spoil heaps dot the valley floor like geological punctuation marks, while stone cottages cling to hillsides that once echoed with the clatter of pick and shovel. This is Weardale - the most westerly of Durham's dales, where the North Pennines roll away in great swells of purple moorland.

Stanhope sits at the dale's heart, a proper market town with the Weardale Railway threading through it like a lifeline to the past. The station's Victorian platform still sees steam trains chuffing towards Eastgate on summer weekends - a lovely way to see the valley without wrestling with the narrow roads. Just down from the platform, the Fossil Tree draws visitors to marvel at a 250-million-year-old petrified trunk, while Regenerare gallery showcases contemporary art in converted railway buildings.

Beyond the town, the fells beckon. Five Pikes and Collier Law offer cracking walks with views that stretch to the Lake District on clear days. These aren't gentle Cotswold rambles - the terrain's proper rugged, with Long Man and Powlaw Pike demanding respect from weekend walkers. The weather can turn fast up there.

Getting here means winding through Bishop Auckland and up the A689 - it's a bit of a trek from the A1, but well worth it for the scenery. Staying at one of the local caravan parks like Heather View or Westgate makes perfect sense when you're exploring this corner of the North Pennines. You'll want several days to do justice to both the dale's industrial heritage and those magnificent moorland peaks.