North Pennines - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Burnhope Reservoir is a reservoir above the village of Wearhead, County Durham, England. There are some wonderful woodland trails and lakeside paths to enjoy. It's a very quiet place with a series of picnic tables where you can stop to enjoy the lovely scenery of the North Pennines AONB. The reservoir supplies water to the Wear Valley treatment works at Wearhead and there is a pipeline connection to Waskerley Reservoir, which supplies Honey Hill water treatment works.

Killhope is a multi-award winning 19th century mining museum in the centre of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The museum stands on the site of the former Park Level Mine, which is being restored to show the workings of a 19th-century lead mine.

Cauldron Snout is a waterfall on the River Tees on the border between Cumbria and County Durham. It is an impressive waterfall or probably more correctly a cascade, which tumbles down a gorge beneath Cow Green Reservoir.

High Force is one of the most impressive waterfalls in England. The River Tees has been plunging into this gorge for thousands of years but the rocks it reveals are far more ancient – with origins dating back over 300 million years. Very occasionally the river level will be high enough to flow over the central section of rock; the last recorded time this happened was in December 2015 after Storm Desmond. In harsh winters the falls have been known to freeze, creating cathedral-like ice formation

Summerhill Force is a picturesque waterfall in a wooded glade near Bowness in Upper Teesdale. Heavily undercut, the recess behind the fall is known as "Gibson's Cave". The waterfall is called Summerhill Force, but because of the recess behind the waterfall it is more affectionately known as Gibson’s Cave.

Bowlees Visitor Centre has all you need to make your visit to the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty a memorable one. The information point stocks a range of walks leaflets, maps and books about the North Pennines and also has a café and gift shop. The centre is run by the North Pennines AONB Partnership and includes events, exhibitions, galleries, Gibson's Cave, and waterfalls.