Tees Valley

With George Stephenson's "Locomotion No 1" at the Darlington Railway Centre and the National Railway Museum at Shildon, Tees Valley is real railway country.

Maritime heritage is also strong here and Britain's oldest floating warship can be found at Hartlepool's Maritime Experience, complete with thundering cannons, perfectly recreated buildings, exhibitions and period characters along the quayside bringing its story to life. The Nautical flavour continues at Saltburn's Smugglers Heritage Centre with the sounds and smells of this illicit trade 200 years ago, Captain James Cook's Birthplace Museum, Middlesbrough and a replica of his ship HMS Bark Endeavour in Stockton.

Modern art is well catered for at mima - the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, a textbook example of initial impressions being carried through to the end product - its clean looks, fresh and modern architecture making a striking shell in which to uncover the very latest in modern art.

Here, the rural environment is celebrated at Nature's World - a 25 acre eco-gardening experience which teaches you how to take care of the environment and, your own garden - and if your garden covers 270 acres like the National Trust's Ormesby Hall it may be well worth paying attention. Nearby Preston Hall and Country Park gives you the chance to explore domestic life in the 1880's and 1960's.

A very pleasurable way to enjoy the River Tees is by way of a cruise on the Teesside Princess to the small town of Yarm with its marvellous designer boutiques, antique shops and fine restaurants and cafes.