The best farm stays near Middlesbrough

Britain’s third-biggest national park kicks off 30 miles southwest of Middlesbrough, where high, exposed moors are given special character by their lush and diverse dales. Richmond, in the Yorkshire Dales’ northeast, is Middlesbrough’s closest park gateway, while Swaledale, the most iconic dale, winds west of Richmond too. Here, Muker, with its winsome wildflower meadows sheltered beneath high moors, makes the most compelling introduction to the park. Camp at Muker or nearby Keld, connected by fantastic hiking trails.

Covering most upland countryside between Carlisle (to the northwest) and Bishop Auckland (to the southeast), the UK’s second-largest AONB forms the northern portion of the Pennine Range. These pale green hills run through so much of Northern England that they garner fame as the “backbone of England.” Bowes, about 33 miles from Middlesbrough, has a brace of campsites and is only a few miles off the Pennine Way—a huge chunk of this, Britain’s first long-distance footpath, falls within the North Pennines.