Walks, history, waterfalls, landscapes and places to explore across Northern England.
Outdoor Exploring Family is for anyone who likes to slow down, look a little closer and feel calmer outdoors. You do not need to climb the biggest mountains or chase huge adventures. Sometimes a riverside walk, an old bridge, a waterfall, a ruined abbey or simply somewhere quiet to sit and take in the view is enough.
If you enjoy noticing the landscape, discovering the stories behind places and taking your time outdoors, you are part of the family.
Across the North East, the Lake District and other parts of Northern England, you’ll find walking routes, waterfalls, history, geology, dark skies, reservoirs and places worth understanding a little better. The guides are built around real places, real photographs and practical information to help you decide where to go and what to expect.
It’s more than just a walk.
Discover Teesdale brings together the places, landscapes and stories that make the dale worth exploring. From High Force and the River Tees to old lead mines, reservoirs, villages, bridges, Barnard Castle and open moorland, there is a lot here to discover beyond the best-known sights.
You’ll find walking routes, waterfalls, history, geology, dark skies and practical local information, all supported by real photographs and guides designed to help you understand what you’re seeing as well as where you’re going.
Explore Northern England
Walks, waterfalls, coast, history and places to explore across County Durham, Northumberland and the wider North East, including Holy Island and the Northumberland coast.
Explore walks, waterfalls, lakes, viewpoints and quieter places across the Lake District, with practical guides and real photographs from the places we visit.
Discover walks, waterfalls, historic places, market towns and countryside across North Yorkshire, from the dales to places worth taking a little more time to explore.
Our UK Holidays section is about places to stay where nature, walking, history and the surrounding landscape are part of the experience.
We look for stays close to coast, countryside, lakes, rivers, historic places and good walking, where you can step outside and start exploring. The focus is on places that feel connected to their surroundings and give you more than just somewhere to sleep.
We are drawn to places where the setting matters just as much as the stay itself.
Latest from Outdoor Exploring Family
Outdoor Exploring Family keeps growing as new walks, historic places and landscapes are explored, photographed and added to the site. Here are some of the latest guides
Explore Barnard Castle through its castle, historic streets, riverside walks, woodland, local history and some of the best places to see around the town.
Plan a visit to Holy Island with crossing information, walks, history, maps and guides to Lindisfarne Castle, the village, harbour and other places around the island.
A 5.3-mile circular walk through Deepdale Woods, Lartington Hall parkland and quiet countryside, with riverside paths, railway history and plenty to notice along the way.
A Different Way to Explore
Some of the best days outdoors are not about how far you walk or how much you manage to fit in. They are about slowing down, noticing what is around you and taking the time to understand a place a little better.
There is no right way to explore. Sometimes a walk, a view, an old bridge or simply somewhere quiet to stop is enough.
About Outdoor Exploring Family
Outdoor Exploring Family started as a simple way to share the places we explored, but it has grown into something far bigger than I ever expected.
We are not a large tourism organisation or a corporate travel website. Outdoor Exploring Family is independently run and self-funded, built around normal working life and the time we spend outdoors. Every walk, photograph, piece of local history and guide starts with genuine curiosity about the places around us.
For me, being outdoors is about more than getting from one place to another. It is a chance to slow down, notice the details, understand the landscape and discover the stories that give a place meaning.
I visit, photograph and research the places I write about, from walking routes and waterfalls to local history, geology, dark skies, coast and countryside. The aim is simply to create useful, honest guides that help people explore with more confidence and feel a little more connected to the places they visit.
The site now reaches across Teesdale, the North East, the Lake District and other parts of Northern England, but the idea behind it has never changed.
If being outside helps you slow down, feel calmer, notice more or become curious about the world around you, Outdoor Exploring Family is for you.
Work With Outdoor Exploring Family
Outdoor Exploring Family is independently run and built around real places, original photography and first-hand experience.
I’m happy to hear from tourism organisations, accommodation owners, outdoor brands and others whose work genuinely fits with the places and values of the site. Any collaboration needs to be useful to the people who visit Outdoor Exploring Family and feel natural alongside the guides already here.
For partnerships and collaboration enquiries:
info@outdoorexploringfamily.com
Got a question, want to suggest a place, or just want to get in touch?