<P> The North Pennines is the northernmost section of the Pennine range of hills which runs north--south through northern England . It lies between Carlisle to the west and Darlington to the east . It is bounded to the north by the Tyne Valley and to the south by the Stainmore Gap . </P> <P> The North Pennines was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1988 for its moorland scenery, the product of centuries of farming and lead - mining . At almost 770 square miles (2,000 km) it is the second largest of the 49 AONBs in the United Kingdom . The landscape of the North Pennines AONB is one of open heather moors between deep dales, upland rivers, hay meadows and stone - built villages, some of which contain the legacies of a mining and industrial past . The area has previously been mined and quarried for minerals such as barytes, coal fluorspar, iron, lead, witherite and zinc . In 2013, a Canadian mining company were allowed to test drill for zinc around Allenheads and Nenthead . They said the region was sitting on a "world - class" deposit of zinc and predicted that a new mine in the area could produce 1,000,000 tonnes (980,000 long tons; 1,100,000 short tons) of zinc ore per year . </P> <P> In the North Pennines are: 40% of the UK's upland hay meadows; 30% of England's upland heathland and 27% of its blanket bog; 80% of England's black grouse (and also breeding short - eared owl, ring ouzel, common snipe and common redshank); 36% of the AONB designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest; red squirrels, otters and rare arctic alpine plants; 22,000 pairs of breeding waders and one of England's biggest waterfalls--High Force . The area shares a boundary with the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the south and extends as far as the Tyne Valley, just south of Hadrian's Wall in the north . </P> <P> One of the many walking routes in the North Pennines is Isaac's Tea Trail, a circular route of 37 miles (60 km) around the area, running from Ninebanks via Allendale, Nenthead and Alston . In addition to this, a large section of the Pennine Way falls in the AONB, including one of the most celebrated stretches through Teesdale, a lush valley with dramatic river scenery including the twin attractions of High Force and Cauldron Snout . </P>

North pennines area of outstanding natural beauty (aonb)