Shildon

Hotels in Shildon are limited, so most visitors base themselves in nearby Bishop Auckland or Darlington, both a short drive or train ride away and better stocked with places to stay. Options range from budget chain hotels and inns to guesthouses and B&Bs set in Georgian townhouses, giving easy access back into Shildon for the museum and railway heritage sites, plus Auckland Castle and Kynren just up the road. Staying slightly further afield in Darlington also puts you on the East Coast Main Line, useful if you are combining Shildon with a wider tour of County Durham or North Yorkshire. Wherever you stay, expect straightforward, good-value accommodation rather than luxury resorts - this is a part of England built around practicality, history and a warm welcome rather than five-star spas.

Shildon's main draw is world-famous among railway enthusiasts, but there is more to the area than trains alone.

• Locomotion (National Railway Museum, Shildon) - a free sister site to the National Railway Museum in York, built on Timothy Hackworth's old Soho Works. Highlights include Sans Pareil, Hackworth's locomotive built for the 1829 Rainhill Trials, plus royal carriages, an indoor picnic area, a train-themed play park and free guided tours on weekdays.
• Soho House and the Hackworth story - the house Timothy Hackworth built for himself in 1833 as the first Superintendent of Locomotives on the Stockton and Darlington Railway still stands close to the museum, a direct link to the birth of the modern railway.
• Shildon Railway Institute and the town's heritage streets - the old works and railway housing around the town give a real sense of a community built entirely by the railway age, well worth a wander before or after the museum.
• Auckland Castle and the Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland - a short drive away, with the Faith Museum, Mining Art Gallery, Spanish Gallery and a 150-acre deer park to explore.
• Kynren, Bishop Auckland - an award-winning open-air evening spectacular staged in the grounds below Auckland Castle, telling the story of England through live action, horses and pyrotechnics, alongside the newer daytime Storied Lands live-action park.
• Hamsterley Forest - Forestry England woodland in the Durham Dales with waymarked walking and cycling trails, a great half-day out if you want tree cover and fresh air after a morning of museums.
• Weardale and the North Pennines - drive west from Shildon and the landscape opens into proper dales country, with quiet lanes, rivers and hills that reward anyone happy to get off the beaten track.

Shildon is a proper working town rather than a foodie destination, but it has its share of honest, welcoming spots. The Locomotive on Watson Street is a well-regarded local pub known for its friendly atmosphere and cheap drinks, while the town's cafes serve the kind of home-cooked food, cakes and Sunday roasts that define a good North East caff. For a wider choice, Bishop Auckland and Darlington are only minutes away and offer a fuller spread of restaurants, tapas at El Castillo within the Auckland Project, and traditional pubs across the wider Wear Valley.

Shildon itself is a small town rather than a camping destination, but it sits within easy reach of some genuinely lovely County Durham countryside, and campsites and caravan parks are dotted across the wider Wear Valley and Durham Dales. As in the rest of England, wild camping without the landowner's permission is illegal here, so stick to registered sites, certified locations or farms offering pitches with the owner's consent. The rolling hills around Weardale and the edges of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are within a 30-40 minute drive, offering proper hillwalking country, rivers and quiet lanes for cycling. Spring through early autumn is the best window for camping here, when the weather is milder and the long summer evenings suit an evening walk after pitching up; County Durham winters can be cold and wet, so this is very much a fair-weather pursuit unless you are well equipped. For those who prefer a roof over their heads without giving up the outdoors feel, glamping pods, shepherd's huts and static caravans have become increasingly popular across the region, often set on working farms with views over the dale. Wherever you pitch, County Durham's countryside rewards an early start - misty mornings over the fields near Hamsterley Forest or the Wear Valley are a proper reminder of why this corner of England is worth the detour, even if Shildon's own claim to fame is industrial rather than pastoral.