The key characteristics of the Tyne and Wear Lowlands are:

14. Tyne and Wear Lowlands

The key characteristics of the Tyne and Wear Lowlands are:

• An undulating landform incised by the rivers Tyne and Wear and their tributaries.

• Dominated by widespread urban and industrial development, and a dense network of major road and rail links.

• A landscape of considerable recent change, with a long history of coal mining, now revealed only by locally prominent open cast extraction areas and spoil heaps, and recently restored sites. 
Large open fields of arable crops, with urban fringe effect of pony grazing and other miscellaneous activites around settlements.

• Irregular woodland cover, generally sparse, but with well wooded steep valley sides, estates with mixed woodland and parkland trees, and plantations on restored spoil heaps.

• Historic riverside cities of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Durham, strategically located at bridging points of the rivers Tyne and Wear.

For further details on this character area and for an introduction to the region, please see the PDF documents in the box at the top right hand side of this page.