THIS month, with the school holidays in full swing and the sun shining, why not take the family out for a day in our beautiful region? This week, we've got some great suggestions for Weardale at the heart of North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Weardale is a stunning place to spend a day this summer. It's full of beautiful market towns and villages with fantastic things to do.

The Durham Dales Centre is a good place to begin. In the pretty town of Stanhope, it offers a wealth of information on what there is to see and do in the Dales. From here you can plan your day in Weardale and learn more about the area's history.

The Weardale Museum and High House Chapel in Ireshopeburn (www.weardalemuseum.co.uk) is a small independent folk museum which was established by volunteers in 1985. Get a glimpse of how lead mining families lived over 100 years ago in the authentic cottage and see the museum's amazing collection of minerals, crystals and fossils. Pay a visit to High House Chapel - the oldest purpose-built Methodist chapel in the world to have held continuous weekly services since its foundation. This beautiful working chapel is open to visitors during the museum opening hours.

Another great museum is Killhope - The North of England Lead Mining Museum (www.durham.gov.uk/killhope). Killhope is a fully restored 19th century lead mine. Borrow a hard hat, cap-lamp and some wellies from the museum and go deep into the hillside as your guide takes you on a tour of the mine to see the great underground waterwheel. The museum is open daily and there's also a beautiful woodland walk in the grounds - see if you can spot the rare red squirrels.

Or why not go and explore? There are some lovely walks in the Weardale area, with plenty of country pubs, craft shops and places of interest on the way. To get your free guide to some of the best walks in North-East England (including Weardale) have a look online at www.visitnortheast england.co.uk/walking. Starting at The Durham Dales Centre, Route 8 takes you through glorious Dales scenery on a 3½ mile walk, finishing back at the centre where you can re-fuel with a cup of tea and a slice of cake in the tea room.

For more ideas of things to do visit www.visitnortheast england.co.uk