Understand
England's most northern and sparsely populated county, Northumberland is a remnant of the ancient kingdom of Northumbria which once covered an area stretching from Edinburgh to Sheffield and the river Mersey.
The area has a very long and bloody history due to its proximity to Scotland and has fallen into Scottish hands at least once as the border has shifted over time. The more populous towns are either market towns Amble, Hexham, Morpeth and others are former mining communities Prudhoe, Ashington.
Northumberland has its own dialect, different from the famous Geordie of Newcastle.
The Northumbrian Pipes are a local folk instrument, similar to the Scottish bagpipe.
Ethnically Northumberland is overwhelmingly white and British. While racism against ethnic minorities is not a recorded issue, do be aware that it is very unusual to see a person of a black or Asian background in the county and that people might take a second glance.