the best places to live in the North East?

[FoxesSitOnBoxes]

I'm moving back home after living away for nearly 20 years
We're looking for somewhere rural but not too much in the middle of no where. Thinking South Northumberland or Just south of the Tyne.
Was hoping someone who knows the area could help me out with their suggestions?

Tynemouth/ Cullercoats/ Monkseaton

Well aren't you just a massive cunt with a ridiculous name :-)

I think the lack of bridges up north make laycee nervous turn

Trip fucking trap :-) I've reported.

0.5/10

And we have some of the best bridges up here. More than our fair share, in fact! The Swing bridge might be a little low to dwell under, but it's great fun when it opens.

You can get loads for your budget in my neck of the woods - Seaburn and Roker. We love living here - has everything a couple/family could want.

When DH might have been relocated we thought Hexham was lovely. Small town, stunning countryside and accessible to Newcastle.

ODFO! bigjim - you are not big or clever

Well I see the intelligent well informed bunch are out tonight

As my name suggests I'm in Durham and I can assure you it isn't a dump. There are dumpy parts in the NE but having lived in London, Herts and Bucks I can confirm that here are dumpy areas down South too. God there really were some shit holes now I come to think of it........

The hairy hands have been talking to each other all night.

Ooh, what's been going on? How odd.
Many thanks to everyone.
Shortlist for further exploring when we can next get over:
Villages around Durham
Hexham/corbridge
Tynemouth and around
Morpeth and villages
Alnwick
Villages around ponteland
Barnard castle and around (never been, looks lovely but poss too far from my parents in Newcastle)

Thank you everyone

I lived in Durham city for university. Gorgeous place itself. Prettiest place I visited was Lanchester, would definitely try there first if I were in your position!

I live in Gateshead and love Whickham and Low Fell for just south if the river.

Tynemouth for coastal.

Durham City for culture and beauty.

Another tynemouth dweller here! Tynemouth/ cullercoats/monkseaton/ and some of the nicer parts of North Shields.best place in the world to live!

Don't know if you need to worry about commuting to work, but if you do, then personally I'd be wary of commutes that meant having to cross the Tyne at rush hour because that gets very congested.

The Tyne Valley - Wylam, Stocksfield and Corbridge are lovely.

Ponteland, lovely village feel with plenty of bars and restaurants but very busy traffic wise around school times.

Tynemouth is lovely but expensive, Cullercoats is worth a look.

Loads of great places, and never very far from anywhere. I'm 2 minutes from the A1, 10 minutes from centre of town and the metro centre, 20 minutes to the coast and 20 minutes to real countryside, love where we live!

The tees flyover can be a bit of a pig, at peak times, too.

I grew up in Whitley Bay. That is a good area for families-good schools and houses plus close to Newcastle on Metro. Also Tynemouth, Cullercoats. Having lived in a city I would personally now go for Gosforth or Jesmond if I was to move back there.
Morpeth is a lovely town, again good schools likewise Hexham.
I would avoid Ashington.

A bit further south but I like Richmond. Some nice areas around Darlington too like Middleton One Row.