Not quite a Geordie

Originally I come from Teesdale, which could be described as the place where the Geordie becomes the Tyke, although perhaps you shouldn't say that to anyone living there! In case you don't know the difference, a Geordie is from Newcastle (and the immediately surrounding areas). A Tyke, however, is from Yorkshire.



Teesdale was part of Yorkshire up until 1974 when it became part of County Durham, so I can say that I was born in Yorkshire (more or less) but raised in County Durham.

My home town is a small market town called Barnard Castle, which was originally right on the border between Yorkshire and Durham. The border between the two areas was marked by the River Tees.



Barnard Castle was on the Durham side of the border, directly opposite on the other side of the river is the town of Startforth. Although this is now seen as part of Barnard Castle it was originally an entirely separate town.

The two towns were divided by the river, and the fact that one town was in Yorkshire and the other in Durham, but as far as distance goes, less then 20 meters separated them.



If you are in the North of England then Barnard Castle is certainly worth a visit, not only for the Castle itself (or rather the ruins of the castle) but also for the Bowes Museum - essentially a French-style Chateau in the middle of the dales.



If you want to know a bit more about Yorkshire then hop on over to the official Yorkshire Dales website.