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The North Pennines was designated as an [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] (AONB) in 1988 for its [[moorland]] scenery, the product of centuries of farming and lead-mining. At almost {{convert|2000|km2|order=flip}} it is the second largest of the 49 AONBs in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|title=Where is the North Pennines|url=http://www.northpennines.org.uk/about-us/where-is-the-north-pennines/|website=www.northpennines.org.uk|accessdate=5 January 2017}}</ref> The landscape of the North Pennines AONB is one of open heather moors between deep dales, upland rivers, hay meadows and stone-built villages, some of which contain the legacies of a mining and industrial past. The area has previously been mined and quarried for minerals such as barytes, coal fluorspar, iron, lead, witherite and zinc.<ref>{{cite web|title=BBC - Seven Wonders - North Pennines|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/sevenwonders/north/north_pennines/index.shtml|publisher=BBC|accessdate=5 January 2017}}</ref> In 2013, a Canadian mining company were allowed to test drill fro zinc around [[Allenheads]] and [[Nenthead]]. They said the region was sitting on a "world-class" deposit of zinc and predicted that a new mine in the area could produce {{convert|1,000,000|tonnes}} of zinc ore per year.<ref>{{cite news|title=North Pennines zinc mine 'could create 500 jobs'|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-23716625|accessdate=5 January 2017|work=BBC News|date=15 August 2013}}</ref>
In the North Pennines are: 40% of the UK's upland hay meadows; 30% of England's upland heathland and 27% of its [[blanket bog]]; 80% of England's [[black grouse]] (and also breeding [[short-eared owl]], [[ring ouzel]], [[common snipe]] and [[common redshank]]); 36% of the AONB designated as [[Sites of Special Scientific Interest]]; [[red squirrel]]s, [[otter]]s and rare arctic alpine plants; 22,000 pairs of breeding [[wader|waders]] and one of England's biggest waterfalls – [[High Force]].<ref>{{cite web|title=North Pennines AONB|url=http://www.landscapesforlife.org.uk/north-pennines-aonb.html|website=www.landscapesforlife.org.uk|accessdate=5 January 2017}}</ref> The area shares a boundary with the [[Yorkshire Dales National Park]] in the south and extends as far as the Tyne Valley, just south of [[Hadrian's Wall]] in the north.<ref>{{cite web|title=North Pennines AONB|url=http://www.landscapesforlife.org.uk/north-pennines-aonb.html|website=www.landscapesforlife.org.uk|accessdate=5 January 2017|pages=26–27|format=PDF}}</ref>
One of the many walking routes in the North Pennines is [[Isaac's Tea Trail]], a circular route of {{convert|37|mi}} around the area, running from [[Ninebanks]] via [[Allendale, Northumberland|Allendale]], [[Nenthead]] and [[Alston, Cumbria|Alston]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Isaac's Tea Trail - LDWA Long Distance Paths|url=https://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Isaac's+Tea+Trail|website=www.ldwa.org.uk|accessdate=5 January 2017}}</ref> In addition to this, a large section of the [[Pennine Way]] falls in the AONB,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Stephenson|first1=Tom|title=The Pennine Way|date=1980|publisher=H.M.S.O. for the Countryside Commission|location=London|isbn=0-11-700903-2|pages=48–67|edition=2nd}}</ref> including one of the most celebrated stretches through [[Teesdale]], a lush valley with dramatic river scenery including the twin attractions of High Force and [[Cauldron Snout]].
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