landmark
Angel of the North
Striking 20-metre steel sculpture with a 54-metre wingspan standing on a hilltop in Gateshead, England.
5 km · about 10 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Washington
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Washington
Washington is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Chester-le-Street, 42km from Chesters Roman Fort.
Washington is in England, United Kingdom, with about 67,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Chester-le-Street, about 6 km away.
Washington is a town in the Sunderland district, in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it is the ancestral settlement of the local Washington family, from which the first president of the United States, George Washington, descended. It has a population of 67,085.
It is located betweenRead more
Chester-le-Street, Gateshead and South Tyneside. Washington was designated a new town in 1964. It became part of Tyne and Wear in 1974. The town has expanded dramatically since its designation; new villages were created and areas were reassigned from Chester-le-Street, to offer housing and employment to those moving from adjoining areas and further afield. At the 2011 census, Washington had a population of 67,085, compared to 53,388 in 2001.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Washington?
Within an hour or so of Washington: Angel of the North (5 km), Durham Cathedral (15 km), Durham Cathedral Cloister (Hogwarts) (15 km), Chesters Roman Fort (42 km).
Are there any good drives near Washington?
The nearest famous roads are A689 Alston to Stanhope (Weardale), B6318 Military Road (Hadrian's Wall) and Hartside Pass (A686).
Where is Washington?
Washington is in England, United Kingdom, about 6 km from Chester-le-Street.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 67,085
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 54.9000, -1.5167
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Washington
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
cathedral
Durham Cathedral
UNESCO-listed Romanesque masterpiece perched above the River Wear, widely regarded as the finest Norman building in England.
15 km · about 25 min drive
film location
Durham Cathedral Cloister (Hogwarts)
The Norman cathedral's cloister garth is where Harry releases Hedwig in the snow, and its chapter house was Professor McGonagall's transfiguration classroom.
15 km · about 25 min drive
ancient ruins
Chesters Roman Fort
The best-preserved Roman cavalry fort in Britain, on the North Tyne, with a remarkably complete military bath house.
42 km · about 50 min drive
beach
Druridge Bay
Seven miles of near-empty sand backed by dunes and reclaimed opencast lakes now managed as nature reserves.
44 km · about 50 min drive
waterfall
High Force Waterfall
England's largest waterfall by volume, plunging 21 metres over the Whin Sill escarpment in a cloud of spray in Upper Teesdale.
50 km · about 55 min drive
racetrack
Croft Circuit
A former World War II airfield in North Yorkshire that hosts BTCC and is known for its mix of fast straights and tight chicanes.
50 km · about 55 min drive
landmark
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
A Victorian seaside resort with a surviving pier and the world's oldest working water-balance cliff lift, opened in 1884.
50 km · about 55 min drive
Driving roads near Washington
10 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 100km.
- 51 kmRoseberry ToppingA distinctive half-cone hill on the edge of the North York Moors, its shape the result of a 1912 landslip caused by mining.
- 53 kmA689 Alston to Stanhope (Weardale)A remote high Pennine road over Killhope with wide moorland views and almost no traffic; England's highest market town at one end.
- 53 kmB6318 Military Road (Hadrian's Wall)General Wade's arrow-straight road along Hadrian's Wall, rolling over the whin sill with Roman forts on either side.
- 57 kmSteel RiggA car park and viewpoint on the Whin Sill giving the classic switchback view of Hadrian's Wall towards Sycamore Gap.
- 65 kmHartside Pass (A686)Voted one of Britain's best drives - a sweeping climb to 580m out of the Eden Valley with a panorama to the Lake District and the Solway.
- 65 kmHigh Cup NickA perfect U-shaped glacial valley in the North Pennines rimmed by dolerite columns, reached by a walk from Dufton.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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