Experience the best of Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough lies on the south bank of the River Tees in north-east England, historically in Yorkshire. It grew from a farm into a major ironworking town in the nineteenth century after ironstone was found in the Cleveland Hills, and its bridge-building firms worked on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Tyne Bridge.

The Transporter Bridge, opened in 1911, still carries vehicles and walkers across the river in a suspended gondola. The Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, known as mima, shows contemporary art, and Stewart Park, in the suburb of Marton, holds the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, as James Cook was born in the village. The Riverside Stadium is home to the town's football club.

The North York Moors National Park rises to the south, with the sandstone hill of Roseberry Topping, and the seaside at Saltburn-by-the-Sea, with its pier and cliff tramway, lies along the coast. The local dish is the parmo, a breaded chicken or pork cutlet topped with white sauce and cheese. Sea fret, a cold mist, can roll in off the North Sea at any time of year.