I

t may be on the unforgiving North Sea, but the clifftop setting of Seaham Hall in Country Durham has one heck of a romantic heritage.

This was the former home of Lord Byron, a fittingly wild romantic. It was here he married Annabella Milbanke in 1815. Today Seaham Hall hosts many weddings and is the perfect place for a fairytale weekend. Suites are slick and modern with baths big enough for two and private terraces with sea views.

But it’s the Serenity Spa that is the star here. Come with your partner and you’ll leave even more loved up after an intimate rasul where you get to cover each other in mud, a couple’s massage and as much pampering as is humanly possible. If this place doesn’t rejuvenate you, nothing will.

If you want to venture out the university city of Durham is just a short drive away with its cobbled streets and majestic cathedral, best seen from Prebends Bridge.

Or you can drive across the Tyne to Newcastle for a night out. When you’re ready to move on, take the northeast’s very own Route 66 – that’s the A66 – the cross-Pennine route over heather moorland along the southern edge of the Durham Dales.