The North West is an area of varied landscapes ranging from beaches to lakes and forests to cities. It consists of the counties of Lancashire, Cumbria and Cheshire as well as Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The area consisting of Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington is primarily an urban conurbation. Lancashire and Cumbria are primarily rural with a few large town and cities, and Cheshire is mainly flat agricultural land.
The North West shows a wide diversity in people and dialect: the most common dialects in the region are Scouse (from Liverpool), Lancastrian, Mancunian (also known as Manc) and the Cumberland dialect (Cumbria). There is also North West English, which is a combination of the above mainly spoken outside the accent areas. Most visitors will be hard-pressed to notice significant differences between the dialects but there are many to the trained ear. The people are generally friendly and do welcome tourists.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the main industry in the North West was textiles, and there is still evidence of this (especially in South Lancashire), but today the textile industry has all but disappeared from the region, giving way for the chemical industry (especially in Cheshire and Merseyside), and defence (especially around Barrow-in-Furness). Many big national and international retailers are headquartered in the region.
Nine times out of ten, the regional weather is mild and overcast, with frequent heavy outbreaks of rain. Temperatures on some summer days can reach the mid 20s degrees Celsius. The best advice is to wear layers (it's very rare to see a North Westerner without a jacket on).
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about North West England
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in North West England - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount North West England hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
North West England Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
