"A proper stout northern town"

That's not what it says on the sign on the A1 - but perhaps it should.

Nice to see my hometown getting a glowing endorsement by Tom Dyckhoff in his regular Let's Move To... column in last weekend's Guardian. I could have guaranteed there'd be a reference to Emily Davison, and also to the floods (though the latter aren't enough to put Dyckhoff off generally recommending the place).

Good to note that the Morpeth Herald - the first staging post on my journalistic/publishing career, as a volunteer - gets a nod, and that the locals consulted take the opportunity to plug real ale pub the Tap & Spile, delicious tapas bar Bodega (where they haven't yet quite got to grips with the usual concept of small dishes) and iconic trapped-in-time hardware store Smails.

A bit worrying, though, that he recommends the Black Bull and the Queen's Head - presumably the research wasn't carried out on a Friday night...