The Angel of the North is the symbol that announces I am getting close to home after a trip to the south. Standing 20 metres high on a windswept hillside, it is seen by around 90,000 drivers every day! Although I have driven past the Angel on numerous occasions, until recently I had never bothered to stop and take a proper look at this Northern icon. The Angel can also be seen by rail passengers on the east coast line heading towards Edinburgh.

Getting there.
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Driving south on the A1, take the slip road signposted Wrekenton and Birtley, 5 miles from the Metro centre. Then take the A167 signposted Gateshead south. The parking area for the Angel is a few hundred yards along this road on the left. The car park is fairly small and has 4 disabled parking bays.

The Angel.
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Having seen the Angel from the A1, I really hadn't truly appreciated just how big this structure actually is! At 20 metres tall and with a wingspan of 54 metres the Angel is an awesome sight. The Angel was designed by the sculptor Antony Gormley and completed in February 1998 at a cost of over £800.000.It is situated on an exposed hillside, the site of a former colliery, and has to be strong enough to withstand winds of over 100mph. The Angel weighs a staggering 208 tonnes.

The Angel is made of weather resistant steel that is designed to mellow with age. It has been designed to last for at least 100 years. From the road I think the Angels wings look straight. Once up close to the structure I can see that the wings are not straight but angled slightly forward to give the impression they are embracing you.

On the day we visited we took a picnic and ate at the feet of the Angel. There are no refreshments available on the site and be warned it is very exposed and can be cold and windy.

To be honest I wouldn't make a special journey to visit the Angel but am glad I made the detour to take closer look. You really do need to get up close to this amazing structure to appreciate its scale. Although the Angel is a controversial structure you have to marvel at the engineering that made it possible!