A section of track running through the North-East has been voted the most scenic train journey in Britain.

The stretch of the GNER-run East Coast Main Line, between Durham and Berwick, received the accolade after Country Life magazine canvassed eminent travellers.

Other pretty lines in the Country Life poll included the Settle to Carlisle railway, the Fort William sleeper and the London to Cornwall routes.

The magazine's editor, Clive Aslet, said: "Durham's ecclesiastical monument to Gothic architecture is the perfect starting point for a journey.

"It perches majestically on its rocky platform, embraced round the hem by the solid fortifications of the castle.

"The rest of the university town is scattered in the foothills and looks reverentially upwards."

Art critic Sir Roy Strong described the route as a "lost and romantic part of Britain".

He added: "The emptiness of it all fills me with wonder so much I want to pull the communications cord and step off."

Musician Jools Holland said: "Between King's Cross (London) and Edinburgh there is a huge variation of landscapes, architecture and atmospheres - from Alexandra Palace to the Fenlands, then to the magnificent proportions of York station and on into the industrial North-East, across the breathtaking bridge to Newcastle, and along the romantic coast to Berwick and Edinburgh."

North-East businessman Bill Midgley, president of the British Chamber of Commerce, said: "As someone who regularly travels on this route, it shows off a lot from quite a compact area which is both vibrant and beautiful.

"Unfortunately, we need to promote these areas better as there is a general ignorance sometimes about them. Some people just don't know what there is in Durham and Northumberland."

A GNER spokesman said: "The route through County Durham and Northumberland is indeed a treat for all who travel with GNER, combining the impressive city skylines of Durham and Newcastle with the unspoilt beaches of the Northumberland coastline."

Ruth Annison, one of the campaigners who helped to save the Settle-Carlisle line from closure in the late 1980s, said: "I am delighted but not surprised by this. The scenery is beautiful on the line, which is one attraction, but then there is the railway itself and its history."