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Our favourite North East and Cumbria Instagram pictures of 2023

Brian Matthews Underwater shot of a puffin floating face down in the waterBrian Matthews
Brian Matthews' perfect picture of a puffin from November was our top photo of the year with more than 32,000 likes

The BBC's North East and Cumbria Instagram page shares amazing pictures taken by people across the region.

The page has thousands of followers and one of our biggest joys is showing the remarkable photos people send to us capturing the area's beauty.

We also post about the region's news, such as the visit of a walrus in January and the sad destruction of the tree at Sycamore Gap in September.

As 2023 comes to an end, here are some of our favourite images of the year.

Graham O'Dwyer A herd of sheep block a path on a mountainsideGraham O'Dwyer
Graham O'Dwyer got to meet the Lake District's famous locals he had 'herd' about when he visited in January
Ian Sproat A massive wave breaks appearing in the shape of a human face next to a lighthouseIan Sproat
Ian Sproat caught this amazing moment of a human face appearing in a breaking wave in Sunderland in February
Claire Eason/Soul2Sand A large picture of King Charles drawn in sand next to a castleClaire Eason/Soul2Sand
King Charles III made a surprise appearance at Bamburgh beach for his coronation in May...
Dan Monk A large orange moon next to a castleDan Monk
...with the Northumberland castle also posing for a picture with the blue supermoon in August for Dan Monk
Darren Cheverton A road between trees with a columned monument on a hill in the backgroundDarren Cheverton
All roads lead to Penshaw Monument (well this one does at least) as pictured by Darren Cheverton
Scott Keenleyside A large moon over an ornate domed buildingScott Keenleyside
Scott Keenleyside saw the whole of the super moon in July at Whitley Bay
AFP A tree in a dip between two hills with pink and green Northern lights beyond itAFP
Wil Cheung took this stunning picture of the Northern Lights at Sycamore Gap in September shortly before the tree was chopped down
Nicky Hunter View down a vertical railway to a pier jutting out in to the sea and rainbow in the distanceNicky Hunter
Nicky Hunter shared this uplifting picture from Saltburn in September after the town's famous cliff Tramway won an award
Sam Binding A large stone hotel surrounded by red, orange and green trees reflected in a lakeSam Binding
Sam Binding's beautiful picture from Grasmere really catches the eye
Steve Seddon Sheds made from overturned boats with green Northern Lights in the backgroundSteve Seddon
Steve Seddon caught the Northern Lights on Holy Island
Ross Johnston/RJX MEDIA Aerial view of the horseshoe shaped river in Durham circling around Durham Cathedral in the snowRoss Johnston/RJX MEDIA
The year ended with snow in Durham, as caught in this breath-taking shot by Ross Johnston in Durham
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