The thing is N Yorks is straight up the M11 and A1 and quite an easy journey, the faff of getting to SEN (or STN), flying up and getting a car to come south again isn’t worth it and would certainly be longer even with a service station stop. I don’t think anyone would use Teesside for the lakes unless they lived in Teesside. The argument for Durham works in reverse and actually it’s better from central Newcastle, what a 10/15 min train ride? NCL is well placed for the Northumberland coast and national park, again much more of a trek from here. Certainly ‘the lads’ would go to Newcastle for a weekend on the town.
All irrelevant anyway, the point is the announcement of SEN-NCL was in no way a reflection of Stobart “loyalty” to MME.