I’ve always loved the concept of national parks. To my mind, National Parks are a way to escape the rat race, experience nature at its finest and enjoy wide open spaces. National Park status is the highest form of landscape protection in the UK, resulting from the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act. When first instituted, there was a backlash with concerns raised that National Parks would bring too many planning restrictions. Fortunately, though, the UK National Parks have thrived and now find a balance between protecting nature, encouraging tourism and supporting livelihoods. 

I think my first experience of a National Park was probably the Peak District National Park as a teenager doing my Duke of Edinburgh’s award expedition. We had spent many hours in the classroom and on short day trips and weekends in the Lincolnshire wolds learning how to read a map and use a compass. Then, miraculously we were set free, off into the wilds of the Peak District with its gritstone edges and wild moorlands  We had to devise our own route, decide where we were going to camp, carry all our kit for 3 days, and battle with the howling weather. It wasn’t just the wind that was howling, I remember that as a group of teenage girls we howled with laughter to get us through the grimmest conditions as our feet became blistered and we shivered in our lightweight sleeping bags cooking up delicious meals of freeze-dried mince and chicken soup.

That early exposure to camping, hiking, and wild natural spaces has stayed with me and is probably one of the reasons why I’ve ended up living in the Cairngorms. But I’ll save that story for another time. This month’s blog is about another National Park: in Northumberland.  

Designated a National Park in 1956, the Northumberland National Park covers a vast area of 405 square miles. It is too large to do justice to in a single visit, so we decided to focus this trip on Kielder Forest and a bit of Hadrian’s Wall to give ourselves a flavour of the park. Getting there from the north of Scotland is a simple journey by car. Straight down the A9 to Perth, then the M90/M8 to Edinburgh. From Scotland’s capital, take the A68 for a very pleasant journey through the Cheviots towards Otterburn. We were heading for a holiday let in Bellingham just to the south of the National Park but with easy access to Kielder Water and, more importantly, the Kielder Observatory.

Open all year round, the Kielder Observatory is at the heart of this dark sky park and offers visitors the chance to learn about the universe from passionate, knowledgeable astronomists and physicists. Most evenings they offer a visitor tour which lasts about 3 hours. Be warned though, you do need to book in advance as there is limited space and the events sell out, so do book before you travel. Our tour started with an introductory talk in the lecture theatre with a mind-blowing film about our solar system. We were visiting with another family so had joined a tour specifically aimed at children but even so the details about space, the milky way and the age of stars was fascinating for all age groups. We then had the chance to climb up to the observatory and use the telescopes to look at sun spots and other ephemeral objects in the night sky. It was, quite simply spell-binding and is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. The site offers a number of different evening events. For more information see the Kielder Observatory website:  https://kielderobservatory.org. Admission prices: Adults £26, over 65s or Under 16s £24.  

The next part of our visit was Hadrian’s Wall. Another iconic visitor attraction. We only had one day available so wanted to ensure we saw some highlights and got a feel for the place whilst also keeping a 10-year old amused. So, we headed for Housesteads Roman Fort near Hexham. This is an English Heritage site, so remember your English Heritage membership card if you are a member. Otherwise entry is from £9.50 for adults (off-peak), increasing in price at busier times. Check the English Heritage website for full details (www.english-heritage.org.uk). The main car park here is run by English Heritage but there are alternatives at The Sill and elsewhere along the wall which are cheaper for non-members. 

We decided to do our walk first, so bypassed the visitor centre and headed straight up the hill from the car park. The Hadrian’s Wall route is well signposted, so to get to Sycamore Gap (edit: where there is no longer a Sycamore tree – such a shame!) from Housesteads you just need to turn left and head west along the remains of the wall. It’s only about 2 miles and once you’ve made the initial ascent to the wall it is not tough at all. There’s a few ups and downs so those with mobility problems may find it difficult but it is a well-worn path and easy to follow.

When we were there, cows were grazing in the fields, so dogs do need to be kept under control. We had a gentle meander and after about 45 minutes arrived at Sycamore Gap. For those of you who watched Robin Hood Prince of Thieves back in the early ‘90s, it is the famous scene where Kevin Costner crests the hill and sees the scene from his childhood with the sycamore tree nestled in the dip and skylined in the bosom of the hills either side. (Edit: sadly, no longer since the tree was felled for some unknown reason by someone on the night of 27 September 2023; I’m so glad I was privileged enough to see the beautiful tree that once stood there).

We stopped for a picnic, enjoying the Spring sunshine, then made our way back, retracing our steps to Housesteads. It is well worth doing the tour of Housesteads. This is a well-preserved Roman fort where you can view the barracks that the soldiers lived in, learn about the civilian settlement that sprang up outside the walls, and explore everything from the Commander’s house to the latrines. 

Exhausted by our explorations, we headed back to Bellingham and a well-deserved meal at the local pub. 

Date of travel: April 2022

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