Northumberland National Park – Now & Forever

Northumberland National Park Authority (NNPA) has invested significantly in its visitor facilities along Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site to make them more accessible and inclusive.

Duncan Wise, Visitor Development and Tourism Officer at NNPA tasked us with the voice-first translation and recording of a 2min welcome narrative which gives engaging information to empower people to connect with the National Park on their own terms: NNPA now extends a warm welcome to visitors in 16 languages, including Mandarin, Farsi, Punjabi and Ukrainian. 

The recordings are ready to be uploaded onto Blackbox-AV U-Turn sound posts. The environmentally friendly, retro-design sound posts will provide information about the geography of Northumberland National Park. The QR code on the front of the sound box will give access to recommended self-guided walking routes, and information about events and activities taking place all the year round in the National Park, e.g. at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre. The recordings also draw attention to the Countryside Code which ensures that Northumberland National Park is enjoyed by all in the future. 

Come along to the current The Magic of Dark Skies exhibition at The Sill which celebrates the tenth anniversary of Northumberland International Dark Sky Park! Six artists were invited to create new artworks using a sepcially created set of handmade soft pastels from Unison Colour, a company based in the heart of Northumberland National Park. The theme: Dark skies. Tony Gates, chief executive of the Northumberland National Park Authority, said the anniversary was a time to celebrate the designation, as well as "the many guardians who have overseen the conservation of our majestic dark skies since 2013". On a clear night in the Park, thousands of stars can be seen with the naked eye, as well as the Milky Way. 

Fantastic news from North East England Tourism Awards, 29th February 2024: Northumberland National Park officer Duncan Wise received gold in the ‘Unsung Hero’ category, while the Park's visitor centres, The Sill: Landscape Discovery Centre and Walltown Country Park won silver in the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism award category.     

Do visit https://www.facebook.com/TheSillNorthumberland/?locale=en_GB for the latest news. 

The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre which has just been awarded silver in the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism award category.  

Crag Lough on Hadrian's Wall, formed by glaciers in the last Ice Age.

The current exhibition The Magic of Dark Skies  runs until 12 May.

Visitors are invited to create their own dark sky picture with handmade soft pastels from Unison Colour, a company based in the heart of Northumberland National Park.