The Sill offers a window on
£14.8M VISITOR CENTRE PROVES MASSIVE SUCCESS IN FIRST MONTH
The Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre at Once Brewed in Northumberland National Park. Pictured are right, chief executive Tony Gates and Coun Glen Sanderson SURROUNDED by miles of beautiful countryside, Britain’s only national landscape discovery centre is thriving.
The Sill – named after nearby ridge the Great Whin Sill – is one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by an English national park.
The £14.8m state-of-the-art visitor centre features exhibitions celebrating the county’s landscape, culture and heritage.
There is also an 86-bed youth hostel, rural business hub, 90-seater café, gift shop and learning and event spaces, which all overlook Northumberland National Park.
Since opening on July 29, a staggering 28,500 people walked through the doors of the attraction in August. And at the hostel, which costs an average of £17 a night, more than 2,000 guests stayed during the month.
Tony Gates, chief executive of the Northumberland National Park Authority, said: “The centre has been transformational for us.
“It has been a really successful start and the feedback we’ve had shows 98% of visitors said they’ve had a positive experience.
“When we opened in the height of the holidays we had lots of families and we are getting more people who are retired too.
“We are now getting into the period where are seeing different types of people like university students and school children using the building.
“It is a tremendous building in a tremendous place and they have enjoyed what we have to offer.”
The eco-friendly centre at Once Brewed aims to encourage more people to enjoy the countryside.
The main exhibition champions all of the benefits the landscape brings, from producing food to improving health.
Then there is Hadrian’s Wall itself. From the hostel, it is a five-minute walk to one of the best-preserved stretches.
People can also visit the park’s other landmarks too, including the four-mile circular route along Steel Rigg, the famous tree at Sycamore Gap and Crag Lough, a glacial lake.
The park authority’s chairman, Glen Sanderson, said he wants the centre to inspire the next generation. “A key target for us is to have every child from a school in Northumberland to spend one day in the national park,” he said.
“We want young people to enjoy going to the countryside and understand it. The centre is a big step to being able to achieve that.”
Looking ahead, Mr Gates said the park authority already has plans to develop the centre.
“From October we are looking to start Sill Sundays, where we will be running all sorts of activities every week,” he said. “It has been an exciting start but we know there are ways to improve it. We want it to be the best it can be and see it evolve.”