Things you (possibly) didn’t know about Northumberland
■ One of the most iconic images of Hadrian’s Wall was that of the tree at Sycamore Gap. The tree that gave the place its name was originally planted by John Clayton, a lawyer from Newcastle, around 150 years ago, and was felled in the early morning of September 28, 2023. A 16-year-old and a 68-yearold were subsequently arrested. The tree had won England’s Tree of the Year award in 2016, and also appeared in the video for Brian Adam’s song ‘Everything I Do I Do It For You’, which was included in the soundtrack to the film Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves, in which the tree appeared, despite it being 170 miles away from Sherwood Forest, where the film was based!
■ Britain’s first Dark Sky Park was created in Northumberland in 2013 (see boxout), making it one of the best places in Britain if you’re into stargazing. It’s actually possible to see the Andromeda galaxy with the naked eye on a clear night – and that is a mind-boggling 2.5 million light years away…
■ If you prefer to take things at a more leisurely pace, there are two national trails that wend their way through Northumberland – the Pennine Way, running from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm, just south of the Scottish border; and St Cuthberts Way, from the Scottish border town of Melrose to the Isle of Lindisfarne. Plus, of course, Hadrian’s Wall, which can be walked from Bowness-on-Solway in the Lake District, eastwards to the appropriately-named
Wallsend in Newcastle.
■ The building of Hadrian’s Wall started in AD122, with the 73 miles being completed within six years, including a 6-metre wide ditch to the south, over 80 ‘milecastle’ forts, 17 larger forts and two observation towers. The Romans left Britain 300 years after the wall was built, and much of the wall ended up being recycled into local buildings. What remains is still incredibly impressive.
■ If you happen to be wandering around the Simonside Hills near Rothbury, be wary of following any bright lights, as these are said to be torches carried by dwarves that will lead you into marshland, where you’ll sink to your death!
■ There are many peculiarly-named places throughout Northumberland (Pity Me is a good example), but perhaps the oddest is Once Brewed, which is also home to the Twice
Brewed Inn. The village is just to the south of Hadrian’s Wall, which at that point runs along the tip of the Whin Sill (a ridge of igneous rock created about 300 million years ago), and is a popular overnight stop for walkers roving the Wall, thanks both to the pub and the youth hostel at The Sill visitor centre.
■ The highest point in Northumberland is The Cheviot, at
815 metres above sea level, it being an extinct volcano that lies just one-and-a-quarter miles from the Scottish border, so right at the very top of Northumberland, in both senses of the phrase. Created between 390 and 490 million years ago, it has suffered severe erosion and may have, at one point, been as high as 3000 metres above sea level!
■ While the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is separate to the National Park, many folk consider them to be concordant. The coastline is truly stunning, with broad, dramatic beaches running alongside historic castles and unspoilt fishing villages. The island of Lindisfarne (also known as Holy Island), is more than just the inspiration for the folk rock band from Newcastle, with a recorded history going back to AD600, and was an important centre for Celtic Christianity.