Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than 1,050 square kilometres (410 sq mi) between the Scottish border in the north to just south of Hadrian’s Wall, and it is one of the least populated and least visited of the National Parks.

The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre is situated at Once Brewed next to the most iconic stretches of Hadrian’s Wall. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Sill was one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by an English National Park. Its aim – to help more people access and learn about the park landscapes, geography and habitats – is enjoyed by around 140,000 each year and features a fully accessible Whin Sill Grassland roof walk and rich programme of activities, events and exhibitions.

In December 2013 the International Dark Sky Association conferred Dark Sky Park status on an area including Northumberland National Park; it is the largest protected Dark Sky Park in Europe. Dark Sky viewing platforms can be found across the National Park including Walltown and Cawfields on Hadrian’s Wall.

From prehistoric rock art and hill forts to the ruins of medieval castles and bastles, or fortified farmhouses and UNESCO World Heritage Site Hadrian’s Wall, the 10,000 year history of human habitation in our historic landscape reflects its frontier past. A third of North East England’s 1,389 scheduled monuments are found in the park, which also has 229 listed buildings and structures.

The Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom owns much of the land in the national park as the Otterburn Training Area. Some parts of this training area are off-limits; others can be accessed only at certain times or with permission. The training area accounts for 23% of the Northumberland National Park. There are 75 Scheduled Monuments within the Otterburn Training Area, England’s second largest military training area established in 1911.

Four out of the five of the cleanest rivers in Britain are sourced in Northumberland National Park. All these rivers tumble down from the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland National Park. They are home to migrating salmon and sea trout, which swim upstream from the sea to lay their eggs, and to otters and other wildlife such as dippers and the water crow-foot, a floating member of the buttercup family.

Northumberland is the most remote and least populated of all England’s national parks, with a population of only around 2,000. This equates to just 0.02 persons per hectare – 10 times less dense than any other national park. It is also officially the most tranquil National Park.

The variety of landscapes mean that almost a third of the park (32,758 hectares) is made up of priority habitats, which are recognised for their national and international environmental importance and wildlife, while 10,000 hectares are sites of special scientific interest.

Not surprisingly, walking is the top activity for visitors, with 72% of the park classed as open access land and there are more than 1,140km of public rights of way. Hugely popular are walks around Hadrian’s Wall and in the stunning scenery and solitude of the Cheviot Hills. With everything from waterfalls to woodland, you can’t fail to find the most beautiful backdrop to your adventures in the countryside.

Around 70 per cent of Northumberland National Park is open moorland covered with grasses that feed sheep and cattle from more than 200 farms located within the Park. In areas like Simonside and Cheviot Hills, where sheep grazing has been restricted, purple heather cover abounds, a habitat found few other places in the world. The curlew, Britain’s biggest wading bird, breeds on the wet edges of the moors in spring.