NINE FOR '09
Across Northumberland, there are dozens of new attractions and exciting events
planned for the coming year. Here are our nine favourites for 2009…
Kielder Water & Forest Park – Opening of the new Lakeside Way
Alnwick Castle – The Harry Hotspur Festival
01
Early Spring 2009
06
26th-28th June 2009
www.forestry.gov.uk
www.alnwickcastle.com
Kielder Water & Forest Park’s Lakeside Way footpath, bridleway and cycle trial
What is the link between a North London football club, Shakespeare and
currently follows the 15 mile length of the lake’s southern shore but in early spring
Alnwick Castle? The answer is Sir Henry Percy the 15th Century rebel who
2009 a 12 mile extension will link previously inaccessible areas of the northern
was nicknamed ‘Harry Hotspur’ for his warlike nature and immortalised
shore to create a new 27 mile trail around the entire shoreline.
in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1. Harry Hotspur’s father was Earl of
Northumberland, Lord of Alnwick Castle and Lord of the medieval manor near
The circular trail will allow walkers, cyclists and riders to reach the more remote
London currently occupied by Tottenham Hotspur’s football ground!
parts of Kielder Water that could not be visited before. Best of all, the paths,
both new and old, have been constructed with easy gradients to cater for
The Percy family, now Dukes of Northumberland, have owned Alnwick Castle
young cyclists, families with pushchairs and wheelchair users - the Lakeside
since 1309 and the 700th anniversary of their stewardship is being celebrated with
Way is the perfect way to experience and explore Kielder Water & Forest Park’s
the Harry Hotspur Festival. This year-long programme of events will be centred
extraordinary landscape.
on a new exhibition of Percy history in the Castle and the town’s medieval parade
(complete with tournaments, street theatre and other period entertainments) held
Kielder Water & Forest Park - The Saab Salomon Avalanche Trophy
in June. Whether you are a fan of the romantic Age of Chivalry, classic literature or
02
25th-26th April 2009
the beautiful game, don’t miss the Harry Hotspur Festival!
www.saabsalomonavalanchetrophy.com
Serious mountain bike enthusiasts will need no introduction to the Saab Salomon
Avalanche Trophy, which returns to Kielder Water & Forest Park on Saturday 25th
07
Northumberland National Park – 60 Years of Access to the
Countryside
and Sunday 26th April 2009. For the uninitiated, this is a challenging mountain
Various dates 2009
bike rally that forms the British leg of the Euro MTB Race Series.
www.nnpa.org.uk &
www.visitnorthumberland.com
The Countryside Act 1949 was designed to do two things. Firstly, protect our
This event attracts top mountain bikers from all over the UK and Europe and
rare wildlife, plants and landscapes and secondly create greater opportunities for
provides a thrilling spectacle as the riders race along the bone-crunching forest
health and leisure through better access to open spaces. Accordingly, the Act
tracks at breakneck speed and leap obstacles with reckless daring. For the best
established the National Parks, National Trails and Areas of Outstanding Natural
in two-wheeled, off-road sports action, Kielder is the place to be this April.
Beauty (AONB).
The Alnwick Garden - Cherry Blossom Viewing
To celebrate The Countryside Act’s diamond jubilee, the different National Parks
03
Spring 2009
and AONB authorities are working together to create a year long programme of
www.alnwickgarden.com
events. Naturally the Northumberland National Park and the county’s two AONBs
Every spring, the slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan are turned a delicate shade of
(The North Pennine Hills and the Northumberland Coast) will be no exception.
pink by the new season’s cherry blossom. People from all over the world come
Final details of specifi c events have yet to be published but proposals include a
to see the spectacle and this highlight of the Japanese social calendar
‘mass walk’ by children under 16 and beacon lighting. Certainly, 2009 promises
is called Hanami (cherry blossom viewing). Now Hanami has come to
to be a celebration of both the Great British Outdoors and the landmark law that
The Alnwick Garden.
opened the most beautiful parts of the UK to ordinary people.
This spring, a new orchard of 350 Japanese Tai Haku cherry trees, under-planted
with spring bulbs, will be opened to the public and The Alnwick Garden will 08
Berwick-upon-Tweed – A Season of Stephenson
May-October 2009
become the only place in the UK to see these beautiful oriental trees in such
www.visitnorthumberland.com
profusion. In the best Hanami tradition, this exceptional horticultural event will be
Like his father George, Robert Stephenson was a railway pioneer who laid the
celebrated with a series of Japanese themed events including Taiko drumming,
foundations, literally, of modern railways. Robert also had a dramatic effect on the
silk crafts, sushi tasting, origami workshops and bonsai demonstrations.
town of Berwick-upon-Tweed when he spanned the famous river with the Royal
Border Bridge in 1850. This engineering marvel, which still carries modern high-
speed rail traffi c, is 2,000 feet long (659m), 130 feet high (38m) and provides train
Corbridge - Northumberland County Show
passengers with magnifi cent views.
04
25th May 2009
www.northcountyshow.co.uk
Berwick became an important stop on the route from London to Edinburgh
The Northumberland County Show is the largest of the country fairs held all over
and prospered as a result. Now the citizens of Berwick are commemorating the
the county and the Spring Bank Holiday Monday (25th May) is a fi xture in many
150th anniversary of their benefactor’s death with the Season of Stephenson
a Northumbrian’s diary. This year the show will again be held at its longstanding
festival that will run from May to October. Events will include major exhibitions,
venue, the Tynedale Rugby Ground in Corbridge, and promises to be the best ever.
classic fi lm shows, talks, presentations, walks along lost local railway lines, and
(hopefully) visits by special trains pulled by historic locomotives.
Besides the traditional attractions such as livestock shows, Pony Club games
and shearing competitions, the 2009 event will feature a quadbike stunt show
At the time of writing the precise nature and dates of these events were being
from The Kangaroo Kid (World Record Holder Matt Coulter), more thrills from the
fi nalised and will be posted on the Northumberland Tourism website as soon as
Kielder Water & Forest Mountain Bike Display Team, a truly memorable fl ypast
they are available but one thing is certain – though the Season of Stephenson
from the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and more aerial acrobatics from
is bound to appeal to railway fans, you won’t need to be a dedicated steam
the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team. As if all this wasn’t enough there will
enthusiast to enjoy this fabulous festival.
be regular food demonstrations from North East chefs, a food hall, country craft
demonstrations, art & craft stalls, trade stalls and live music. Come early or you
simply won’t fi t everything in!
09
Northumberland Lights
November-December 2009
www.northumberlandlights.com
Hadrian’s Wall - The Living Frontier
This innovative antidote to the winter blues uses a sound & light show to
05
The Roman Army Returns!
celebrate the unique Northumbrian landscape. Launched in 2006, this
28th-31st May 2009
spectacular son et lumiere has now played to 100,000 people (almost a third of
www.hadrians-wall.org
the entire population of Northumberland!) and the 2008 event in particular won
Hadrian’s Wall continued to have a history long after the Romans abandoned
high praise from its audiences.
their most northerly frontier. During the Middle Ages the derelict forts were used
for everything from a church to a brewery and in later centuries became hideouts
For 2009, this outdoor extravaganza will be even bigger and better. Centred on
for the Tudor cattle rustlers called Reivers and the Civil War highwaymen
the Walltown Crags quarry by Hadrian’s Wall, the show will explore the journey of
called mosstroopers.
the Roman Wall across the countryside - so if you want to see Northumberland
like you have never seen it before, don’t miss the Northumberland Lights.
To show how the monument fared in the centuries after the legions left, one of
the largest re-enactments ever staged on the Wall will take place from Thursday
For more information on the events and attractions listed above visit the website:
28th to Sunday 31st May 2009. Once again Hadrian’s Wall will echo to the sound
of legionaries’ sandals and ring to the clash of broadswords as Roman invasions,
Reiver raids and Civil War battles are dramatically brought to life.
www.visitnorthumberland.com
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