Opposite the wonderful Roman Army Museum on Hadrian’s Wall, an exciting new project is in the offing. The ‘Walltown Wider Horizons Project’ aims to transform the seventeen hectare site of a former quarry and countryside park, found just outside of Haltwhistle, into a lively yet sympathetic tourist attraction for visitors to the area.

Key aims of the project are strengthen the connection of the local and visiting population with the incredible landscape, and to raise awareness of issues that are facing Northumberland National Park alongside the wildlife and communities that call it home. The project aims to make the park fully accessible to people of all needs, abilities, and ages, and is being delivered – in this stage at least – by Glenkemp Landscape Architects, the architects who were responsible for the building of The Sill.

I visited during the very first stages of the consultation of the project when it was occurring at The Sill a couple of weeks ago. This consultation aimed to capture the community and visitors thoughts and comments about the beginning of the project, and what they would like to see as outcomes of the project. Visitors were invited to put stickers on things they would like to see, as well as leave voice notes and memos about what the National Park meant to them when they were visiting. The artist, Charlie Whinney, who was behind the ‘Coming Home’ installation and exhibition following the illegal felling of the tree at Sycamore Gap, is also involved in the project.

For my part, I chose that I would like to see areas that are truly wild and have a deep connection with nature; places where it feels totally natural and away from the buzz of it all, such as forest bathing, bird hides, and places to observe the dark skies at night. But that is just what I would like from such a project, and I know that that is not what would suit everybody – some people will inevitably want a much more family-friendly attraction, with elements that will keep children amused when visiting. I hope that they can come to a decent mix, satisfying both elements (and more!) without jeopardising the satisfaction of either.

Either way, this is a project that is just at it’s very beginning, and I imagine it will be many years before it comes to complete fruition. I look forward to following along with the progress of the project and seeing how it goes!