Plans to spend more than £5.7 million to "reinvigorate" Hadrian's Wall have been signed off. Funding from the Borderlands Partnership will be used to "transform" visitor infrastructure along the Roman wall through both Northumberland and Cumbria.
It is hoped the Government investment will attract hundreds of thousands of new visitors every year and generate millions of additional visitor spend.
Key improvements include cycle route and information hubs
Among the key improvements will be a 1.94km cycle route running alongside the Military Road. The route will connect the wall directly to the Kielder Water and Forest Park, the Reivers Trails network, NCN 68 Pennine Cycleway, and the Haltwhistle active travel hub.
Visitor access will also be modernised with new physical and digital "information hubs" across 42 locations along the entire length of the wall in Northumberland.
Local leaders welcome investment
Deputy chairman of the Northumberland National Park and Conservative county councillor Mark Mather said: "We're very happy to be part of the partnership that is working on this. This money will make a huge difference. Hadrian's Wall is absolutely integral to not only Northumberland National Park, but the North East as a whole."
"It is one of or most important landmarks. At the national park, we're very much about the whole park and looking to get investment across the whole area, from the north right down to the wall. We think this will be a great project to get more people involved in our beautiful countryside."
The Borderlands Partnership said the overall investment aims to "unlock the economic potential of rural communities along the Wall" by attracting a greater number of visitors who will support local businesses and services.
Projects in Cumbria and expected impact
Coun Glen Sanderson, Leader of Northumberland County Council, said: "Securing this investment is a landmark moment for Northumberland and a prime example of how the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal delivers targeted economic impact for our rural communities."
"By directly connecting Hadrian's Wall to Kielder Forest, Haltwhistle and our wider active networks, we are removing barriers for visitors and modernising one of the UK's most iconic historic assets. This strategic investment ensures we aren't just preserving Roman heritage, but we're building a world class, eco-friendly destination that encourages longer stays, boosts local businesses and drives sustainable growth for generations to come."
In Cumbria, the Discover Hadrian's Wall West project will introduce 68 heritage-themed interpretation points and physical and digital wayfinding across 10 trail locations, bringing part of the invisible heritage to life through virtual and augmented reality animation via an app.
Lady Jane Gibson OBE, Chair Hadrian's Wall WHS Partnership Board, said: "The investment in the two linked projects will be transformational for Hadrian's Wall and how we can better serve communities and visitors. The World Heritage Site in some areas can be hidden in the landscape so the stories that the Wall can tell are waiting to be told. These two projects are fundamental to our long-term plans to ensure Hadrian's Wall can benefit everybody."
Together, the programme aims to attract an additional 780,000 visitors annually and generate £86.1 million in visitor spend.
