Northumberland National Park
Awarded Tourist Information Centre of the Year 2007, Once Brewed is close to Hadrian’s Wall and is the main tourist centre for exploring the National Park and the World Heritage Site.
It's definitely worth a visit for orientating yourself in the area - and, yes, the bizarre name is something to do with the local pub which is called The Twice Brewed Inn. Don't ask too closely, just go there to see for yourself.
Once Brewed is at the heart of many ways to enjoy Hadrian's Wall Country. Hadrian's Cycleway passes close by and both the Hadrian's Wall National Trail and the Pennine Way National Trail follow the line of the Wall just to the north of the Centre. The award-winning (and, more importantly, the very useful and eco-friendly) AD122 bus service stops here as it wends its way along to the major Wall-centred sites and sights.
In the National Park itself, you'll find yourself in wild Wall country. Here is some of the most spectacular scenery: sometimes inhospitable, sometimes challenging but always stunning and tranquil. The Visitor Centre provides some interesting interpretative displays that would probably have been useful to those earlier visitors who must have wondered what kind of a land they'd ended up in. The simple answer is ‘breathtakingly beautiful and a lot more accessible than it was in your day!'
Apr - Oct 9.30am - 5pm daily;
winter: 10am - 3pm weekends only.Admission: Free (01434) 344396 www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk
