Know Your Northumberland
Know Your Northumberland has now concluded for 2026 and will return in 2027. Thank you to everyone who took part this year.
Taking on board feedback from industry, we introduced a number of changes for 2026 while keeping the fun and interactive elements participants know and love.
These courses provide valuable destination product knowledge for anyone working or volunteering in the tourism industry. Your knowledge and expertise make a real difference to the visitor experience. Recommending a great attraction or activity, or suggesting a walk or place to eat, helps shape the short breaks and holidays of thousands of visitors, ensuring their time in Northumberland is truly memorable.
The fun, interesting and inspiring experiences visitors enjoy encourage them to return again and again.
Open to anyone working in a visitor-facing role, the programme helps improve knowledge of this truly wonderful and diverse county while uncovering some of Northumberland’s hidden gems and treasures.
The 2026 programme included three components, allowing participants to choose which sessions to take part in. Details of the 2027 programme will be announced in due course.
1. In person 3 hour session (Bronze)
Held at County Hall, Morpeth on Tuesday 24th February, 1.30pm to 4.30pm
During the interactive in person session, you’ll further develop your Northumberland knowledge including sections on history, impact of tourism, visitor types and a warm Northumbrian welcome.
*The 2027 date will be announced in the autumn.
2. Online workshop (Silver)
Each participatory workshop will cover a different area of Northumberland, delving into a wide variety of themes including filming, food & drink, music, routes, history and much more
*There were four online workshops available on:
Tuesday 3rd March 1pm - 3pm: Coastal
Thursday 5th March 10am - 12noon: South & Central Northumberland
Monday 9th March 1pm - 3pm: Northumberland National Park & Surrounds
Wednesday 11th March 10am - 12noon: Romans & North PenninesTo successfully complete this element, you must attend 3 out of the 4 online workshops.
* The 2027 dates will be announced in the autumn.
3. In person visits (Gold)
*Join a fully trained Northumberland guide on three days out around Northumberland travelling by coach visiting some of the well and lesser known places. To complete this component, you must participate in two of the four available days:
Wednesday 25th March - Hadrian's Wall & North Pennines
Thursday 23rd April - South & Central Northumberland
Wednesday 29th April - Coastal Northumberland
Thursday 7th May - Kielder (CANCELLED)* The 2027 dates will be announced in the autumn.
Cost: FREE*
* Please note: Failure to attend sessions without two working days notice will incur a £20 charge per course.
Know Your Northumberland Accreditation
Participants are able to build up their Know Your Northumberland status over the course of two years, future dates to be arranged, and can be completed in any order.
Bronze – complete the in person session
Silver – complete the in person session and at least three online workshops
Gold – complete the in person session, at least three online workshops and two of the in person visits
Once you complete the gold level, you will also be awarded the title Northumberland Ambassador which alongside the quality mark you can proudly add to your website and other promotional materials.
Note: The participant of the programme is the one awarded the Ambassador status, not the business.