Know Your Northumberland 2026

Know Your Northumberland returns for 2026. Taking on board feedback from industry we’ve made a few changes, without losing any of the fun interactive elements we know you love.

These courses give valuable destination product knowledge to anyone working or volunteering in the industry and it’s your knowledge and expertise that make the difference. Your ability to recommend a great attraction or activity and suggest a walk or place to eat will help to shape the short breaks and holidays of thousands of visitors, ensuring their Northumberland visit is truly memorable. It’s the fun, interesting and stimulating experiences visitors have which encourage them to return again and again.

Available to anyone working in a visitor facing environment - improve your knowledge of this truly wonderful and diverse county, gathering and unlocking some of Northumberland’s secrets and treasures.

There are 3 components to the Know Your Northumberland programme; you can select which sessions you participate in.

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.

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 are four online workshops available:

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 Pennines

To successfully complete this element, you must attend 3 out of the 4 online workshops.

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

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.