Is Herding Hill Farm in Northumberland or Northumbria?

Whether you are looking for a camping trip to Northumberland or a glamping stay in Northumbria, our 5-star Hadrian’s Wall camping and glamping site Herding Hill Farm is an ideal location for exploring all that England’s most Northern county has to offer. But if you came to visit us would you tell your friends you were visiting a Northumberland campsite or a Northumbria campsite? Northumberland is the official county name, yet one of the most prominent educational establishments in Newcastle calls itself the Northumbria University. Confused? Let us help you.

According to Wikipedia, Northumbria was an early medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom in what is now Northern England and south-east Scotland. Northumbria was established in 653 from union of two pre-existing Anglo Saxon kingdoms - Bernicia in the North and Deira in the South. The name Northumbria derives from the Old English “Norþan-hymbre” meaning "the people or province north of the Humber". At its height, the kingdom of Northumbria extended from the Humber, Peak District and the River Mersey on the south to the Firth of Forth (now in Scotland) on the north. This means that both our camping and glamping sites essentially offer Northumbrian Wigwams. Herding Hill Farm in Haltwhistle, the centre of Britain and Drummohr Camping and Glamping Site in Musselburgh East Lothian would both have been Northumbria campsites offering a range of Northumbria camping and glamping accommodation with hot tubs.

In the mid-tenth century, part of Northumbria was absorbed into the medieval kingdom of Scotland and the rest joined England to become historic Northumberland and county palatine of Durham. Today, Northumbria usually refers to a smaller region of North East England corresponding to the counties of Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear.

The term Northumbria is now more commonly used to refer to North East regional bodies or institutions such as Northumbria Police or Northumbria University. Northumbria is not the official name for the UK region of North East England. One of the best-known terms using Northumbria is the Northumbrian smallpipes (also known as the Northumbrian pipes). These are bellows-blown bagpipes from North East England, where they play an important factor in the local musical culture. They are quieter than traditional Scottish bagpipes.

The county of Northumberland in North East England included Newcastle upon Tyne until 1400, when the city became a county of itself and subsequently became part of Tyne and Wear. Today, Northumberland is bordered by Cumbria to the west, County Durham and Tyne and Wear to the south and the Scottish Borders to the north. To the east is the North Sea. The county town of Northumberland is Alnwick. Northumbria is noted for its undeveloped landscape of high moorland and its international dark skies, now largely protected as the Northumberland National Park. Northumberland is the least densely populated county in England.

A notable feature of Northumberland’s heritage as a `Border region’ is that it has more castles than any other part of England Northumberland has its own flag, with a shield of arms inspired by Bede's brief description of a flag used on the tomb of St Oswald in the 7th century. Northumberland's county flower is the bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum).

Whichever term you prefer, why not take a Northumbria camping trip to Herding Hill Farm to explore England’s 6th largest county by area. Northumberland, or Northumbria as it is also known, has magnificent and stunning landscapes just waiting to be explored. Filled with mystical castles, sights of historical interest such as Hadrian’s Wall, atmospheric ruins and edged by spectacular coastal scenery, there is something wonderful to see at every turn of Northumbria and some of the best walking, climbing and cycling in the country. The Northumberland National Park encompasses miles of breath-taking countryside, including Kielder Forest and the Cheviot Hills.

If wildlife and glamping Northumbria is your thing, the coastal towns of Northumberland accommodate vast numbers of seabirds and are home to some of the most scientifically important wildlife reserves in England, including the world famous Farne Islands. Clear rivers teem with salmon, brown trout and if you are very lucky otters. The woodlands are a haven for the now rare red squirrel. Northumberland also offers the opportunity to see adders during warm spring days.